Dr. Anu Vedantham is the Assistant University Librarian for Teaching, Research and Social Sciences and Liaison for Indigenous Studies at Princeton. She joined the University in 2019 as the Assistant University Librarian for Research Services. Dr. Vedantham is also a mentor in the University Administrative Fellows Program, a member of the Professional Development Working Group, and a participant in the Inclusive Leadership Learning Cohort.

She leads the Research Services (RS) department in the Scholarly Collections and Research Services (SC&RS) division. She guides support for the social sciences, sciences and engineering as well as general research assistance and scholarly communications. The RS department staff are based at Firestone, Stokes, Engineering, Lewis and Furth libraries.

Anu joined Princeton from Harvard where she served as the Director of Learning and Teaching Services for the FAS Libraries and Interim Director for Science and Engineering Services. At the University of Pennsylvania, she directed the Weigle Information Commons at Penn Libraries. At Stockton University, she directed the Southern Regional Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC), and served as Interim Associate Provost and Director of Instructional Technology. At the Stafford Township School District, she served as Director of Grants and Community Initiatives at Stafford Township School District. At the U.S. Department of Commerce, she served as Grants Program Officer at the Telecommunications Opportunities Program. Anu received the 2018 Harvard Heroes award for reopening the Cabot Science Library. Her research on aviation emissions for the Environmental Defense Fund has been recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) as a significant contribution to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Anu holds her doctorate in Higher Education Management from Penn's Graduate School of Education, her New Jersey Principal Certificate, her Masters in Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) and her Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A first-generation immigrant from India, Anu has developed a deep affection for the state of New Jersey. She is married to Renga Iyer and has two grown children.

"My career has included many surprising twists and turns. Paying attention to what I need to learn, and how I can manage my own learning has helped me to progress. My current work gives me many opportunities to learn new skills, which I find wonderful. I have appreciated the welcoming community provided by GradFUTURES, connecting faculty, staff, graduate students and alums to each other. The conversations are creative and inclusive, and I am grateful for the careful facilitation to help all of us contribute.

I would advise graduate students to pay attention to their own reactions to what they are studying and experiencing during graduate school. We often come to graduate school expecting something different from what we actually find there. Paying attention to my own level of interest and excitement about a topic has helped me to make better career decisions."

Learn more: scholar.princeton.edu