West Bengal, India: In collaboration with IIT Kharagpur Foundation, USA (IITKGPF), the Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) Scholarship was awarded to 10 students of IIT Kharagpur this year. This is the 2nd year that the GKF Scholarship will support the IIT KGP students to carry out their research internship in foreign universities. 10 students were selected by the IIT KGP selection committee for a total scholarship award of $45,000. Each conferred scholarship depends upon the funding received by the student from their host institutions. The GKF scholars are pursuing their summer research internship at premier universities in the USA, UK, Belgium, Canada, and Germany.
Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan, the IIT Kharagpur Alumnus is the man behind this noble initiative who stated that, “These summer programs definitely add value to IIT KGP academia and it is my pleasure, as an Alumnus, to be able to provide these internships to the current students that will further contribute to their holistic development.” The funds are donated by the KGPian through his Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) www.guru-krupa.org
Mukund Padmanabhan received a BS in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1997, and a MS (1989) and PhD (1992) in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. After UCLA, he worked in the area of speech recognition at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Lab where he managed the Advanced Telephony Speech Algorithms group. After IBM, he pivoted to Wall Street and is currently a partner and researcher at hedge fund Renaissance Technologies in New York. He is the founder and president of the US-based private charitable foundation, the Guru Krupa Foundation that supports the scholarships for research internships for IIT Kharagpur students. Dr. Padmanabhan is the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in the year 2019 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2021 from IIT Kharagpur.
Manav Nitin Kapadnis, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and one of the recipient of this prestigious scholarship remarked, “As a student pursuing my passion for advancing the field of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing, I was granted the remarkable opportunity to work on improving ChatGPT during my internship at Inria Paris. This invaluable experience has not only broadened my academic horizons but has also provided me with practical knowledge and exposure to cutting-edge research in my field. The financial support provided by GKF has been instrumental in making this transformative journey a reality. The scholarship enabled me to cover the expenses associated with my visit to Paris, including travel, accommodation, and living costs. During my internship at Inria Paris, I had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed researchers and professionals in the field. The opportunity to work alongside experts in the area of natural language processing has been both humbling and inspiring. The guidance and mentorship I received have contributed significantly to my growth as a researcher and have fuelled my passion for advancing the boundaries of AI technologies. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the Guru Krupa Foundation for their unwavering commitment to promoting educational and research opportunities for students like me.”
Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur also congratulated the recipients saying, “The scholarship has opened doors to new possibilities and played an instrumental role in shaping the future trajectory of meritorious students. This kind of scholarship inspires the students to pursue their passion and gives them a practical notion about research development and implementation of ideas in terms of global industry expertise. I am thankful to Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan for being such a thoughtful person and his act of generosity that transcended into such inclusive student welfare activity.”
Shrey Gogia, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur and one of the recipient of this prestigious scholarship remarked, “I am truly grateful to be a recipient of the IIT Kharagpur Foundation Scholarship 2023, conferred by the IITKGP Foundation USA. This scholarship has enabled me to pursue a research internship at one of the leading scientific organisations in Europe – l’Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France. My experience here would be essential for my development towards becoming an accomplished physicist by providing exposure to frontier research. I thank the selection committee for this honor. I am also grateful for the generosity of our alumni for establishing this scholarship.”
Apart from the above scholarship, 15 students from departments of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Biotechnology, Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur have also been awarded the IIT Kharagpur Foundation Scholarship 2023 funded by IITKGP Foundation USA. IITKGP USA Foundation connects KGP Alumni with their alma mater in the US and Canada with the purpose to facilitate and enhance connection and devotion to their alma mater. Their participation takes place by aiding in the development and improvement of IIT KGP by the endowment of funds and extending support towards institutional development, student welfare and community development around the KGP campus.
