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Events at a Glance

Columbia Engineering hosted a wide range of speakers and visitors in 2025. In keynote presentations, fireside chats, workshops, panels, and other formats, these leaders shared their insight and wisdom with our entire campus community.

Columbia Engineering hosted 10 events Sept. 22–26 to celebrate Climate Week NYC, featuring conversations on the breakthroughs reshaping our path to sustainability. 

We were especially proud to celebrate the official launch of Gotham Foundry, New York City’s new sustainable materials hub; host the Columbia Center for Advanced Electrification’s inaugural symposium; and welcome an impressive group of international leaders in the race toward fusion energy.

L TO R: Kate Ascher, co-director of Gotham Foundry (GF) and professor of practice of urban development at Columbia; Rein Ulijn, co-director of GF and director of the CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative; Helen Lu, director of GF and Percy K. and Vida L.W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Theanne Schiros, co-director of GF and professor of materials science at FIT; and Neena Chakrabarti, board member at Genspace.
L TO R: Kate Ascher, co-director of Gotham Foundry (GF) and professor of practice of urban development at Columbia; Rein Ulijn, co-director of GF and director of the CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative; Helen Lu, director of GF and Percy K. and Vida L.W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Theanne Schiros, co-director of GF and professor of materials science at FIT; and Neena Chakrabarti, board member at Genspace.

Tech CEO Lecture Series

The Tech CEO Lecture Series is a unique opportunity that invites the Columbia community into the inner circles of innovation. These lectures invite students to consider the larger economic, social, political, and commercial contexts of technological advancement.

Thomas Caulfield BS’82, MS’84, EngScD’86, executive chairman of GlobalFoundries.
Dean Kamen, founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation. Credit: David Dini
Dean Kamen, founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation.
Dean Kamen, founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation. Credit: David Dini
Alexander Sarrigeorgiou BS’79, MS’80, chairman and CEO of Eurolife FFH Insurance Group.
Alexander Sarrigeorgiou BS’79, MS’80, chairman and CEO of Eurolife FFH Insurance Group. Credit: Chris Taggart

AI Summit 

The Columbia AI Summit in Spring 2025 brought together thousands of researchers, technologists, and students for a day of vital conversations about the development — and impact — of artificial intelligence. Hosted by the University, this event featured a strong contingent of Engineering faculty.

Yunzhu Li, assistant professor of computer science, addresses the audience in Low Memorial Library.
Yunzhu Li, assistant professor of computer science, addresses the audience in Low Memorial Library. Credit: David Dini
Dean Shih-Fu Chang tries out a demonstration.
Dean Shih-Fu Chang tries out a demonstration. Credit: David Dini

Lecture Series in AI

Columbia Engineering was proud to host AI luminaries from leading companies and research institutions. These talks explore the most cutting-edge topics in artificial intelligence and bring to campus thinkers and leaders who are shaping tomorrow’s technology landscape in a wide variety of fields.

eric xing image
Eric Xing, president and University Professor at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. Credit: Lucas Hoeffel
danqi chen standing in front of banner that reads "columbia engineering lecture series in AI"
Danqi Chen, an associate professor at Princeton University, associate director of Princeton’s Language and Intelligence Initiative, and co-lead of the Macro-Language Policy Group. Credit: April Renae

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