Established in a picturesque landscape just two years before the creation of the State of Uttarakhand (originally named Uttaranchal) as the Dehradun Institute of Technology, it was subsequently upgraded to DIT University. During this relatively short journey of 25 years, we have disseminated knowledge through teaching and mentoring while simultaneously we have also created knowledge through frontline research.
As the Dean of Research and Consultancy (R&C), my main role is to foster creativity that encourages originality of ideas in both basic and applied research. My office provides institutional support so that the results of the research led by our faculty can be published in very highly respected peer-reviewed journals. My office also helps in filing patents that eventually lead to commercial products as the main outcome of translational research. Identification, planning and initiation of new emerging areas of research is a major responsibility of the Dean R&C. In case of multi-investigator research projects, particularly those that involve collaboration with other institutions based on a MOU, my office coordinates regular monitoring and periodic review of the progress. My office monitors the periodic evaluation of the progress of research of the students enrolled for Ph.D by their respective advisory committees. My office also ensures that the research activities are consistent with the regulatory frameworks of the university and maintain highest ethical standards.
During my tenure as the Dean of R&C, my goal is to raise the university's interdisciplinary research profile further at the national and international levels, as well as to generate more research funds from external funding agencies and through consultancy projects. I am committed to maintaining a healthy research environment that promotes excellence not only within disciplinary boundaries but also multidisiplinary collaboration among the faculty across different departments and schools in those areas of research that are intrinsically interdisciplinary in nature. We are fully aware of the fact that no interdisciplinary researcher can succeed without a solid grounding in at least one traditional discipline. So, we have traditional departments. But, the boundaries between them are not rigid. I am trying to build new bridges that connect the schools of science, engineering and pharmacy with those of liberal arts, architecture and management with the strong belief that such a diverse research ecosystem is urgently needed for higher impact of research, for example, on energy, environment and sustainable development. I am working on concrete plans to broaden the network of our national and international collaborators having complementary research expertise and infrastructural facilities. With the strong support from the university, I am also working on strategies to deepen the university’s technological contributions that help in improving the quality of life of common Indian citizens. I also hope to attract many more bright students for research at our university. The students trained in the research programs of our university are human resource assets whose high technical skills and strong motivation make enormous contributions in nation building. Last, but not the least, I wish to strengthen our social commitments to spread the spirit of science and technology among the population of the surrounding region through vibrant outreach activities conducted jointly with the Indian Science Academies.
Musings...
Debashish Chowdhury joined the Department of Physics as a Professor in July 2023. Before joining he was a Professor (HAG) of Physics at IIT Kanpur. He is a former head of the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur. He held two terms as an endowed chair professor at IIT Kanpur from 2011 to 2018. He has been the recipient of the prestigious J.C. Bose National Fellowship (2013-2023) awarded by the Science and Engineering Research Board of the Government of India. In recognition of his outstanding research achievements, he has been elected as a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (Delhi), Indian Academy of Sciences (Bangalore), and National Academy of Sciences India (Allahabad). He has served as a member of the Council of the Indian National Science Academy. He has been elected as a member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)-C6 Commission. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award of IIT Kanpur (2020). He is a former fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany) and an Invitational fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Japan). He has also served as a Visiting Professor / Visiting Scientist at several leading universities and research institutes in the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Singapore.
