1991 - B.Tech - Computer Science Xoogler, News guy and investor
Dr. Krishna Bharat graduated in 1991 from IIT Madras with a B.Tech. degree in Computer Science. In 1996, having obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech, he joined the staff at DEC Systems Research Center in Palo Alto, California. He joined Google in 1999, where he holds the position of a Distinguished Scientist. At present he is a venture capitalist, and invests and advises startups and non-profits in the technology and journalism areas. He also played a pivotal role in setting up Google’s R&D operations in India in 2004, and served as its first Director until 2006.
Dr. Bharat is a technical visionary whose innovations are transforming the consumption of news worldwide. His research interests lie in the area of interactive systems for information access and content creation based on content analysis and predictive intelligence. He is unique in his grasp of both sides of the news equation-technology and media. He has earned the distinction of being one of finest minds in the field of computer science with his innovations such as Google News and Google Finance. Google News, the brainchild of Dr. Bharat, has revolutionized the manner in which news and information is shared and understood by content creators and consumers in this digital age. It sends about 10 billion clicks each month to news publishers’ websites. At the core of the system are algorithms and analyses built by Dr. Bharat. He is also credited with being one of the co-inventors of the “Captcha” which is extensively used to determine whether a putative user is a real human. This idea is invoked billions of times every day.
Dr. Bharat’s efforts to make professional journalism more widely accessible, and his continuing research in the field of digital dissemination of news and information, has made him the only technologist appointed to the Board of Visitors of the Columbia University School of Journalism; he also serves on the Board of Visitors at Stanford University’s John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship program. Other honors that have come his way include: the 2003 World Technology Award for Media and Journalism; the 2003 Webby Award in the News category; and a 2012 GQ India listing among the World’s Most Powerful Digital Indians.
In recognition of Dr. Krishna Bharat’s research contributions and renowned innovations in the field of interactive systems for information access, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer upon him this award.
