April 2023
KNOWLEDGE TREE - IMPACTFUL STORIES FROM IIT BOMBAY
Dear Alumnus,
Greetings from IIT Bombay. I trust that you and your family are doing well.
I want to take this opportunity to share the exciting news that IIT Bombay has jumped 18 places from its position in 2022, and has been ranked first in India and 47th globally in Engineering and Technology domain in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for 2023. Please look for a longer write-up on the rankings in the newsletter. I must gratefully acknowledge all of your tremendous support that we have received over the years across various strategic initiatives, that have helped us grow and achieve excellence across several facets of teaching, research, and translation, and create the impact that has helped us leapfrog by 18 places (since 2022).
The Institute hosted the 2023 edition of FAN-DAM in India in Chennai between March 31 – April 2, 2023.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
IIT Bombay’s unwavering commitment to excellence in education, research, and innovation has resulted in the Institute cementing its place at the top. The Institute ranked first in India and 47th globally in Engineering and Technology in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject for 2023.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject provides a comprehensive assessment of universities worldwide by recognising the top institutions across 54 specific subject areas.
IIT Bombay’s unwavering commitment to excellence in education, research, and innovation has resulted in the Institute cementing its place at the top. The Institute ranked first in India and 47th globally in Engineering and Technology in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject for 2023.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject provides a comprehensive assessment of universities worldwide by recognising the top institutions across 54 specific subject areas.
CONVERSATION WITH ALUMNI
IIT Bombay’s Distinguished Alumnus, Mr. Ram Kelkar (B.Tech., Electrical Engineering, 1980), is the Principal and Managing Director, Capital Markets Group at Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC. The Institute is very proud of his incredible career trajectory since he graduated from IIT Bombay. He is also a deeply involved alumnus of the Institute who is also a co-founder and past President of the IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation (IITBHF) and continues to regularly give back to his alma mater. We are grateful to him for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to talk to the Knowledge Tree – the Dean ACR Newsletter.
1. Mr. Kelkar, as one of IIT Bombay’s most successful alumni, what are some key traits that you imbibed at the Institute that have made you the highly accomplished person you are today?
FACULTY INTERVIEW
“Museums have a responsibility to make visible the historical and social connections that shape our lives.”.
– Lonnie Bunch, Smithsonian Secretary.
And it’s this very concept – of ensuring that the rich heritage and legacy of his alma mater, IIT Bombay, should be made visible to the world at large – that drives Prof. Sumant Rao today.
Background
Professor Rao led a distinguished and multi-faceted life before he joined IIT Bombay as a faculty member.
“Museums have a responsibility to make visible the historical and social connections that shape our lives.”.
– Lonnie Bunch, Smithsonian Secretary.
And it’s this very concept – of ensuring that the rich heritage and legacy of his alma mater, IIT Bombay, should be made visible to the world at large – that drives Prof. Sumant Rao today.
Background
Professor Rao led a distinguished and multi-faceted life before he joined IIT Bombay as a faculty member.
Student Success Story
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
― Nelson Mandela
Meet Dr. Savitri Gupta.
In a world where most of us take sight and the breathtaking splendour of the world around us for granted, Savitri was born and grew up as a visually challenged young woman. While life was extremely challenging for Savitri, she never gave up hope or allowed her impairment to define her.
SPECIAL REPORT
Reminiscing and Reconnecting Over the Past and Reimagining the Future: Alumni Reunion Brings Renewed Energy
IIT Bombay is committed to building and nurturing strong bonds with its alumni, who continue to help their alma mater grow from strength to strength. In the Institute’s journey of excellence, its alumni have emerged as the key facilitators and strongest supporters. As part of its endeavour to further strengthen relationships with alumni, IIT Bombay continues to organise regular meet-and-greets for individuals settled in different parts of the world.
This year’s series of alumni meets kicked off in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) and Singapore and was very well attended by IITB alumni.
Reminiscing and Reconnecting Over the Past and Reimagining the Future: Alumni Reunion Brings Renewed Energy
IIT Bombay is committed to building and nurturing strong bonds with its alumni, who continue to help their alma mater grow from strength to strength. In the Institute’s journey of excellence, its alumni have emerged as the key facilitators and strongest supporters. As part of its endeavour to further strengthen relationships with alumni, IIT Bombay continues to organise regular meet-and-greets for individuals settled in different parts of the world.
This year’s series of alumni meets kicked off in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) and Singapore and was very well attended by IITB alumni.
DONOR INSTITUTED CHAIR PROFESSORSHIPS
Research Spotlight of the Month
The following article was originally written for the IIT Bombay website by Ms. Arati Halbe: (https://www.iitb.ac.in/en/research-highlight/coming-soon-tabletop-chiral-attosecond-laser)
The paper was originally published in the Physical Review Applied Journal: Generation of circularly-polarised high-harmonics with identical helicity in two-dimensional materials
Researchers use a single-double-frequency pair of laser light to generate circularly polarised attosecond pulses from graphene
When molecules form from many atoms, the atoms can combine in different ways. Two forms of the same molecule can have the same composition but have different arrangements of atoms, giving rise to isomers.
INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS
ALUMNI NEWS
Upcoming Events
Catalysing the Digital Health Revolution in India: Symposium at the Koita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH)
IIT Bombay will host a symposium at the Koita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH) called ‘Catalysing the Digital Health Revolution in India’ in April.
KCDH was established two years ago with the vision to transform healthcare in India by driving research, entrepreneurship, and employment in Digital Health. The Centre has grown from strength to strength and continues to create impact through its comprehensive educational programs and high-yielding collaborative research partnerships with government and private hospitals, top-notch research organisations, and startups.
This event will bring together thought leaders and researchers in Digital Health from the government, academia, and industry and witness a panel discussion on the “Past, present, and future of digital solutions in Indian Healthcare.”
- Date: April 17, 2023
- Time: NA
- Venue: IIT Bombay
Inauguration of C-MinDS and AI.Impact Workshop
IIT Bombay will officially inaugurate the Centre for Machine Intelligence & Data Science (C-MInDS) and host the second edition of the AI.Impact Worksop on campus. AI.Impact 2023 will also feature talks and discussions on AI in Engineering, Reinforcement Learning, Deep Learning, and Multi-agent AI.
- Date: April 28 and 29, 2023
- Time: Day 1: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Day 2: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Venue: VMCC Auditorium, IIT Bombay
Institute Valedictory Function
IIT Bombay will celebrate its annual Institute Valedictory Function (Valfi) in April. As always, the Institute invites an extraordinary and inspiring alumnus to be the Chief Guest for one of its most popular and significant events. This year, IITB alumnus, Mr. Lalit Kanodia (B.Tech., Mechanical Engineering, 1963) and chairman of the Datamatics Group of Companies will grace the occasion as the keynote speaker. The Institute is honoured to hear him speak even as the graduating students will take away many of life’s key lessons from his extraordinary professional journey and impactful personal experiences.
- Date: April 29, 2023
- Time: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Venue: Convocation Hall
Faculty Alumni & Distinguished Alumni Meeting (USA)
The next edition of the Faculty Alumni Network (FAN) and the Distinguished Alumni Meet (DAM) in 2023 will be held in the US at the Northwestern University Campus in Chicago. The event will bring several of our highly accomplished alumni who are in leading positions in academia and industry in the US, together with the senior administration and faculty of IIT Bombay. They will deliberate on several strategic matters related to Institute growth as well as emerging areas of research, to nucleate collaborative programs for mutual impact, and to create opportunities and explore innovative ways to take IIT Bombay to greater heights.
- Date: July 7-9, 2023
- Venue: Northwestern University Campus, Chicago