IISc, University of Melbourne launch joint PhD programme in science and technology

Bangalore: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and the University of Melbourne joined hands today for the first-ever joint PhD programme in Science and Technology. Today, they met at the IISc campus to discuss the intended expansion of their joint PhD programme to medical PhD programmes in the near future, the university said.

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The programme aims to offer a preview of the two institutions’ academic strengths and provide students with mentorship from global experts, enable better adaptability to new cultural and research environments, and provide access to the best facilities and resources.

Under this partnership, IISc and the University of Melbourne will support up to 10 joint PhD candidates each year for the next five years. Students enrolled in the programme can spend at least 12 and up to 24 months in each institution, and upon successful completion of their PhD, graduate with one joint testamur.

In order to enroll, graduate researchers must satisfy the entry requirements for PhD at both the Indian Institute of Science and the University of Melbourne.

The program intends to further strengthen the strong research collaborations between the two institutions, such as the work of Professor Udaya Parampalli at the University of Melbourne and Associate Professor Sudhan Majhi from IISc. Together, they have established a Coding, Sensing and Communications (CSC) research network involving IISc, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Madras and Kharagpur, India.

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“The aim of the network, which also has links to the USA, Europe and Singapore, is to advance research in innovative applications in Cyber Security and Communications. Uniquely, they use researchers with fundamental skills in information theory, coding and signal processing,” the IISc said in a statement.

The network is working to drive the growth of distributed storage for big data, medical security, agricultural sensing, and disaster management.

The IISc further said informed that the programme is part of the Melbourne India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA) a joint initiative consisting of established researchers and joint PhD candidates from the University of Melbourne and a group of India’s top research institutions, engaging in projects that address key issues in science and technology. 

Professor Praveen Kumar, Chair, office of international relations and faculty member in the Department of Materials Engineering, IISc, said, “We are excited to partner with the University of Melbourne for our first joint Doctoral program with an international university. This partnership will greatly encourage students from both IISc and University of Melbourne to pursue interesting research projects and will give them a unique opportunity to learn from experts at both institutions. University of Melbourne and MIPA have been our long-standing academic and research partners, and we look forward to continuing our collaborations with them in new and diverse areas.”

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Professor Michael Wesley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) from the University of Melbourne, said, ‘We were delighted to be the first global university partner in a joint PhD program with our colleagues at IISc. Since then, together with the expertise of both institutions, we have been working on developing some significant research and research training projects, and it is our honour to announce the intent to extend the joint program into the fields of medicine also.”