Building further on its endeavours to promote out-of-the-box thinking, foster innovation, and spread exceptional research-based knowledge at various levels, the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) recently established two scholarly Chairs that will promote innovation & entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary research in population dynamics.

IITGN has backed the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship since its early days. The Institute put in place its entrepreneurship programme and incubation policy even before its first batch of students graduated in 2012. Since then, more than 100 of its alumni have started 50+ companies, and five of its faculty members are in different stages of launching and expanding their ventures following a faculty entrepreneurship policy formed by the Institute in November 2021. Expanding this central pillar of entrepreneurship, California-based entrepreneurs, startup mentors, philanthropists, and long-time well-wishers of IITGN, Smt Anuradha and Shri B V Jagadeesh, have provided generous support to establish “Anu and B V Jagadeesh Chair” at the Institute. The Chair will help to further proliferate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus through various activities and enrich students with the skills and experiences they need to succeed in the global economy by creating opportunities for hands-on learning, networking, and professional development.

Sharing their vision for the Chair, Smt Anuradha and Shri B V Jagadeesh said, “As much as it is important to help children get basic education and professional degrees, it is equally significant to support students and young minds who can create jobs, because entrepreneurship is the best way to address a lot of challenges and bring people out of the poverty cycle. We chose IITGN for this cause since this Institute nurtures inclusive values and culture and extends it beyond its own campus and students. We are excited to partner with the incredible leadership team at IITGN to drive this crucial effort of cultivating the entrepreneurial ecosystem and creating more leaders in the country. Even if we are able to create a few entrepreneurs out of this movement, it will make a great impact.”

Bringing to the fore and backing a groundbreaking research area, Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based IT industry stalwart and philanthropist Dr Darshan Pandya, alongwith his wife and neonatal medicine specialist Dr Chandra Shivpuri, has extended generous support to set up “Pandya-Shivpuri Chair in Population Dynamics” at IITGN. Population dynamics as a field seeks to understand the factors that drive changes in population size, structure and distribution. As the world’s population continues to grow and we strive to build an equitable world, understanding these dynamics becomes increasingly important for addressing global challenges such as food security, disease control, and sustainable development. This requires participation and collaboration between individuals from diverse streams, including epidemiology, engineering, physics, earth and environmental sciences, ecology, evolutionary biology, mathematics, and computation. This Faculty Chair will be dedicated to promoting excellence and leadership in interdisciplinary research in the field of population dynamics through various collaborative and scholarly activities.

Sharing his inspiration behind backing interdisciplinary work in the area of population dynamics, Dr Darshan Pandya said, “I have lived in five countries and visited 45 countries. Having seen and experienced these many countries has affected my views about life, the major challenges the world is confronting today, and what needs to be done about them. Having roots in India, I feel that the traditional wisdom of India has a great deal to offer to solve the problems we face today, both individually and collectively. But at the same time, I am an engineer and a scientist who is trained to find logical solutions to problems like climate change, pollution, population, and so on. Climate change and pollution are the products of pollution per capita multiplied by the total population. So, we need to achieve an equilibrium in regional, national, and global populations for rapid reversal of climate change and pollution so as to attain sustainable co-habitation and save several species from the verge of extinction because of our actions. But calculations of this population equilibrium require answers to questions about the use of technology and renewable/non-renewable energy resources in day-to-day life; regional, geographic, and climate variations; lifestyle; food habits, and so on. And with my connection to Gujarat, what better way to do this than to endow a Chair in Population Dynamics at IIT Gandhinagar to investigate and find answers to these questions through various research activities. I have no doubt that it will be an incredible source of guidance to governments, global institutions, and scholars on this topic.”

Expressing his delight at the establishment of these two remarkable Chairs at the Institute, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “This is the most opportune time to witness and be part of the technological transformation happening in the country, and at the same time, contribute in building a fair and sustainable future of our planet. IITs have been bringing many new ideas, technology, insights into the life of people. We are glad and thankful to Smt Anuradha, Shri B V Jagadeesh, Dr Darshan Pandya, and Dr Chandra Shivpuri for choosing and trusting IITGN to steer a journey towards creating a long-lasting impact in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, and population dynamics. I am sure it will benefit many students, faculty, and aspiring talent of our country and will create a much larger impact through the resources and opportunities they will provide. We will be able to see the fruits of these well-thought endeavours in the time to come.”