UF Interim President Donald Landry announces Spring Commencement speakers

Two pioneers — one in artificial intelligence, and the other in medicine — will serve as the keynote speakers at UF’s Spring Commencement in May, Interim President Donald Landry announced Monday.

Chris Malachowsky, a cofounder of NVIDIA, UF alumnus and the namesake for Malachowsky Hall, will address graduates at the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony set for 7 p.m. Friday, May 1 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Dr. Skip G.N. Garcia, a renowned pulmonary physician-scientist and pioneer of advanced therapies for lung disease, will speak to graduates at the Doctoral Commencement Ceremony at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 30 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

“Chris Malachowsky and Dr. Skip Garcia are trailblazers whose remarkable accomplishments have improved countless lives and changed the world for the better,” said UF Interim President Donald Landry. “I’m thrilled that the members of the Class of 2026 will get to hear the stories and benefit from the insights of Mr. Malachowsky and Dr. Garcia as they celebrate their UF graduations.” 

Malachowsky co-founded NVIDIA, the technology company established in 1993 that helped pioneer accelerated computing and modern artificial intelligence. Over three decades, he played a central role in the transformation of the company from a startup focused on gaming and visual computing into a global leader whose innovations power breakthroughs in research, science, and medicine. NVIDIA today ranks as the most valuable company in the world.

Malachowsky earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with high honors from UF before completing a Master of Science in Computer Science at Santa Clara University. 

In 2020, he donated UF’s first AI supercomputer, setting the university on a path to become the nation’s leading university in implementing AI across its curriculum.  UF’s flagship Malachowsky Hall, opened in 2023, is named in his honor.

“It means a great deal to me to return to the university where my journey began and to celebrate this milestone with such an inspiring group of graduates,” Malachowsky said. “The Class of 2026 is stepping into a moment of profound transformation, with the opportunity to shape the future in ways we’re only beginning to imagine. I look forward to sharing my experiences and encouraging them to think boldly about the impact they want to have on the world.”

Garcia is an academician and pulmonary and critical care physician-scientist who has held academic leadership positions at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago and other institutions.

He currently serves as the Wertheim Professor of Molecular Medicine and the Associate Vice President of Research at UF and the founding Director of the Center for Inflammation Sciences and Systems Medicine at UF Wertheim Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida.

With continuous NIH funding and over 600 peer-reviewed publications, he ranks among the top 2% of scientists in the world in the number of scientific citations. Internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work on the molecular and genetic underpinnings of inflammatory and fibrotic organ injuries, he is also the CEO of Aqualung Therapeutics, a biotech company with an immunotherapeutic in Phase 2 clinical trials.
“I’m honored to speak to UF’s graduating doctoral students, and I look forward to cheering them on to the next big step in their lives by sharing a little wisdom from my own journey from graduate to physician-scientist,” Garcia said.

About 9,700 students are expected to attend Spring Commencement ceremonies. Graduates earning master’s, bachelor’s and specialist’s degrees are expected to attend two ceremonies: the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony, at which bachelor’s, master’s and specialists degrees will be conferred, and their college recognition ceremony, where they will be individually recognized for their accomplishment.

More information is available at commencement.ufl.edu.