IIT Madras launches ‘V Balakrishnan Institute Chair’ dedicated to Indian theoretical physicist

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras launched 'V Balakrishnan Institute Chair' on July 15, 2022 to focus on research and teaching in the areas of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and theoretical foundation of Engineering.

The Chair was named in honor of Professor V Balakrishnan, a former faculty of IIT Madras and a distinguished Indian theoretical physicist whose expertise spans several fields and areas, including particle physics, many-body theory, and the mechanical behavior of solids, dynamical systems, stochastic processes, and quantum dynamics. He is an accomplished researcher who has made important contributions to the theory of anelasticity, continuous-time random walks, and recurrences in dynamical systems.

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The Chair was endowed by Satish Ramakrishna who belonged to the 1987 batch of the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras.

Professor Sarit Kumar Das, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, was selected as the first occupant of the 'V Balakrishnan Institute Chair'. Das' research varies from a wide range of heat transfer applications such as nanofluids, biological heat transfer microfluidics, and nanoparticle mediated drug delivery in cancer cells. He is also an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering.

Engineering professors

Addressing the audience, Balakrishnan, Professor Emeritus, said, “Based on my experience, I learned to never presume that when you know something, you know about it completely. You should also never presume that everybody should know about it too. As a teacher, I’ve learned to put myself in the shoes of the students.”

Speaking during the event, Ramakrishna, Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer, Two Sigma Investments, said, "Prof V Balakrishnan is intensely analytical and is a great communicator of a rational approach to life, which is an approach followed by intelligent and purposeful people. The occupants of the Chair have a high mark to aspire to."

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Delivering the acceptance speech, Das said, "I consider it my greatest achievement to be the first occupant of this illustrious Chair. Thank you for this honour.”

Announcing the first occupant of the chair, Professor V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, "Professor V Balakrishnan is one of the greatest teachers and researchers who had served in IIT Madras. He Is also the most loved, respected, and adored faculty of the Institute. I congratulate Professor Sarit Kumar Das for being the first occupant of this illustrious Chair."