Prof. Ramamurthy received his M.Sc. in Chemistry from IIT Madras in 1968, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1974 from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Prof. V. Ramamurthy is an internationally acclaimed pioneer and leader in organic photochemistry. His contributions have provided new theoretical and experimental paradigms for the fields of supramolecular photochemistry, modern mechanistic organic photochemistry and organic photochemical reactions in constrained media. This is evidenced by his very large number of research publications (about 310 as of now), most of them in the highest-rated journals, and 34 students who have received their Ph.D degrees under his direction. His significant achievements in, and substantial contributions to, chemistry include: pioneering developments in the fields of controlling chemistry in crystals, mechanistic organic photochemistry, photochemistry of thio compounds, general theory of organic photochemistry, asymmetric photoreactions, zeolite photochemistry, direct spectroscopic detection and characterization of reactive intermediates within confined environments, organic photochemistry in micelles, and control of reactivity through supramolecular effects.
Prof. Ramamurthy has made an immense impact on the education of recent generations of physical organic chemists and photochemists (nationally and internationally). His book ‘Photochemistry in Constrained Media’ is a standard text in the field for the last sixteen years. He is one of the co-authors of the text book ‘Modern Molecular Photochemistry of Organic Molecules’, a recently (2009) revised version of Turro’s “Modern Molecular Photochemistry” considered as the bible in thefield of photochemistry since its publication in 1978. The “Molecular and Supramolecular Photochemistry” series, consisting of 14 volumes co-edited by Prof. Ramamurthy, are considered essential reference sources in photochemistry.
Prof. Ramamurthy is a Senior Editor for Langmuir, the American Chemical Society journal devoted to Chemistry at Interfaces. In addition, he also serves on the editorial board of some of the leading journals in chemistry. He has received the Grammatikakis?Neumann Prize of the European PhotochemicalSociety, the LAS Faculty Research Award and Cooper Fellowship from the University of Miami. He was elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1986. He was on the faculty at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore from 1978-87, and was ICOS Visiting Professor and Fulbright fellow at the same Institution during 2002-2003.
In recognition of his sustained excellence in, and outstanding contributions to, the field of Organic Photochemistry, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.
Prof. Subbarayan Pasupathy received his Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from the University of Madras (now Anna University) in 1963. After graduating with first rank in the first batch of M.Tech students of IIT Madras in 1966, Prof. Pasupathy obtained M.Phil and Ph.D degrees in Communication from Yale University, in 1970 and 1972, respectively. Prof. Pasupathy is at present a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada.
An abiding interest in teaching, developed at IIT Madras while he was a Research Student and Part-time Lecturer (1965-67), led Prof. Pasupathy to choose an academic career spanning more than 35 years in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research at the University of Toronto (1972-2007). Starting with his first publication in 1966, based on his M.Tech thesis at IIT Madras, Prof. Pasupathy also developed a great passion for research, and one his great accomplishments is the large number of graduate students and postdoctoral students he has trained over the course of 35 years.
Prof. Pasupathy is an international authority on the application of statistical communication theory and techniques to the design of digital communication systems. He was the first Canadian Professor in the area of communications to be listed in the prestigious “highly cited researchers” list of ISI Web of Knowledge (ISIHighlyCited.com), attesting to the widespread influence his research has had on both theory and practice. He has contributed high-quality, scholarly work to leading journals and conferences — in fact, more than 275 articles and contributions to 3 books. His contributions have been cited in more than 100 patent applications. Prof. Pasupathy’s specific influential-contributions lie in the area of bandwidth-efficient digital communication systems and application of statistical communication theory to a wide spectrum of areas such as array processing, computer algorithms for signal processing, DNA sequencing, advanced transceiver structures, mobile cellular networks, and coding algorithms and architectures.
He is a Fellow of IEEE Engineering Institute of Canada, and Canadian Academy of Engineering, and received the 2003 Award in Telecommunication from the Canadian Institute of Information Theory. For over fourteen years, he wrote the humour column “Light Traffic”, a feature of the IEEE Communications Magazine. Prof. Pasupathy is a student, by choice, of Tamil literature, and poetry. His poems and articles have appeared in several reputed magazines such as “Kalaimagal”, “Amudhasurabhi” and “Gopura Darsanam, and in Internet magazines such as “Thinnai” and “Hub”. He is a moderator and an active participant in many Yahoo and Google groups promoting Tamil literature.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of digital communications, Science and Engineering, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.
Prof. Suresh Garimella received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989, his M.S. from Ohio State University in 1986, and his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1985. He holds the prestigious R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professorship of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, where he is also Director of the National Science Foundation Cooling Technologies Research Center. Prior to his appointment at Purdue University, he held the Cray Research Named-Professorship at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1990 to 1999.
His research interests include thermal microsystems, energy efficiency in computing and electronics, micro- and nano-scale transport phenomena, high-performance compact cooling technologies, solar thermal energy storage, waste heat recovery, and materials processing. Prof. Garimella has supervised or is currently supervising 35 PhD and 32 MS students, and has worked with 27 visiting scholars and post-doctoral researchers.
Prof. Garimella is a Fellow of the ASME. His efforts in research and engineering education have been recognized with the inaugural 2009 ASME Allan Kraus Thermal Management Medal for outstanding achievements in thermal management of electronic systems and commitment to the field of thermal sciences; 2009 Harvey Rosten Award for Excellence, for outstanding work in the field of thermal analysis of electronic equipment; 2004 ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award for outstanding achievements in Mechanical Engineering within 10 to 20 years following graduation; 2006 K16 Clock Award in the ASME Heat Transfer Division; Ruth and Joel Spira Award, 2009 for outstanding contributions to Mechanical Engineering, and for inspiring students and fostering excellence in commercial or defence product realization; Graduate School/UWM Foundation Research Award in recognition of outstanding research and creative activity, 1995; Purdue University Distance Teaching Award, for excellence as a distance instructor, awarded by Engineering Professional Education, 2009; UWM Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of demonstrated dedication to excellence in undergraduate instruction, 1997; and Society of Automotive Engineers’ Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, 1992.
Prof. Garimella is also a Fellow of the Center of Smart Interfaces at the Technical University of Darmstadt, an Honorary Guest Professor at Xi’an JiaoTong University in China, and was Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales in 1995. He also serves as a Member of the Scientific Council, International Centre for Heat and Mass Transfer (ICHMT).
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of thermal sciences and micro-systems,
IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.
Dr. Chellapandi obtained an M.Tech. in 1983, and a Ph.D. in 1995 in Applied Mechanics from IIT Madras.
Dr. Chellapandi is currently Director, Safety Group and Associate Director, Nuclear Engineering Group, Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR); these Groups are responsible for designing Fast Breeder Reactor components and ensuring safety of the structures, components and plant.
Dr. Chellapandi started his career in IGCAR in 1979. Having specialized in design, analysis and qualification of Nuclear Reactor Components, he provided design support to the 40 MW Fast Breeder Test Reactor, conceptual design of 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), detailed analysis of various structural mechanics failure modes and design validation. He was instrumental in developing a unique Structural Mechanics Laboratory at IGCAR. He is the convener of the Task force responsible for manufacture and erection of reactor assembly components of PFBR, under construction at Kalpakkam. Recently, the main and safety vessels were successfully erected at the site, which is an international benchmark for such structures.
Dr. Chellapandi has executed several projects in collaboration with R & D establishments such as SERC – Chennai, CBRI – Roorkee, and TBRL – Chandigarh. He played a key role in initiating the IITM-IGCAR Cell in addition to IISc-IGCAR cell, and the IITK – IGCAR R & D cell. He is an active member of all the Joint Policy Committees.
Dr. Chellapandi is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Professor at the Homi Bhabha Institute, Adjunct Professor at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, and at Satyabama University, Chennai. He is a member of the Technical Working Group on Fast Reactor in International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. He has to his credit 47 journal papers and has published 162 papers in International Conferences, 122 in National Conferences and Symposia. He has also authored five book chapters and 9 IGC Newsletter Articles. Dr. Chellapandi has won many awards, notable among them being the National Design Award in Mechanical Engineering in 2006 from Institution of Engineers (India). Other awards include: Homi Bhabha Science & Technology Award for 1997; Indian Nuclear Science Award in 2005; DAE Group Achievement Awards in 2006, 2007 and 2008 for Design of PFBR Main Vessel and Seismic Design & Qualification of PFBR Components, and Agni Award for Excellence in Self-Reliance from DRDO.
In recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments and his significant and sustained contributions to the Nuclear Engineering Group of IGCAR, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.
Dr. Lalit Chordia received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras in 1980. In 1985, he earned a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from CarnegieMellon University (Pittsburgh, PA).
For the last 25 years, Dr. Chordia has pioneered R & D in, and commercial applications of, supercritical fluid technology, a green materials-processing technology. In 1982, Dr. Chordia co-founded his first company, Suprex Corp. and then served as Vice President of Engineering and R & D. The vision of Suprex was to commercialize the nascent technology of supercritical fluids, and it focused on small scale analytical supercritical fluid systems. With eight years of process and equipment R & D experience, coupled with greater maturity in the market for supercritical fluid technology, Dr. Chordia left Suprex in 1990 to form Thar Technologies. Dr. Chordia’s move enabled him to exploit a growing market for larger-scale supercritical fluid systems and process development services.
Through his technological and commercial leadership, Dr. Chordia has taken Thar from one-employee to a global leader in its field with four technology groups in Pittsburgh and two international subsidiaries (including one in Chennai). Today, Thar offers a complete line of laboratory-through-process scale systems, research and development services, toll processing and technology licensing. Examples of Thar’s involvement in process and equipment development include: drug design and purification, spice and nutraceutical extraction, solvent removal, environmental recovery, electronics cooling and cleaning, smart components, self-sealing systems, high efficiency processing and automated handling. Dr. Chordia is the holder of 12 patents and has over 20 pending patents.
Recognizing his accomplishments, the United States Small Business Administration Office named Dr. Chordia the 2002 U.S Small Business Exporter of the year, an award he won in a competition against companies with up to 500 employees. In the same year, Thar, with Dr. Chordia as the primary investigator, also won a prestigious National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Technology Program Award to develop novel electronics cooling technology.
Dr. Chordia is a co-founder of the US-India forum, which promotes business and political cooperation between the USA and India, and an Adjunct Research Scientist at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie-Mellon University. He has been featured in several international publications, including Fortune. He is deeply involved in numerous civic and educational organizations in Pittsburgh.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of large-scale supercritical fluid technology, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.
Dr. P. Anandan obtained his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering in 1977 from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which presented him with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2006.
Presently, Dr. Anandan is the Managing Director of Microsoft Research India. Microsoft Research India, which began operating in January 2005, conducts basic research in computing and engineering sciences relevant to Microsoft Corp.’s business and the global IT community, with a special focus on technology for emerging markets and underserved communities.
Dr. Anandan has done pioneering work in the area of video motion analysis and is recognized for his research on the computation of optical flow. From a computer scientist, Dr. Anandan transformed into a Manager and Leader par excellence in setting up Microsoft Research India and espousing the cause of research and innovation in India.
Since June 1997, Dr. Anandan was a senior researcher at Microsoft Research headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where he built one of the world’s strongest research teams in computer vision and video processing. During that time, he also served as an ambassador for the Microsoft Research University Relations program in India. Through repeat visits to India’s leading institutions of higher learning, Dr. Anandan helped develop strong relationships between Indian Universities and Microsoft Research. He has also represented Microsoft in meetings with the Government of India to emphasize the company’s commitment to research and development.
Before joining Microsoft, Dr. Anandan was an Asst. Professor of Computer Science for four years at Yale University, where he founded the computer vision group. Following this, he was a Research Manager at Sarnoff Corp. His group developed state-of-the-art video stabilization technology and systems for ground and airborne video surveillance. Over two decades, his research work has resulted in numerous patents, academic papers and recognition in the form of several awards in computer vision.
In recognition of his professional accomplishments and his outstanding contributions to the field of video motion analysis, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.
Mr. R. Sri Kumar after his schooling in New Delhi received his B.Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering (Power) from IIT Madras in 1970. He later received a Master’s degree in Business Laws in 2003 from National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Mr. Sri Kumar retired as the Head of the Police force in Karnataka in the rank of DG & IGP in January, 2009. Post retirement, he is assisting the Confederation of Indian Industries in the Southern Region as Head of its Task Force on Internal Security. He is also the Chairperson of the Karnataka Chapter of Cyber Society of India. A public charitabletrust called ‘Indian Centre for Social Transformation’, set up by him, offers e-governance initiatives through use of appropriate and affordable technologies. 20, 000 publicly financed projects in Bangalore City being executed by the Municipal Corporation are under real–time stakeholder scrutiny through a portal established by ICST. This visibility and transparency has helped completion of many projects with minimum cost or time overrun using the principles of professional project management. He is also a member of the Government of India’s committee on Bank Frauds and Capacity Building of IPS Officers in the country.
A motivated and committed Police Officer, Mr. Sri Kumar worked by the rule book in the system for thirty six years, amidst attempts at making the police pliant. A technocrat who joined the Indian Police Service in 1973 by choice and had the singular opportunity of serving for about a decade each in the States of Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, and in the Central Bureau of investigation, he is known as a person with a penchant for continuous learning and continual improvement. An ace investigator who dealt with terrorism, organized crimes, economic crimes as well as several politically-sensitive cases, Mr. Sri Kumar has proved time and again to be a perceptive inquirer who goes to the root of the matter and has been responsible for many perpetrators of crime being punished in courts of law.
Some of Mr. Sri Kumar’s significant accomplishments include: setting up the country’s first Cyber Crime police station in Bangalore, obtaining ISO quality, environmental and Green Building certification for the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, playing a vital role in the successful investigation of several important cases such as Rajiv Gandhi assassination, Harshad Mehta Bank Scam, Telgi Stamp Paper Scam, St Kitts case, etc.
In recognition of his outstanding leadership qualities and contributions to excellence in public service, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer this award on him.