Shri Narayanan named USC vice president for presidential initiatives

Shrikanth “Shri” Narayanan, has been appointed vice president for presidential initiatives, USC President Carol Folt announced Thursday.

Narayanan, a USC University Professor known for research in human-centered sensing, computing and information processing, will be the first to hold this position. 

“Advances are taking place at an astonishing rate in the evolving fields encompassed by our ‘moonshots.’ This role was created to focus not only on implementing, but also continually broadening, amplifying and weaving our moonshots together, so USC remains at the forefront of discovery and innovation,” Folt said. “Professor Narayanan is the perfect choice for this role. He has built teams from across multiple schools, locations, disciplines, units and approaches. His energy and innovation are infectious, and the work he takes on flourishes.”

Narayanan holds academic appointments in multiple schools and institutes at USC, including the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Narayanan begins his new role at a pivotal time when the university has surpassed $1 billion in research spending, thanks to significant investments in the president’s moonshots.

USC also is making rapid progress on the USC Frontiers of Computing initiative, and just celebrated the naming of its first director, Gaurav Sukhatme from USC Viterbi. Bringing these moonshots together will be a primary focus at the outset.

Narayanan’s experience spans academia and industry. A visiting faculty researcher at Google, he holds joint appointments in multiple areas: computer science and electrical engineering, linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, pediatrics, and otolaryngology — head and neck surgery.

“Shri is a Renaissance scholar who understands the why and the how of integrating diverse aspects of USC research to produce meaningful impact,” said Ishwar K. Puri, senior vice president of research and innovation. “Integrating the various presidential initiatives and moonshots will prime USC for research focused on creating a healthier and cleaner world.”

Narayanan will report directly to the president, and will work closely with the university’s senior leadership team, deans, institute directors and scholars from all schools.

“I am inspired by President Folt’s vision of educating the next generation to contribute to society, both individually and collectively,” said Narayanan. “As we advance knowledge across different domains — scientific, technological, creative — we must translate that knowledge into real-world solutions. The collision of creative and technological minds, which USC and Los Angeles are known for, is a powerful engine of innovation.”

Narayanan envisions establishing even more connections through his new role beyond those he has built as a research director at the USC Information Sciences Institute, known for its historic achievements in computer science, and as director of the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory at USC Viterbi.

More recently, Narayanan has spearheaded PRECOG, which harnesses neuroscience, linguistics and human-centered machine learning to improve screening for depression and suicidal ideation. The PRECOG team of USC and UCLA researchers are developing automated screening tools that analyze subtle changes in voice and behavior to paint a more comprehensive picture of mental health and well-being.

“Having worked with Shri as a collaborator since we were graduate students together three decades ago, and having recruited him to USC from AT&T Labs in 2000, I know him to be a rare scholarly catalyst who is simultaneously an extraordinary scientist, engineer, and ultimately humanist. As if he had a 48-hour day, Shri will have dozens of projects open on his desktop at any given time, but you can nevertheless be certain that his insight on the research quandary of the moment will be potent and incisive,” said Dani Byrd, professor of linguistics at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and a PRECOG collaborator.

“Regardless of domain, Shri couples the keenest instincts for human-centric research having societal relevance with the kinetic force to move ideas to reality,” she said.

In her letter announcing Narayanan’s position, Folt wrote: “Many of you already know Shri and his infectious energy and passion for discovery. He shares my belief that even the smallest idea can blossom into a world-class solution, particularly if you bring in a wide range of voices from the outset. He tells me he sees a university without walls or boundaries. This is precisely the approach we need to connect and integrate talent, ideas and strengths from across the institution.”

Read more: Q&A with Shri Narayanan on USC News