CHENNAI :Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC DSAI) at IIT Madras has invited applications for its Post Baccalaureate Fellowship Program, which has a goal of attracting graduates interested in gaining experience in a research environment. The RBC-DSAI is one of the few centres in the world for Data Science and AI applications in various engineering disciplines.

The Centre received over 100 applicants last year, when it was launched. Of these, four applicants were granted the Fellowships. With the COVID-19 crisis causing many companies to rescind job offers even to some of the brightest graduating students, the RBC DSAI has increased the number of Fellowships available this year to 15 to provide an option to the truly motivated students to explore a research career.

The Fellowship is open to students across India who meet the eligibility criteria. Aspirants can gain further information about the application process at: https://rbcdsai.iitm.ac.in/Post_Bacc/

Speaking about the unique experience this Fellowship will provide, Prof. B. Ravindran, Head, RBC DSAI, said, “The Post Baccalaureate fellows are expected to undertake independent research under the mentorship of a Faculty member at RBCDSAI. They are free to explore multiple threads of research, work with various research teams, and establish collaborations with the numerous visitors and affiliates of the Centre. They have access to all the computing, software and library resources of RBCDSAI and have guaranteed travel support to attend a conference per year in India.”

The Fellowship carries an attractive stipend between Rs.40,000 and Rs.60,000 a month based on students’ qualifications and experience and lasts for a maximum of 2 years.

One of the Fellows of this Program is currently working with ‘Facebook Data for Good’ initiative on COVID-19 Disease Spread Analysis

Mr. Senthamizhan V., Post Baccalaureate Fellow, RBCDSAI (from September 2019) and Alumnus of Anna University (B.Tech., Industrial Biotechnology), said, “I am involved in COVID-19 Disease Spread Analysis s where we partnered with ‘Facebook Data for Good’ initiative and analyse their mobility data to study the trends in population movement. We aim to communicate the findings to policymakers and help them make decisions in a data-driven approach.  Unlike other institutions, we get to work with industries directly which opens an even wider range of opportunities in the future.”

RBC-DSAI was founded in August 2017, in IIT Madras with a vision to expand and further the research, education and outreach activities in the areas of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. It comprises faculty from several departments across the Institute, who carry out research in various areas of data science and artificial intelligence.

Sharing their experience during this Fellowship, other Fellows said:

• Amrit Diggavi Seshadri, Post Baccalaureate Fellow, RBCDSAI (from November 2019) and B.Eng.(Hons.) Computer Science degree, The University of Edinburgh in July 2018

“At RBCDSAI, each Post Baccalaureate Fellow has the unique opportunity to explore a research project of his interest, under a supervisor, with access to high performance CPU/GPU resources. Group presentations and discussions encourage innovative solutions and offer a unique perspective of different areas of research.While the primary focus of the Fellowship program is independent research, there are also a number of opportunities to get involved in collaborative projects in the lab, as well as numerous seminars and guest lectures that enhance your knowledge and introduce you to a broader research ecosystem.”

• Sivapriya Vellaichamy, Post Baccalaureate Fellow, RBCDSAI (from August 2019) and an Alumnus of IIT Madras:

“Having graduated from IIT Madras with a dual degree, I worked in the finance sector for a year. I applied for the program with the intention of learning more about Machine Learning and its applications. What stood out for me is the intellectual freedom I got to experience right from the beginning where I chose my own project and the Professor to work with. The regular update meetings with the professor helped me to stay on track, resolve any difficulties with the project. I also had a chance to interact with researchers from Purdue University who work on a similar research area. The regular seminars from researchers all over the world, attending data science conferences, having teammates who work in a wide variety of topics ranging from robotic hand control to justice in policy is just the kind of exposure I wanted to have at the beginning of my career. It has been a very positive experience having learnt a lot technically and otherwise.”

• Nilesh Subramanian, Post Baccalaureate Fellow, RBCDSAI (from November 2019) and Alumnus, SASTRA University (Integrated M.Tech in Nanotechnology):

“I am working on using Machine learning in predicting TB drug resistant strains and Diabetes-Helminth interaction study. I did get to experience the broad sense of flavour in research as intended and gained a lot of knowledge on different aspects of statistical techniques by working on multiple projects. The working atmosphere is challenging and motivating in a way that pushes the boundary in learning, understanding and conceptualising various ideas. I received a lot of help from other scholars who are working here in understanding and learning concepts throughout this period of time. There are many opportunities to meet, interact and collaborate with scientists from various Universities. It’s been quite a journey till now.”