Subra Suresh Distinguished Lecture

The Subra Suresh Distinguished Lecture will be presented on March 12, 2025, by Dr. Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Chairman of Google, in conversation with Pietro Perona, the Allen E. Puckett Professor of Electrical Engineering at Caltech.  

The Subra Suresh Distinguished Lecture is given by leaders in the broad intellectual domain of multidisciplinary science and engineering, and Dr. Schmidt's professional career in information technology spans his early work at Bell Labs, to Sun Microsystems, and eventually Google. He has since served in key advisory roles in business, education, and government, and is an active philanthropist. Dr. Schmidt was chosen by the Selection Committee for his deep and broad contributions to modern information technologies. 

Eric Schmidt is an accomplished technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, known for his pivotal role in the growth of Google as CEO and Chairman from 2001 to 2011, overseeing its transformation from a small startup to a global tech giant. Working alongside Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its products, while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. Eric founded the Special Competitive Studies Project in 2021, a non-profit initiative focused on strengthening America's long-term AI and technological competitiveness in national security, the economy, and society. Most recently in 2024, Eric and his wife Wendy co-founded Schmidt Sciences, a nonprofit organization working to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues. He has written several acclaimed books, including his latest titled Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit (2024), co-written with the late Dr. Henry Kissinger and Craig Mundie.