IIT-M establishes lecture series

S Vishnu Sharmaa, INN/Chennai, @Svs037

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) launched the Professor Subra Suresh Institute Lecture series at Bengaluru on 4 January. lecture series will bring international scholars, engineers and scientists to IIT Madras on a periodic basis, up to twice every year to discuss key advances in scientific discoveries and technological innovation.

The inaugural lecture in this semi-annual lecture series is planned for October 2020 at the IIT Madras campus. The lecture series was established in honour of Professor Subra Suresh who is a former student of IIT-M and is currently the president of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The new lecture series was established with a generous contribution by
Mr. Senapathy ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Axilor Ventures, Bengaluru, and co-founder of Infosys. Krish Gopalakrishnan is also a former student of IIT-M.

In addition, Subra Suresh has the distinction of being former director of the U.S. National Science Foundation, a former Dean of Engineering and Vannevar Bush Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and former President of Carnegie Mellon University.

He is the first IIT alumnus and India-born academic to be appointed to these leadership positions. IIT-M director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said it is a matter of pride that one distinguished alumus has endowed a lecture series in honour of another former student.

This lecture series will place the spotlight on academic excellence and creativity which are two hallmarks of any great academic institution, he said. Subra Suresh said IIT Madras has been instrumental in shaping my professional and personal lives since he had enrolled there as a 16-year-old undergraduate student.

‘I am delighted to have the opportunity to deepen my connections to IIT-M through this newly established institute lecture series.’ I am profoundly grateful to my fellow IITM-alumnus Kris Gopalakrishnan, whom I have long admired, for his thoughtfulness and extraordinary generosity in establishing this lecture series, he said.

Kris Gopalakrishnan said Professor Subra Suresh continues to inspire students and researchers around the world with his contributions to the fields of education and research.

‘He is also a great leader and administrator, having held leadership positions in academia and government. Since he is an alumnus of IIT Madras, it is only appropriate that we create this lecture series to celebrate his contributions as well as strengthen his bonds with his alma mater.’