Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER Kolkata) is proud to announce its 11th Convocation Ceremony, which will take place on the 20th of June, 2024. This
momentous occasion will see approximately 283 students graduating and receiving their degrees, which include 187 BS-MS, 6 IP, 17 IPh.D and 73 Ph.D degrees marking the culmination of their rigorous academic journey at one of India’s premier institutes dedicated to
science education and research.
The event will be graced by the esteemed presence of Prof. Rohini M. Godbole, who will serve as the Chief Guest. Prof. Godbole, a Padma Shree awardee, is a distinguished physicist renowned
for her significant contributions to particle physics and her dedication to advancing scientific research and education in India. Her exemplary work has earned her numerous accolades and
recognition in the scientific community. As a tireless advocate for women in science, Prof. Godbole has been instrumental in promoting gender equity in the scientific domain. Her presence at the convocation will inspire the graduating students and the entire IISER Kolkata community.
Several dignitaries, members of the Senate, will also attend the convocation ceremony Moreover, Board of Governors, and distinguished guests. The event promises to be a memorable day For the graduates and their proud families who will witness the conferral of degrees and the Recognition of the students’ hard work and achievements. Since its inception, IISER Kolkata has been committed to fostering a culture of excellence in Education and research. The IISER Kolkata family has grown to the strength of 128 faculty Members, distributed across seven academic departments and supported by a dedicated team Of 89 administrative staff members. In addition, we have a few visiting, adjunct and honorary Faculty members of great distinction who enrich the vibrant atmosphere at IISER Kolkata. Our Combined student strength is at a record high, comprising 1048 BS-MS, 92 Integrated Ph.D. (IPh.D), 458 doctoral students and 19 Institute-supported post-doctoral fellows. The institutes Graduates have consistently demonstrated outstanding capabilities in various scientific Domains, contributing significantly to academia, industry, and research both in India and Internationally. IISER Kolkata now stands as one of the country’s eminent institutions of science, With a NIRF ranking of 43 and a QS ranking of 225. IISER Kolkata is actively collaborating with other National and Global institutions and we currently have 20 National and 9 international active MoUs, including those with Max Plank Institute, Germany and Taiwan National Academy of Sciences. Industrial organizations like Tata Steel and Bharat Biotech International Limited have supported the translational part of IISER’s research.
As IISER Kolkata celebrates its 11th convocation, the institute continues to uphold its mission of nurturing scientific talent and contributing to the global scientific community. This convocation
not only marks the end of an academic chapter for the graduates but also the beginning of their new journey as they embark on their professional careers and further studies.
Chief Guest Prof. Rohini M. Godbole
Prof. Rohini M. Godbole, currently an INSA senior scientist at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, is a theoretical particle physicist. She retired from the Centre for High-Energy Physics of the IISc after serving as Professor for over 25 years. She was earlier at the Mumbai University, Tatas Institute of Fundamental Research and has also been a visiting faculty at Number of universities/institutions in India, Europe and the USA including at CERN, Geneva. She has been conferred with degrees by several eminent institutions, e.g., D. Litt. Degrees from the S.N.D.T Women’s University and the Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, and D. Sc. degrees from IIT(Kanpur), IIT(Bombay), IIT (Jodhpur), VTU (Karnataka) and Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence.
Her research on exploring the Standard Model of particle physics and physics beyond the standard model has, over the past four decades, resulted in over 300 publications in refereed journals/arXived preprints and monographs. Prominent among these is the graduate-level textbook Theory and Phenomenology of Sparticles (World Scientific, 2005) she has co-authored (with Manuel Drees and Probir Roy) on the physics of super particles. Her pioneering work on probing hadronic interactions of photons provided important insights for the design of electron-positron colliders, and her suggestions to probe standard model (and beyond standard model) physics have been used in experiments at different colliders. A Fellow of The World Academy of Science (TWAS), she has also been elected to the three science academies of India. She has served as the Vice President of the Indian National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad and is currently serving as the Vice President of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore.
She is, and has been, a member different national and international advisory body such as Scientific Advisory Body to the Cabinet (SACC), the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel of the USA, and the International Detector Advisory Group for the International Linear Collider etc. She has also been a member of the CERN-India Task Force, and is presently a member of its steering committee. She has been the chief editor of Pramana, journal of Physics of the Indian Academy of Sciences, a member of various editorial boards of national and international journals, and served as a senior editor of the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia for Physics.
Additionally, Professor Godbole has been an avid supporter of the cause of women in science, working over the past decades to facilitate more effective participation of women in the scientific workforce. Among her lasting contributions is the (co-edited) book Lilavati’s Daughters: The women scientists of India, comprising of biographical sketches of Indian women scientists, as well as landmark surveys on the status of women in science. She chaired the Committee on Equity and Inclusion for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation policy of 2020 (STIP 2020). Rohini Godbole’s extensive contributions to science and society have been recognised by the Government of India through the conferment of the Padma Shri in 2019, as well as by the French Government through the honour Ordre National du Mérite in 2021. Further, the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy has honoured her through the Lifetime Achievement award in 2021. Among some of her recent awards are the Birla Award of the Indian Physics Association and the Goyal Award of the Kurukshetra University.
A special mention of her activities related to Women in Science: Prof. Godbole was a plenary speaker at the first International conference on Women in Physics, organised by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) in Paris. Upon returning from the IUPAP General Body meeting in Berlin the year after, she worked towards formation of Panels for Women in Science of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc) and Indian National Science Academy (INSA), being an elected fellow of both. She contributed to bringing out an INSA report: Science Career for Indian Women: An examination of Indian women’s access to and retention in Science Careers, the first report of its kind to be published by an Academy of Science in India. Mention has already been made about her book Lilavati’s Daughters: Women scientists of India. She has also co-authored a book called A Girls’ Guide to a Life in Science, containing material to inspire young girls to take up a career in science. She directed a landmark survey of “Loss of trained scientific women power: what fraction are we losing and why?”. She has conducted several workshops on “Career in Science: Women in Science” as a chair of the Panel for Women in Science of the Indian Academy of Sciences. She is editor/author of many reports on women in science in India, a steering committee member of the Joint Academy Panel for Women in Science, and member of the Standing Committee for Women in Science of the Government of India. She has worked tirelessly towards pioneering a variety of programmes at various fora in order to raise ar2Oess about Women in Science. In addition, she chaired the committee, which drafted discussions on Equity and inclusion in India’s Science, Technology and Innovation policy of 2020.
Chairperson, Board of Governors Prof. Arvind A. Natu
Prof. Arvind Anant Natu is an internationally acclaimed academician, currently Chairman of the Board of Governors of I|SER Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram and also an hon orary advisor to the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Pune). He was actively invol in conceptualizing and planning of the IISERs, an Institute of nationsi importance of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Govt. of India.
For the last forty years, Prof. Natu is actively engaged in research at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune as a Senior Scientist in the Organic and Bio-organic Chemistry Group followed by at lISER Pune. He has significantly contributed to the areas of organic synthesis, natural products, and bio-organic Chemistry. He has organised many international meetings.
His has equally contributed to the development of chemical Industry in various capacities such as member of board of directors, Consultant, IPR expert etc. A well-trained chemist in India and abroad, he was also involved in the process development of several drugs and drug intermediates fulfilling the motto of “Concept to Commercialization”. His work has been well recognized by the Industries in India and abroad. Prof Natu is an expert in Intellectual Property Rights (1PR) and patents and has participated in related deliberations in the Court of Law. He has served as Director and Consultant in Discovery, Process Development, and Management in the
Pharmaceutical Industries throughout the globe.
Prof. Natu has a teaching experience of more than 25 years mostly at the post-graduate and PhD levels in Organic and Bio-organic Chemistry, Biology of DNA & RNA in India and Germany. He has led the Indian team in International Chemistry Olympiad thrice, where the Indian team came out with flying colours.
Prof. Natu is engaged in Indo-German cooperation in Research and education. He was the recipient of the “Cross Order of Merit Award” which is the highest civilian award for foreigners bestowed by the President of Germany. It was a recognition of his contributions to Indo-German programmes in the area of education and research. He was also the Honorary Advisor and the German Research Ambassador of Science in 2007 and had represented many German Institutes. He is fluent in German language.
The Labdhi Research Development and Education (RDE) TOm C bestowed Prof. Natu with several Lifetime Achievement Awards for his contribution to education and research including the “Lifetime Achievement Award” Labdhi Foundation, Gujarat. He was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by a consortium of North Maharashtra University titled “Golden Opportunities” for the latest developments in Chemistry and Technology. He was a Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Science and a Member of the Board of Directors of Pharma companies. He was also the Scientific Advisor in the areas of scientific research and education and health of females in rural areas. He was a Member of Academic Councils of universities including Savitribai Phule Pune University; Founder Member of the Indian Peptide Society and Indian Society of Bio-organic Chemists; Member of the National Steering Committee for Olympiads in Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and a Visiting Scientist at the Bielefeld Universiy
Prof. Natu has a keen interest in the upliftment of underprivileged tribal female students especially from the North-East. He has been actively involved in bringing them to the mainstream of the Indian higher education system. He runs many motivational programmes throughout the country.
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