His is an open mind that absorbs every idea, emotion, and affection to enrich himself – a great lesson for the millions aspiring to be in exciting careers and do exciting things in the one life we all have.
Published Apr 06, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 06, 2025 | 9:42 AM
Garud N Iyengar is clear about one driving force, that keeps him going apart from his own drive, motivation and curiosity to learn – the talented students. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Students and professional aspirants can take a leaf out of one of the US and Columbia’s meteoric, inspirational and exciting intellectuals, coming from a Malleswaram home in Bengaluru.
He never speaks about himself, what he does, what he has achieved all these years, his travels the world over, and the higher heights he’s set to reach.
Garud N Iyengar, Tang Family Professor of Operations, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Columbia University, and also Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, is always looking at what others are up to and what he can learn from them.
His is an open mind that absorbs every idea, emotion, and affection to enrich himself – a great lesson for the millions aspiring to be in exciting careers and do exciting things in the one life we all have.
Let’s look at what Iyengar does now and how he’s been scaling it all up these years – optimisation across diverse domains, mathematical strategies and applications, computational finance, biology, communication and information theory, risk and supply chain management, dynamics and memory of physical sensors processing information, thermodynamics of molecular sensing, cost of molecular memory during signaling, asset allocation, asset pricing, simulation, labour platforms, power networks, financial engineering, applications in diverse fields such as machine learning, systemic risk, operations management, sports analytics, and now the big thing, Artificial Intelligence.
Iyengar has also been an Amazon Scholar, Professor at Bangalore’s National Center for Biological Sciences, Associate Professor, at London Business School, and Professor, at Rockefeller University, New York, and Co-creator of a Coursera MOOC on Financial Engineering and Risk Management reaching thousands of students, Editor in Chief: Foundations and Trends in Optimization, and the holder of two prestigious US patents – Systems and methods for providing robust investment portfolios, and another, Determining load reductions in demand response systems.
He has been collaborating with the world’s leading thinkers, researchers, academics, industry pioneers and students in all of these domains, launching initiatives in institutions that have taken solid root and been path-breaking. This collaboration also reflected in hundreds of research papers in leading publications across the world with high citation value.
Before getting to Columbia, Iyengar built an impeccable and flawless academic legacy – a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology – Kanpur, and an MS and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the iconic Ivy League, Stanford University.
Alongside the positions he holds now, he has been a long-standing Simons Visitor at NCBS Simons Centre for the Study of Living Machines, NCBS, Bengaluru. Iyengar has also been awarded the coveted and prestigious CAREER Award of the National Science Foundation and earlier, the President’s Gold Medal at IIT, Kanpur.
Iyengar scored a perfect 10/10 CGPA all four years while pursuing B.Tech at IIT-Kanpur.
While we see the rich academic legacy here, what he has been doing at Columbia’s Data Science Institute, and what he is setting out to do is remarkably impactful. This is what Dennis A. Mitchell, Interim Provost, Columbia University, said about Iyengar when he assumed Directorship of DSI.
“Garud brings a wealth of experience in academic leadership and a long record of success in convening faculty from disparate fields to tackle pressing interdisciplinary challenges. President Shafik has identified artificial intelligence as one of the key priorities for the University in the coming years, and under Garud’s direction, DSI will partner with EVP for Research Jeannette Wing and Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang in leading Columbia’s AI initiative,” Mitchell said.
Iyengar has played a central role at DSI since its founding. He was Associate Director for Research from 2017-19 and helped launch the Institute’s PhD concentration, seed fund program, and postdoc program. His research has brought significant advances to the study of information, control, and optimisation, and his current work addresses a broad range of domains, including cellular signalling, labour platforms, power networks, supply chains, and causal inference.
The Data Science Institute (DSI) at Columbia University advances the state-of-the-art in data science, transforms all fields, professions, and sectors through the application of data science, and ensures the responsible use of data to benefit society. Iyengar has been training the next generation of data scientists, aiding in the development of innovative technology, fostering collaborations in advancing techniques to interpret data and address pressing societal problems, and working closely with industry to bring promising ideas to market. Mitchell rightly put it, “DSI is in exceptionally capable hands.”
Co-leading the AI initiative at Columbia, Iyengar is clear about what his AI research focus should be: “As Gen AI grows more prevalent, it becomes increasingly important to be able to block malicious actors and research on securing AI is so important.”
He is collaborating with Infosys in developing AI security idioms to ensure hassle-free operations of AI agents and the entire AI Agentic Architecture. Iyengar is also aware of what AI is doing to the world when he says: “AI is advancing rapidly, shaping industries, institutions and indeed, everyday life itself. I encourage you to engage, connect, and think boldly about the role we all play in shaping AI’s future.”
In the course of all this, Iyengar travels far and wide striking academic and industry partnerships and delivering talks and lectures in cutting-edge institutions or catching up with friends – one day in Hong Kong, another day in Shanghai, or yet another day in Seoul sipping tea with the Indian Ambassador or flying into Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to deliver lectures.
When in Bengaluru, the pit-stop at his Malleswaram home is natural – where he loves his thaiyar sadam (curd rice) with oorga (pickle) apart from our very own rasam or pulka with dal, or shavige paaisam (vermicelli sweet).
It is another matter that he loves savoring sushi in Tokyo or pizza at New York’s Times Square. And then he doesn’t miss out on a dash of Glenfiddich, Bourbon, or our very own Indian Amrut.
Iyengar also loves making his own piping hot cappuccino with all its steam, fixes great vodka, brings veggies on his own, and makes absolutely crisp dosas. He doesn’t miss out on Bhagathram’s jamoons, samosas and kachoris, with their tangy sweet and chilli chutneys on Bengaluru’s Commercial Street.
He also finds time for Fleetwood Mac’s and Stevie Nicks’ scintillating number, Thrown Down, looking down onto the sparkling Washington Bridge, a jewel in the night, over the Hudson River in Manhattan, Riverside with a whiskey in hand – and then Beethoven and Mozart on the one hand and Carnatic magic on the other.
Iyengar doesn’t also miss out on New York’s famed Broadway musicals and theatre – whenever an outstanding one comes up – most are! His love for the best of Mahogany from Royal India or Manhattan, carpet or the drapes or the chandeliers elevates life greatly.
There’s the other fascinating element to him – he’s got great grip on India’s deeply ingrained Srivaishnavaite philosophy, thought and tradition, understanding well what the Dwaita-Adwaita implies for life today even if they were conceived so far back in time.
In all this, he never forgets the basic human connection – affection and love – for people (the high and mighty or the vendor on the street) around him – the bedrock of everything you do in life.
Iyengar, an atheist, understands that perhaps there is no conflict or disturbance if he defers to Keshava, Lakshminarasimha and Gopala at the famed Hoysala village, Nuggehalli, close to Hassan and about 130 kms from Bengaluru. He doesn’t hurt anyone with these sensibilities, making sure to fold his hands to the Lords and respect the other man’s faith, feelings and emotions.
With Iyengar, generosity isn’t just about money, that he takes care of that anyway. It is about welcoming people into his world when easily he could perch on the high pedestal, given his pedigree and legacy. It is also about him wafting into the other person’s world, making time for their life habits.
Generosity, for him, is imparting respect to anyone he comes across and the curiosity to absorb anything he doesn’t know from anyone, despite everything he has achieved. He is also aware of all those concerns around what we call equality and inequality of life across geographies and no wonder his heart is in the right place.
Iyengar goes to bed roughly around 11 pm and wakes up roughly around 5 am – that’s about it. Sound sleep and rest in those hours is enough for the man to take on everything the world has to offer before 11 and after 5.
Being with Columbia for 25 years, he is clear about one driving force, that keeps him going apart from his own drive, motivation and curiosity to learn – the talented students of Columbia who give him a high.
Iyengar has a very plain and simple formula for life but one that is enormously impactful and effective – do everything in moderation – whether its your diet everyday or an opinion you have about anything – and you’re guaranteed a peaceful, meditative life.
If anyone, student, career guy, an academic or a professional aspires to lead a fulfilling life, one steeped in intellect, taste and generosity, a word with Iyengar would just be right. It would surely make a difference.
(P Ramanujam is a science, space, and technology commentator. Edited by Majnu Babu).
