State of the School 2026: Built for What Comes Next

Forty-five minutes was never going to be enough to capture everything happening across the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Gaurav Sukhatme, dean (interim) of USC Viterbi and director of the USC Stevens School of Computing and AI said as much at the start of his first State of the School address, describing the presentation as a series of "selective slices" of a school that now encompasses 8,000 students, more than 800,000 square feet of space and over $200 million in annual research activity.

But beneath all those numbers was a simpler message: USC Viterbi's real strength is its people.

"This school is the creation of many, many people - you included - who pour their hearts and souls into making it a great place," Sukhatme, who is the Donald M. Alstadt Chair in Advanced Computing and Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering within the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science and the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, told faculty and staff on September 24. "This remains our greatest strength."

A Transformative Moment for AI

One of the biggest developments of the year was also one of the largest gifts in USC history: a $200 million investment from Mark and Mary Stevens.

The gift established the newly named USC Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence and will help expand AI research and education across USC's 23 schools.

Sukhatme called it "a catalyst for amazing change."

The gift arrives as USC Viterbi launches its new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, an interdisciplinary degree jointly administered across three departments. The first class began this fall.

Where USC Viterbi Is Built to Lead

Sukhatme pointed to artificial intelligence, semiconductors and photonics, materials and manufacturing, quantum computing and engineering for medicine as areas where USC Viterbi has the expertise and the opportunity to lead.

Recent wins suggest that momentum is already building.

Several USC projects were selected through the U.S. Department of Energy's GENESIS Mission, a national effort using AI to accelerate scientific discovery. Many of the winning projects are led by USC Viterbi faculty.

"When a national competition of this type runs, our faculty are able to respond to it," Sukhatme said. "They have to be agile, and their ideas have to win."

He also highlighted the NSF-awarded Artificial Intelligence Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT), where USC's Bistra Dilkina serves as a co-principal investigator. The institute recently received a five-year, $20 million renewal to continue its work at the intersection of AI and mathematical optimization.

In quantum computing, Sukhatme sees another opening.

"This is an area of strategic importance where we need to be playing," he said. "We need to be making an impact."

That ambition is backed by a substantial research enterprise. In fiscal year 2026, USC Viterbi recorded $148 million in research expenditures, excluding subcontracts, plus another $63 million in subcontracts. More than 400,000 square feet of the school's physical footprint is dedicated to research.

Its faculty includes 33 members of the National Academy of Engineering, four members of the National Academy of Sciences, two members of the National Academy of Medicine, multiple Emmy Award winners, one Turing Award winner, and two National Medal of Technology recipients.

Yet even that list, Sukhatme suggested, barely begins to capture the range of work underway.

After spotlighting research spanning cancer therapy, brain imaging, semiconductors, behavioral health, materials and space technology, he paused.

"The point is, I could produce 200 such slides," he said. "That is a testament to the depth and strength of our research bench. It is not simply a matter of listing the biggest grants. It is a matter of knowing that we do work of incredible breadth, much of which is absolutely unique."

That reach will be on display again November 17, when USC Viterbi hosts the New Space Economy Forum, bringing USC researchers together with companies from Southern California's growing space ecosystem.

Learning by Doing

Sukhatme also outlined a shift in how Viterbi's approximately 2,700 undergraduates, more than 4,000 master's students and more than 1,000 Ph.D. students will prepare for life after graduation.

A new practicum requirement will ensure that every student completes at least one meaningful hands-on experience. That could include an internship, research, a student design team or work with a nonprofit.

"We are determined to make experiential learning more and more a facet of what we do at Viterbi," Sukhatme said.

The requirement builds on opportunities already woven into student life, including CURVE undergraduate research, student organizations, rocketry and projects in the Baum Family Maker Space.

Milestones and Momentum

The address also marked a year of major anniversaries.

Earlier this year, the Alfred Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering celebrated its 50th birthday with a new union: becoming a joint department between USC Viterbi and the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

In addition, the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science and the John Brooks Slaughter Center are also marking their 50th anniversaries, while the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is celebrating 20 years since its naming.

Together, the milestones offer a reminder that USC Viterbi's push into new fields is backed by decades of institutional experience.

Adapting Without Standing Still

Sukhatme did not shy away from the pressures facing engineering schools: declining master's enrollment, changing conditions for international students, limits on undergraduate growth and increased competition. The school is exploring new ways to reach domestic students, he noted, including expanded online and asynchronous programs.

"We can't simply accept this and say nothing can be done," he said. "We need to think creatively."

That may be the clearest summary of where USC Viterbi stands: aware of the challenges, but hardly defined by them.

"There are going to be a lot of details about numbers and trends," Sukhatme said. "But if you were to take away one theme, I'd like to say that I'm very bullish on everybody who's in this room."

For Sukhatme, USC Viterbi's next chapter will be built the same way as its last - by the people already doing the work.

Published on October 5th, 2026

Last updated on October 5th, 2026