'Fantastic network' strengthens Imperial's Indian connections

President Alice Gast with alumni and friends in Bengaluru

Imperial's rapidly growing ties with India were celebrated at a series of events in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Bengaluru (Bangalore) last week.

More than 300 alumni, friends, collaborators, parents and future students met President Alice Gast and colleagues in the two cities, as media highlighted the College’s extraordinary links with India. 

In the last five years, Imperial researchers have published more than 1,200 joint papers with collaborators in India. Partner institutions include the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the University of Delhi. Indian student numbers at Imperial rose above 300 this year.  

During the visit, President Gast’s third to India with Imperial, special events brought together alumni and friends in Kolkata and Bengaluru. Professor Gast also addressed the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in both cities and met leaders from universities and research institutes, including the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Indian Institute for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), IIT Guwahati and IIT Kharagpur.   

IACS Director Santanu Bhattacharya, Alice Gast and Rajive Kaul with a painting of Nobel laureate CV Raman

Rajive Kaul (Metallurgy 1971), President of the Imperial College Alumni Association in India, welcomed more than 150 alumni and friends event at his residence in Kolkata on 10 April, and was instrumental in arranging multiple other events and meetings. The UK’s Deputy High Commissioner in Bengaluru, Dominic McAllister, also hosted a friends and alumni event at his residence. 

Rajive Kaul welcomed alumni and friends to his residence

In Kolkata, Mr Kaul introduced Bruce Bucknell, the UK’s Deputy High Commissioner in the city, who said: “Imperial is one of the most successful universities for research, it is the UK’s most international – it is almost without peers.” He praised the College’s “fantastic network around the world – I’m struck by the strength and depth of Indian connections at Imperial… and the warmth of the relationship between alumni and the institution.”

Guests heard about Professor Sanjeev Gupta's research into the 'first geological Brexit'

In both cities, President Gast updated alumni and friends on how student life and the College’s campuses have changed over the years, while the College remains at the forefront of discovery. She discussed research highlights including Professor Sanjeev Gupta’s geological work that has taken him from understanding how Britain broke away from France 450,000 years ago to exploring the surface of Mars to mapping the decline of groundwater in northwestern India. 

Rising stars

Rima Sen Mortemart (Chemistry 1993), who leads the Imperial alumni chapter in Kolkata, spoke of her “pleasure meeting some of our most senior alumni, as well as offer holders.” 

Rima Sen Mortemart addressing alumni and friends in Kolkata

She met one recent graduate, Akash Goenka (MSc Mechanical Engineering 2016), who picked Imperial not just for its academic excellence, but for the cultural opportunities in London. Akash attended performances of Macbeth and  Phantom of the Opera – which he’d acted in back home – and loved the “kindness and atmosphere of travelling on the Tube”. He now works in energy policy: a complex field in India, but one that is “not such a tough job because Imperial prepares you for a lot in life.” He loved the international environment, “making friends from France, Germany, Indonesia, the USA, Britain, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine and Brazil.” 

Rima and Akash mingled with future students like Hardik Rajpal, who is due to pursue a PhD in Mathematics later this year. Currently a student at IIT Kharagpur, Hardik was inspired to apply to Imperial after spending time at the College as a visiting student in 2015. Here, he got a taste for the way Imperial student life operates “where arts and science meet”. 

Offer holders met alumni in Kolkata and Bengaluru

Another offer holder from IIT Kharagpur, Varshit Dusad, whose postgraduate studies will focus on Systems Biology, has never visited London. He enjoyed talking to Rima Sen Mortemart about the extraordinary mix of culture, museums, food and Hyde Park near Imperial’s South Kensington Campus. 

They rubbed shoulders with Shruti Sarode, who is due to start an MSc in Environmental Technology later this year. Her reason for picking the College is simple: “Imperial is one of the best universities in the world.”

Sharad Keshari from Varanasi is planning to start a Masters in Applied Mathematics, having studied Mechanical Engineering as an undergraduate at IIT Dhanbad. Sharad is excited to join a mathematics department with such a rich history and thriving group of researchers. “I look forward to being part of Imperial’s interdisciplinary environment, and collaborating with engineers.” As a student on a one year Masters degree at Imperial, Sharad will access a streamlined visa system, and the chance to stay on in the UK for up to six months after his course finishes. Sharad said “I might use this time to plan a trip around England and Scotland, and to explore PhD opportunities. I want to be a professor one day so I plan to focus mainly on the academic side, but I love music too. I am looking forward to playing the piano and singing with student societies.”

Globe-spanning ties

Dr Ashok Chakrabarty (PhD Metallurgy 1970) was vice president of the College’s Indian Society as a student. He enjoyed bringing together hundreds of students from India with British and international peers to share Indian films and food. “We created a little India in South Kensington,” he said.

Urologist Dr Sandip Banerji (MSc Health Management 2003) initially found his studies of economics at Imperial College Business School “too challenging”, but the School and his classmates helped him “make rapid improvements” and thrive on the course. “I made friends from all over the world: from Chile to China.”

Salil Roy (DIC Civil Engineering 1964) said “Imperial was a real pleasure. Apart from in classes, there were chances to meet professors from other subjects, ask questions and enjoy a broader learning. Imperial was not just about work, but gaining an advanced knowledge in other fields.” He would advise current Imperial students to “gain knowledge of other fields, interact with professors outside of lectures and classes”.

Networks of collaboration

In Bengaluru, Dominic McAllister, Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner, spoke of his personal affinity to the Imperial event. Mr McAllister studies chemistry at King’s and his daughter is currently enrolled at Imperial. He said: “Bangalore feels to me like a science city – as does London… these alumni networks are important for collaboration.”

Vibin Joseph (MSc Management 2008) heads Imperial’s Bengaluru alumni chapter. He also leads Biozeen, a fast growing biopharmaceutical firm that has helped make open source vaccines more readily available. Mr Joseph attributes much of his current success to his time in London: “What I am today is definitely because of Imperial College London.”

Vibin Joseph addressing alumni and friends in Bengaluru

Offer holder Anusha Misra, who is due to start a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering this year, brought her proud parents – also engineers – along to the Bengaluru event. She said “Imperial is one of the best in the field, and I never expected to get an offer… I’ve never been to London. It will be an exciting place to visit.” 

Ruchir Dwivedi, currently a mechanical engineering student in India, is looking forward to starting his MSc in Applied Mathematics at Imperial. “I’m interested in fluid dynamics, so I applied for this course. I’ve read so many of the Imperial professors’ papers – I’m excited to work with them.” 

Offer holders in Bengaluru

Renowned seismologist Professor Vinod Gaur (PhD 1959), who attended the alumni event in Bengaluru with his wife Eryl, also holds Imperial’s current faculty in high esteem. He maintains research ties with his Imperial peers, visiting the Grantham Institute and Royal School of Mines in 2014. He said: “I spent the best years of my life at Imperial – and I met my wife there.”