$2M Gift from Shashi and DJ Deb to Advance AI, Emerging Tech Leadership at UC Law SF 

UC Law San Francisco will advance its leadership in the evolving legal landscape of artificial intelligence and emerging technology thanks to a $2 million gift from Shashi Deb ’94 and her husband, Dipanjan (DJ) Deb. 

The Debs’ gift will support the artificial intelligence initiative of UC Law SF’s Center for Innovation (C4i) and fund a faculty position focused on emerging technology and law, eventually establishing an endowed chair in emerging technology and law. 

Shashi Deb ’94 and DJ Deb

“DJ and I are grateful to be able to support UC Law SF’s outstanding work to address modern legal challenges. Society’s ability to deal with AI and other new technologies is being decided right here in the Bay Area – and the resulting legal consequences are being shaped by UC Law SF faculty and students,” said Shashi Deb, who is a member of the College’s Board of Directors.  

“The generosity and foresight of donors like Shashi and DJ allow UC Law SF to better prepare students for today’s complex world and our profession to navigate the legal frontiers being pushed outward by AI,” said Chancellor and Dean David Faigman. “I deeply thank the Debs for their years of support of our law school and students.” 

The gift provides $1 million to establish the Shashi & DJ Deb Emerging Technology and Law Fund in support of the C4i’s AI initiative. C4i works to identify implementable solutions to today’s problems and is nationally recognized for its Law & Medicine Initiative, which fosters evidence-based decisions at the intersection of intellectual property law and medicine, and the Startup Legal Garage, which provides startup companies with free legal advice from students who learn about innovation law. 

“Without proactive research and advocacy, it will be impossible to keep up with the new legal challenges presented by AI,” said Robin Feldman, Arthur J. Goldberg Distinguished Professor of Law, Albert Abramson ’54 Distinguished Professor of Law Chair, and director of the Center for Innovation. “Gifts like this make an enormous difference in the Center’s mission to confront these challenges head-on.”

The gift also provides $1 million to establish the Shashi & DJ Deb Professor of Emerging Technology and Law, which will support a faculty member dedicated to advancing research and education at UC Law SF in areas of emerging technologies and law. 

Faigman announced the gift Wednesday. The Debs previously established a fund to support strategic initiatives for the school, which was recognized in 2020 with the naming of the Shashi and Dipanjan (DJ) Deb Alumni Colloquium Room, on the top floor of the Cotchett Law Center. 

“UC Law San Francisco would not be the successful law school it is today without the generosity of wonderful supporters like Shashi and DJ Deb,” said UC Law SF Chief Advancement Officer Julia Jordan. “Shashi’s engagement with our community is inspiring to all those who strive to make a difference in the legal profession.”