Venu Govindaraju
Venu Govindaraju is an Indian-American whose research interests are in the fields of artificial intelligence, handwriting recognition, document image analysis and biometrics. He presently serves as the Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Development, and is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, US.
He has been recognized by leaders in Congress, the New York State Assembly, the County of Erie and Town of Amherst for being a “world-renown researcher and compassionate leader…whose work exemplifies the spirit of discovery, service and dedication to the public good.”
Research career
After graduating with a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, Govindaraju served from 1992 to 2003 as a research scientist at the Center of Excellence for Document Analysis and Recognition, at the University at Buffalo founded and managed by Sargur Srihari. He became associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo in 2000, a full Professor in 2002, and a SUNY Distinguished Professor, the highest faculty rank in the State University of New York system, in 2010. Govindaraju was the founding director of the and has remained its director since its inception in 2003.Govindaraju is principal investigator and leads the National Science Foundation-funded National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, an NSF National AI Research Institute. AI4ExceptionalEd develops models to detect language and communication challenges in children early. His groundbreaking work, previously having, now empowers speech-language pathologists and educators with tools to screen and support children with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Awards and honors
Govindaraju joined the Empire AI board of directors in 2025.In 2024, Govindaraju received in recognition of extraordinary service to the university.
Also in 2024, he was named Person of the Year by the Council of Heritage and Arts of India for his groundbreaking contributions to AI.
Govindaraju is a member of the Pan American Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE, the AAAS, the IAPR, and the SPIE.
He received the 2001 International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition Young Investigator award, the 2004 MIT Global Indus Technovator Award, the 2010 IEEE Technical Achievement Award, the Indian Institutes of Technology Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the 2015 IAPR/ICDAR Outstanding Achievements Award. He was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2015.