USC ECE Assistant Professor, Priyadarshini Panda, received the
SRC 2025 Young Faculty Award. (Image Courtesy of Semiconductor Research Corporation)
USC Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s newest faculty member, Priyadarshini (Priya) Panda received the 2025 Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Young Faculty Award—one of the most prestigious honors recognizing early-career researchers shaping the future of semiconductor and computing innovation.
The award marks a full-circle moment for Panda, whose relationship with SRC began as a student in the STARnet and CBRIC programs while pursuing her PhD at Purdue University. She later continued her work with SRC as a faculty member at Yale University, where she led a research theme in the JUMP 2.0 COCOSYS Center.
“Receiving the SRC Young Faculty Award is truly an honor and a humbling milestone,” Panda said. “SRC has been an integral part of my career since I was a student, and this recognition reflects the collective efforts of my mentors, collaborators and especially my students, who inspire me every day.”
Panda leads the USC Intelligent Computing Lab, which develops brain-inspired, energy-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems through algorithm-hardware co-design. Her group focuses on neuromorphic computing, spiking neural networks, and compute-in-memory architectures that enable low-power, high-performance learning models. Drawing inspiration from the brain’s efficiency and adaptability, her lab aims to make AI systems more sustainable and scalable for real-world applications, from robotics to assistive technologies.
Joining USC from Yale, Panda brings award-winning expertise and a bold research vision to the School of Advanced Computing’s expanding AI and computing community. “At USC, my research will continue to push the boundaries of energy-efficient AI,” Panda said. “We’re developing brain-inspired neural models and efficient transformer frameworks that map seamlessly onto emerging hardware, while mentoring the next generation of researchers to innovate at the intersection of AI and hardware.”
Her lab’s mission extends beyond research—it’s a training ground for students eager to shape the future of computing. The group is currently recruiting PhD students with background in ECE, computer science and related fields to explore topics such as neural interfaces, efficient machine learning, and embodied AI systems.
Students interested in joining the Intelligent Computing Lab can learn more at sites.usc.edu/intelligentcomputinglab, and read more about Panda and the other new faculty of the department in this article.
Published on October 16th, 2025
Last updated on October 16th, 2025
