Purdue brings 4 dimensions of engagement to Silicon Valley

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University recently announced a four-dimensional connection to Silicon Valley that deepens the university’s research and industry engagement through partnerships with leading technology companies. The presence of Purdue will also deepen engagement with the university’s large alumni community there.

The Jan. 29 announcement was made at and in partnership with Palo Alto, California-based Playground Global, a venture capital and startup incubator firm that focuses on breakthrough technologies. Playground Global will provide physical space for multiple units of Purdue University.

The strategic Silicon Valley presence will further elevate Purdue’s national role in connecting industry innovators with the university’s expertise and engineering talent pool.

By strengthening ties to Silicon Valley’s tech ecosystem, Purdue@SV is taking a multipronged approach to develop a direct talent pipeline through partnerships, internships and mentorships to the global epicenter of technology and entrepreneurship while also expanding academic opportunities such as hybrid executive education.

“Purdue’s hybrid executive education in emergent disciplines leverage Purdue’s academic excellence and U.S. News No.1-ranked online MS in all the ranked engineering specialties with on-the-ground training to offer unique, market-differentiated offerings in Silicon Valley,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Purdue’s College of Engineering. “We will help train the up-and-coming industry leaders who will define the future of artificial intelligence, autonomy, advanced computing and systems engineering. They will be armed with deeper technical expertise and stronger leadership skills to shape the industry for generations.”

With an estimated 16,000-plus Purdue alumni living in the region and many working in a variety of tech fields, the Purdue for Life Foundation is doubling its staff in Silicon Valley to connect with Purdue alumni who work and live in the Bay Area.

Purdue is also adding new full-time staff to its Office of Professional Practice. These staff members will be specifically focused on the Bay Area to develop internship and co-op opportunities with leading tech companies and startups for Purdue students pursuing degrees in AI and related fields.

A critical aspect of the effort is engagement with the Silicon Valley Boiler Innovation Group, a group of senior executives and entrepreneurs — many of them Purdue alumni — who mentor university-affiliated founders and startups and bring deep experience in technology entrepreneurship.

Purdue’s growth in Silicon Valley underscores the four key pillars of Purdue Computes to become a leader in the fields of computing, physical artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum science and engineering to create future technologies that enable unparalleled excellence at scale.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.