Summary
G. Venkatarathnam of the Department of Mechanical Engineering will be the first occupant of the Chair on Innovation
Stanford professor V. ‘Seenu’ Srinivasan has invested USD 1,60,000 on the chair
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched the Venkataraman and Sita Srinivasan Chair on Innovation and New Product Development.
IIT Madras alumnus V. ‘Seenu’ Srinivasan has invested USD 1,60,000 for the chair professorship.
“IIT Madras has played a major role in my life. I am enormously grateful for the excellent education I received at IIT Madras. Having been a chair professor myself at Stanford University, US, for the past 40 years, I strongly believe that high-quality education is instrumental to the progress of India and I hope that this donation will help further enhance quality education, which IIT Madras is already providing very well,” said Srinivasan, a gold medallist in Mechanical Engineering who graduated in 1966.
“My teaching in India for the past dozen years at the Indian School of Business and at Great Lakes of Institute of Management, together with this endowment for IIT Madras Chaired Professorship, are my means of giving back to India. The chair is dedicated to my father, Venkataraman, who has made me who I am today. It is also a tribute to my wife Sita, for her unwavering support to me all these years,” Srinivasan said.
G. Venkatarathnam of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras was announced the first occupant of the Chair.
Venkatarathnam leads a research group with a mission to develop innovative refrigeration systems, heat exchangers and design thermodynamic tools with the goal of creating new world-class products. “Endowments such as these go a long way in inspiring faculty, students and the next generation of faculty to strive for excellence. I have been fortunate to have taught at IIT Madras and it has been a fulfilling career. The accomplishments in my life have been due to the Institute’s environment and the students who have worked with me over the years,” he said.
IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti thanked Srinivasan. “Thank you very much for considering IIT Madras to bestow this Chair. IIT Madras, in the last 20 years, has been placing a lot of emphasis on innovation. We are moving towards translational research and are able to scale the expectations of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). Translational research is enabling the Institute to solve societal problems. My best wishes to Venkatarathnam, who is a dedicated researcher and has contributed enormously to the Institute,” he said.
Last updated on 17 Feb 2022
