Hanford appointed CEO and trustee of Natcast Inc.

Deirdre Hanford, co-chair of Purdue University’s Semiconductor Degrees Leadership Board, was appointed Tuesday (Jan. 16) as CEO and trustee of the National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology (Natcast). Natcast Inc. is a new, purpose-built, nonprofit entity created to operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) consortium.

“Today’s announcement that Deirdre Hanford will take the helm as the CEO of Natcast marks another milestone in the ongoing revitalization of semiconductor innovation in America,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “We are proud to have worked closely with Deirdre at Purdue’s Semiconductor Degrees Program, where she co-chairs the Industry Leadership Board. She is a visionary innovator and long-standing industry expert who is precisely the leader that NSTC, CHIPS Act implementation and our nation need at this critical moment to advance the semiconductor industry and ensure our national and economic security for decades to come.” 

Hanford is a noted expert in the semiconductor ecosystem. Before Natcast, she was an executive at Synopsys, a technology and market leader in electronic design automation and semiconductor design intellectual property.

In addition to her role at Purdue, Hanford has served on many academic and industry advisory boards, including being a leader in the Department of Commerce Industrial Advisory Committee formed through the CHIPS Act.

Hanford earned a BS in electrical engineering from Brown University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.