IIT Madras to focus more on R&D and internationalisation, says new director Kamakoti

Prof V. Kamakoti, Director IIT Madras

IIT Madras will focus on enhancing research and innovation excellence, and boost internationalisation and better governance through hyper-automation at the elite tech school, its new director V Kamakoti said on January 17.

On day one of assuming the charge of the directorship, Kamakoti said, “I look forward to expanding the frontiers of our research and innovation with our highly motivated and talented faculty and students, making IIT Madras a campus of choice for global and Indian faculty, students and industry.”

“My focus would be to retain IIT Madras at the top of the rankings, while constantly striving to enhance the academic and research excellence of the institute,” he said adding that the institute will take a leap forward to achieve the goals as an ‘Institute of Eminence.”

IIT Madras is one of the 20 IoEs, 10 each in the private and public space, recognised by the Union government. The Centre has promised additional funds to government IoEs and more autonomy to both private and government-run IoEs.

To be sure, IIT Madras has done well on the R&D front, and has been doing well in the government-run national ranking framework, but in global university rankings, it is way behind its peers in Mumbai and Delhi.

Outlining his priorities for the institute in 2022 and beyond, Kamakoti highlighted that his focus would also be on “enhancing the reach and impact of Online Education and Distance Learning… industry-oriented MTech programme for international students, increase of multidisciplinary quotient in curriculum with special emphasis on languages, philosophy, art, environmental and value-based education”.

The new director said he will strive to enhance industry participation by increasing adjunct and faculty-of-practice positions, do translational research with emphasis on problems of social relevance, including “regenerative agriculture, Industry 4.0, medical technology and smart civil construction technology” and “paperless efficient and effective governance through AI-driven hyper-automation”.

Kamakoti said IIT Madras will strive to engage more collaboratively with the government - both at the Centre and the state - to make “our work translational and relevant to address the needs of the nation, and the state, and its people".

A professor of computer science and engineering, Kamakoti was named the new director of IIT Madras on January 10 and took charge on January 17. He led the research team that designed and booted up India’s first Indigenously developed Microprocessor ‘SHAKTI’ that can be used in mobile computing devices and networking systems. He was also appointed by the Union Commerce Ministry in 2017 as the Chairman of a Taskforce on leveraging Artificial Intelligence for development across various fields.