Pradeep Khosla, MS, PhD

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor, University of California San Diego

Pradeep K. Khosla, UC San Diego’s eighth Chancellor, is an internationally renowned electrical and computer engineer recognized for his seminal contributions in intelligent robot systems and design. He provides vision and strategy for the university, leading a campus with more than 35,000 students, six undergraduate colleges, five academic divisions, five graduate and professional schools, a preeminent Health System and the prestigious Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  

Khosla initiated and led UC San Diego’s first-ever Strategic Plan, and recently launched the public phase of the Campaign for UC San Diego—an ambitious and bold $2 billion endeavor—aimed at transforming the university, physically and intellectually. Khosla has expanded college access and affordability for underserved populations, initiated interdisciplinary research initiatives to foster collaboration and solve societal challenges, and strengthened university and community relationships and partnerships. 

Previously, Khosla served as Dean of the College of Engineering and Philip and Marsha Dowd University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He spent the majority of his career at Carnegie Mellon, rising through the ranks from his first position as Assistant Professor in 1986 to his appointment as Dean in 2004. From 1994 to 1996, he also served as a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Program Manager in the Software and Intelligent Systems Technology Office, Defense Sciences Office and Tactical Technology Office, where he managed advanced research and development programs.

Khosla is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and the American Society for Engineering Education. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Association for Advancement of Science, the American Association of Artificial Intelligence and the Indian Academy of Engineering. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Indian Academy of Science. 

The recipient of numerous awards for his leadership, teaching and research, Khosla has received the 2012 Light of India Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the George Westinghouse Award for contributions to improve engineering teaching. In 2012, he was named as one of the 50 most influential Indian-Americans by SiliconIndia.

Khosla received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur in 1980, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering in 1984 and 1986 at Carnegie Mellon. In 2014, he received an honorary doctorate of science from the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur.