On November 2, 2023, Computer Science Alum Karthik Balakrishnan received the Distinguished Alumni Award at the LAS Alumni Honors and Awards Ceremony. The award recognizes outstanding alumni from the Department.
Balakrishnan received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Iowa State University in 1998. He boasts 25 years of experience in Al, with leadership roles at Ve Risk, Allstate Insurance, and Fireman's Fund/Allianz Insurance Company. As Verisk's senior vice president, he oversaw the loT/Telematics business, managing P&L, sales, product development, technology, data science, and data management.
With over 40 publications and a novel on Intelligent Agents from MIT Press, since 2021, Balakrishnan has been the Global Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO) at Principal Financial Group. In this role, he is responsible for modernizing Principal's data/analytics strategy, culture, and execution, and establishing best practices for Al, analytics, data management, and data governance.
Besides his professional accomplishments, Balakrishnan has a history of giving back to Iowa State University. He chairs the External Advisory Committee for Software Engineering and is on the External Advisory Council for the Department of Computer Science.
Karthik Balakrishnan receives the award from Dean Beate Schmittmann.
Karthik Balakrishnan receives the award from Dean Beate Schmittmann, and is congratulated by Department Chair Hridesh Rajan.