Summary
Bhaskar Ramamurthi completed two terms in the top post
V. Kamakoti is professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department at IIT Madras
Bhaskar Ramamurthi will be stepping down as director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He will be succeeded by V. Kamakoti, professor of the Computer Science and Engineering department at the institute.
Ramamurthi held the director’s post for two terms. He held various key positions, including dean (planning), after joining as a faculty member in the Electrical Engineering department in 1986.
As director of IIT Madras, Ramamurthi led the institute to achieve some milestones. IIT Madras ranked No. 1 in the ‘overall’ category for three consecutive years in the India rankings released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, Union ministry of education.
The institute was also topped the ‘engineering institutions’ category in the same rankings for six consecutive years from 2016 to 2021.
IIT Madras was judged the country’s ‘Top innovative Institution’ in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) in 2019, 2020 and 2021. IIT Madras was also selected as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ in 2019.
Ramamurthi’s tenure also witnessed a rapid expansion of campus infrastructure, including the launching of a Rs 1,000-crore satellite campus called Discovery Campus’ to accommodate the increase in research requirements.
Ramamurthi played an instrumental role in the development of indigenous 5G standards for India, 5Gi, during his tenure as chairman of Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).
Ramamurthi congratulated Kamakoti on his new role. “With professor Kamakoti at the helm, IIT Madras is poised to scale new heights in the coming years. He is an excellent teacher and researcher, and an able administrator. He has played key roles in many national projects, bringing to bear his deep expertise in computing and cybersecurity. The institute and the country will benefit tremendously from his services,” the outgoing director said.
Kamakoti is currently the associate dean for Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR), IIT Madras, is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board, Government of India. He has led the research team that designed and boosted India’s first Indigenously-developed microprocessor ‘SHAKTI’ that can be used in mobile computing devices and networking systems.
Kamakoti has received several awards, including Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship 2020, IESA Techno Visionary Award 2018, IBM Faculty Award 2016, DRDO Academy Excellence Award 2013 and IITM Young Faculty Recognition Award (YFRA) 2007.
Kamakoti said IIT Madras has, in the last two decades, focussed on interdisciplinary translational research of relevance to our nation. The institute also reached out to a large number of students through NPTEL, Swayam and On-line degree programmes.
With these gathered strengths, the institute’s immediate priority would be on augmenting the skill-set for indigenous technology development addressing local and global requirements aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy.
Last updated on 11 Jan 2022
