If India was like it is today when he came over, Venkatesh 'Venky' Narayanamurti might have remained there.
But it was not, which is why Narayanamurti now finds himself director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
"I think Indian education is better at the undergrad level; the US wins at the graduate level," says Narayanmurti, who, therefore, has had the best of both worlds.
Narayanamurti, who was dean of the engineering and applied sciences division, took over the current position from John Holdren, who is now director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
'I was dean at Harvard for 10 years. I've done enough of deaning," Narayanamurti says in jest. His current job involves one of his core strengths: interdisciplinary work. So while he has continued to do research on nanoscience and nanotechnology, he has managed to bridge the divide between the arts and sciences, by working with people at the Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard School of Public Health on interdisciplinary initiatives.
He quoted C P Snow's 'famous lecture in 1959, titled Two Cultures,' about the growing divide between the arts and the sciences and suggested there were ways to address it and that he would do just that in his new role. As part of this effort, perhaps, despite his background in pure research, he is to teach an introductory course in science, technology and public policy. Narayanamurti had earlier expressed an interest in working on science and technology and public policy at the Kennedy School.
In a note the university released, he said, 'Some of today's greatest societal challengesfrom global health to information management to sustainability to national security to economic competitivenesslie at the intersections of science, technology and public policy. I am looking forward to working at this exciting interface.'
Asked if he plans to follow his predecessor into government, Narayanamurti responded that he had always advised the government, and that he had been on many committees.
Narayanamurthi was born in Bangalore, although his family is from Chennai. He did his master's degree at the University of Delhi, and then decided to forego a Rhodes scholarship to work for a PhD at Cornell University. He then worked at AT&T Bell Labs, finally working there as director of the Solid State Electronics Research Laboratory and at Sandia National Laboratories, where he was president of research and exploratory technology. He moved to become dean at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and then to Harvard.
Narayanamurti and his wife Jayalakshmi have three children-sons Arjun N Murti and Krishna Narayanamurti, and daughter Ranjini Logue.
