The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has established the V Balakrishnan Institute Chair to focus on research and teaching in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering theory. Prof V Balakrishnan, a distinguished Indian theoretical physicist and former faculty member at IIT Madras, was honoured with the Chair.
His expertise includes particle physics, many-body theory, and the mechanical behaviour of solids, as well as dynamical systems, stochastic processes, and quantum dynamics. He has made significant contributions to the theory of anelasticity, continuous-time random walks, and recurrences in dynamical systems.
Dr Satish Ramakrishna, an IIT Madras alumnus who is currently the managing director and chief risk officer of Two Sigma Investments, a New York-based hedge venture capital firm, endowed the Chair. Satish Ramakrishna graduated from IIT Madras’ Department of Electrical Engineering in 1987.
IIT Madras selected as first occupant of ‘V Balakrishnan Institute Chair’
Prof Sarit Kumar Das of IIT Madras’ department of mechanical engineering has been named the inaugural holder of the ‘V Balakrishnan Institute Chair.’ Prof Das’ research spans a variety of heat transfer applications, including nanofluids, biological heat transfer microfluidics, and nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery in cancer cells. He is also a member of the Indian National Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Academy of Engineering.
About V Balakrishnan
Announcing the first occupant of ‘V Balakrishnan Institute Chair’, Prof V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, said, “Prof V Balakrishnan is one of the greatest teachers and researchers who had served in IIT Madras. He is also the most loved, respected, and adored faculty of the Institute. I congratulate Prof Sarit Kumar Das for being the first occupant of this illustrious Chair.”
Speaking during the event, Dr Satish Ramakrishna, Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer, Two Sigma Investments, said, “Prof V Balakrishnan is intensely analytical and is a great communicator of a rational approach to life, which is an approach followed by intelligent and purposeful people. The occupants of the Chair have a high mark to aspire to.”
Addressing the audience, Prof V Balakrishnan, Professor Emeritus, said, “Based on my experience, I learned to never presume that when you know something, you know about it completely. You should also never presume that everybody should know about it too. As a teacher, I’ve learned to put myself in the shoes of the students.”
“I am extremely optimistic about the future of IIT Madras. There has been a tremendous change in the Institute in the last 40 years. The rankings have improved, thanks to the efforts of the various stakeholders of the institute,” Prof Balakrishnan added.
