Nanyang Technological University (NTU) President Professor Subra Suresh has been honoured by his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) with a new lecture series named after him.
Launched at Bengaluru on January 4, the Prof Subra Suresh Institute Lecture Series will bring leading international scholars, engineers and scientists to IIT Madras on a periodic basis to discuss key advances in scientific discoveries and technological innovation.
It will also serve as an institute-wide forum for connecting global thought leaders with students, faculty and staff at IIT Madras to discuss topics of industrial importance and societal significance.
The inaugural lecture in the semi-annual lecture series is planned for October 2020 at the IIT Madras campus.
In a press statement, NTU said the new lecture series was made possible by a generous gift from IIT Madras alumnus Senapathy ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Axilor Ventures, Bengaluru, and co-founder of Infosys.
Prof Subra Suresh is a former Director of the US National Science Foundation, a former Dean of Engineering and Vannevar Bush Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been the President of NTU Singapore since January 1, 2018.
On the Prof Subra Suresh Institute Lecture Series, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director of IIT Madras, said, “Prof Subra Suresh has maintained strong ties with IIT Madras from the time he graduated and all through his illustrious career. He continues to contribute to IIT Madras through his acumen and rich experience. This lecture series will place the spotlight on academic excellence and creativity – two hallmarks of any great academic institution”.
Prof Subra Suresh said, “IIT Madras has been instrumental in shaping my professional and personal lives since I enrolled there as a 16-year-old undergraduate student. I am delighted, honoured and humbled to have this opportunity to deepen my connections to IITM through this newly established Institute Lecture Series.”
Prof Suresh’s research has focused on the properties of engineered and biological materials and their implications for human diseases. He has authored more than 300 research articles and 30 patent applications and co-founded a technology startup.
An elected member of all three branches of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, of Engineering, and of Medicine as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors, Prof Suresh is also elected to all the major science and engineering academies in India.