Washington pays tribute to Jandhyala

University of Washington paid tribute yesterday to its vice-president of innovation strategy, Vikram Jandhyala (pictured), who has died by suicide aged 47.
Ana Mari Cauce, president of University of Washington, expressed sympathy for Jandhyala’s family and friends, calling him an innovator in “every sense of the word” whose loss has heartbroken the community.
Jandhyala was credited for applying his experience as an entrepreneur in his leadership, building up to great impact what he had described as the “Seattle style” of innovation.
His achievements at the university include five years spearheading the CoMotion tech transfer unit as executive director, overseeing its transition from 2014 into a more comprehensive support for the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem.
He was expected to stand down from CoMotion in June 2019 to spend more time in other roles, including a leadership position as co-executive of University of Washington’s Global Innovation Exchange accelerator partnership with Tsinghua University.
Linden Rhoads, who preceded Jandhyala as vice-president of innovation strategy, told GeekWire he and Jandhyala had known each other previously and had maintained contact following the handover, describing the news of his death as “devastating.”
Rhoads said: “He really helped the university to develop the reputation or the incredible things that are happening there. He brought the innovation message out, in addition to the programs and services he created.”
Jandhyala had written of personally going through a “challenging” time in a blog post on technology site Medium on February 28.
In an email to GeekWire, Ken Myer, a lecturer of leadership at University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, said: “He had a wonderful nature — kind, funny, and generous — with a deeply curious intelligence.
“I have rarely met anyone who could comfortably move from a technical conversation about internet search algorithms to a broad conversation about the importance of making innovation inclusive to all of society (never missing an opportunity to throw in a bit of humour in between.
“He will be deeply missed and has left a lasting contribution to the University of Washington and our community.”
– Image courtesy of University of Washington.