Arati Prabhakar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arati Prabhakar
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Official portrait, 2024
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| 12th Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | |
| In office October 3, 2022 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Alondra Nelson (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Michael Kratsios |
| 22nd Science Advisor to the President | |
| In office October 3, 2022 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Francis Collins (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Michael Kratsios |
| 20th Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | |
| In office July 30, 2012 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Regina E. Dugan |
| Succeeded by | Steven Walker |
| 10th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology | |
| In office 1993–1997 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | John Lyons |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Kammer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 2, 1959 New Delhi, India |
| Citizenship | India (1959–67) United States (1967–present) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Texas Tech University (BS) California Institute of Technology (MS, PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied physics |
| Institutions | National Institute of Standards and Technology U.S. Venture Partners Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| Thesis | Investigation of Deep Level Defects in Semiconductor Material Systems (1985) |
| Doctoral advisor | Thomas McGill |
Arati Prabhakar (born February 2, 1959) is an American engineer and government leader. She served as the 12th director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Science Advisor to the President. She held these important roles from October 3, 2022, to January 20, 2025.
Before this, Prabhakar was the 10th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from 1993 to 1997. She was the first woman to lead NIST. She also served as the 20th Director of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) from 2012 to 2017. In 2019, she started a nonprofit group called Actuate.
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Early Life and Education
Arati Prabhakar's family moved to the United States from New Delhi, India, when she was three years old. Her mother wanted to get a higher degree in social work in Chicago. Arati grew up in Lubbock, Texas, starting when she was ten. Her mother always encouraged her to get a doctorate degree.
In 1979, she earned a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University. She continued her studies at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There, she earned a M.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1980. She then received her Ph.D. in applied physics in 1984. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in applied physics from Caltech.
Career Highlights
After finishing her Ph.D., Arati Prabhakar worked in Washington, D.C.. She was a congressional fellow from 1984 to 1986 with the Office of Technology Assessment. Later, she joined DARPA from 1986 to 1993. She started as a program manager and then became the first director of DARPA's Microelectronics Technology Office.
At 34, Prabhakar was chosen to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She was in charge of NIST from 1993 to 1997. After her time at NIST, she worked as the Chief Technology Officer for Raychem from 1997 to 1998. She then became a vice president and later president at Interval Research from 1998 to 2000.
From 2001 to 2011, she worked at U.S. Venture Partners. There, she focused on investing in new companies that worked with green technology and information technology. On July 30, 2012, she became the head of DARPA, taking over from Regina E. Dugan. She left DARPA in January 2017.
Prabhakar was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford from 2017 to 2018. In 2019, she started Actuate. This is a nonprofit group that works on important issues like climate change and long-term diseases.
Leading in the Biden Administration
In 2022, President Joe Biden chose Arati Prabhakar for two big jobs. She became the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Science Advisor to the President. This was a historic moment. She was the first woman, person of color, and immigrant to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She was also the first woman and first person of color to be the Science Advisor to the President.
Prabhakar gave President Biden advice on how to manage artificial intelligence (AI). She supported rules to make AI safe. She also helped shape digital policies and plans for making computer chips in the U.S. under the Biden administration.
Awards and Memberships
Arati Prabhakar is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She was named an IEEE Fellow in 1997. This was for her leadership in helping industry and government work together. Their goal was to boost economic growth through new ways of making computer chips. She is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
She has been recognized by Texas Tech University as a Distinguished Engineer. The California Institute of Technology also named her a Distinguished Alumna.
Prabhakar is on the governing board for the Pew Research Center. She is also a member of the U.S. National Academies' Science Technology and Economic Policy Board. In 2012, she was on the board of directors for SRI International. She was also part of the College of Engineering Advisory Board at the University of California, Berkeley.
Her achievements are featured in the Notable Women in Computing cards. In 2024, TIME magazine included Prabhakar in its list of the 100 most influential people in AI.
