Chennai, 29 December 2017: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has announced the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) for 2018, given annually by the Institute in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments by alumni in various spheres.

The list of DAA 2018 winners includes eminent persons such as Project Director in ISRO, Executive Vice President of Microsoft and Vice President of Qualcomm, among others.

Speaking about the DAA Program, Prof. R. Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said, “We are, as always, proud of the significant contributions that our alumni continue to make in every field of human endeavour. The process of selecting 10-12 awardees from a pool of more than 100 richly-deserving nominees is becoming an increasingly difficult task, but it’s a good problem to have. The depth of quality among our alumni is simply astounding.”

Since the inception of the awards in 1996, a total of 159 alumni have been chosen for the Award. The selection is done by a committee appointed by the Director of IIT Madras. The awards are presented during “Institute Day” held annually in mid-April to celebrate the founding of IIT Madras.

The nominations are received under the following categories: Academic Excellence, Technology Innovation Excellence, Business Management Excellence, Entrepreneurial Excellence, and Excellence in other walks of life.

Speaking about the award, Mr. Rajesh Jha (Batch of 1988), Ford Distinguished Research Chair Professor of Operations Management, Carnegie-Mellon University, U.S., said, “I am delighted by the honour, given the talented alumni pool from this reputed institute to which I am already deeply grateful.”

Accepting this honour, Dr. Seeram Ramakrishna (Batch of 1989), Director, Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, said, “The training, knowledge and exposure I received at IIT Madras helped me to advance the fields of materials science and engineering, and nanotechnology to improve the health and well-being of people, and to engineer a better living environment sustainable for future generations.”

“My IIT Madras experience could be captured in three words ‘curiosity’, ‘imagination’, and ‘connecting the dots’. The curriculum allowed me to explore my curiosity about the world, life and human beings,” he added.

Mr. V.M. Thomas (Batch of 1973), Joint Managing Director of M/s. Johnson Lifts Pvt Ltd., said that his education in IIT Madras enabled him to build “a truly Indian company with a ‘Made in India ’tag”.

Some of the awardees in earlier years include Mr. Kris S Gopalakrishnan (1977), Co-founder of Infosys and Chairman, Axilor Ventures, Dr. S. Christopher (1987), Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Mr. Satish Pai (1985), Managing Director, Hindalco Industries, Dr. Desh Deshpande (1973) Co-founder and Chairman, Sycamore Networks and Ms. S. Sowmya (1992), well-known Carnatic Vocalist.

2018 Distinguished Alumnus Awardees (Graduating Batch)

1. Dr. Kanianthra Mani Chandy (1965), Simon Ramo Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
2. Shri V.M. Thomas (1973), Joint Managing Director, Johnson Lifts Private Ltd, Chennai
3. Dr. D.V. Satyanarayana Gupta (1974), Technology Fellow, Baker Hughes, a GE company, Texas, USA
4. Dr. M. A. Subramanian (1982), Milton Harris Professor in Materials Science, Oregon State University, Oregon, USA
5. Mr Lazar T. Chitillapilly (1983), Project Director, Air Breathing Propulsion Project, VSSC, ISRO, Thiruvananthapuram
6. Dr. Noshir S. Contractor (1983), Jane S. & William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences (McCormick, SoC, Kellogg), Director of SONIC Research Group, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
7. Dr. Sridhar R. Tayur (1986), Ford Distinguished Research Chair Professor of Operations Management, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
8. Shri Rajesh Jha (1988), Executive Vice President, Office Product Group, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, USA
9. Dr. Seeram Ramakrishna (1989), Director, Center for Nanofibers & Nanotechnology, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
10. Dr. Nagabhushana Sindhushayana (1989), Vice President, Technology, Qualcomm Inc, San Diego, California, USA
11. Dr. Giridhar Madras, (1990), Professor of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
12. Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra (1996), CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace Distinguished Scientist & Director General (BrahMos), DRDO, Ministry of Defence, GoI, New Delhi