Month: August 2021

Prof. Varadarajan V. Chari is Paul Frenzel Land Grant Professor of Liberal Arts in the University of Minnesota and adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He is also the Founding Director of Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute. He earned his B.Tech. degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1974 and PhD degree from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1980.nnAfter graduating from IIT Bombay, Prof. Chari worked as a Production Engineer at Union Carbide (India) Limited from 1974 to 1976. After completing his Ph.D. degree from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1980, he joined the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University as an assistant professor of managerial economics. In 1986 he moved to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis where he eventually became senior research officer and economic advisor. In 1992 he returned to the Kellogg Graduate School of Management as Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Risk Management.

Prof. Kavita Ramanan is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Brown University. She obtained her B.Tech. degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1992 and M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from Brown University in 1993.nnProf. Ramanan obtained her PhD in Applied Mathematics from Brown University in 1998 and was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow at the Technion in Haifa, Israel. She then worked as a member of technical staff at the Mathematical Sciences Center at Bell Laboratories before returning to academia as Associate Professor at the Mathematical Sciences Department of Carnegie Mellon University. She moved to Brown University as Professor of Applied Mathematics, where she has served as the Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Chair. She was made the Roland Dwight George Richardson University Professor of Applied Mathematics in 2018.

Mr. Gaurav Porwal earned his dual degree (B. Tech. +M. Tech.) in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2005 and an MBA degree in Strategy and Marketing from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad in 2010. He is the Vice President, Global Sales at Ola Cabs, Bengaluru.nnRecollecting memories associated with IIT Bombay, Mr. Porwal said, “IIT Bombay has given me so many special memories and friends for life that it’s not easy to single them out. In my very first year, I got to hear my favourite singer, Jagjit Singh, live at OAT after waiting for almost 4 hours in the queue outside! That mesmerizing experience led to a long string of events which got me deeply involved in cultural activities on the campus from organizing hostel events to supporting Mood Indigo’s core team as General Secretary, Cultural Affairs. And of course, can never forget those numerous night-outs (mostly non-academic) ending with some great breakfast at Maddu Mess”.nnSpeaking about contributions made by Mr. Porwal for his Chapter, Bengaluru Chapter President Dr. Smita Gupta says, “As part of Core Team Member of Village Knowledge Centers (VKC) project in Bangalore during 2007-08, Mr. Porwal contributed by engaging volunteers for the initiative and helping organize a Pan IIT music event to raise awareness and funds for the project. He played a critical role in Clean Drinking Water Project (led by MM Reddy) in which 5 RO plants were installed in villages near Hyderabad to provide residents of the village access to clean drinking water. He also, led fund raising efforts for the project and collected almost Rs.5 lakhs in donations through outreach efforts. He was an Executive Committee Member of IITBAA Hyderabad Chapter for five years, including two years as President”.nnHis hobbies include reading, swimming, listening to and singing ghazals.nn nn 

Mr. K. Sharat Chandra is the CEO and Co-Founder of Butterfly Fields – a social enterprise with the mission to bridge the learning divide. Mr. Sharat Chandra obtained B. Tech. degree in Chemical Engineering in 2001 from IIT Bombay and later did post graduation in Management from IIM Ahmedabad in 2005.nnButterfly Fields offers innovative, affordable and inclusive solutions for the students and teachers. The efforts of Butterfly fields were immensely appreciated by late Dr. A. P. J. Kalam, and Prof. Yashpal (former UGC Chairperson). Butterfly Fields is the winner of the Global Innovation Case Study Award given by All India Management Association for Innovation in Inclusive Education.nnMr. Sharat Chandra was awarded Engineer of the Year Award in 2017 by the Institution of Engineers, Telangana Centre and is a recipient of Vocational Excellence Award by Rotary Club – Bhagyanagar, Hyderabad in 2013.nnOn his memories of IIT Bombay, Mr. Sharat Chandra said, “Lots of unforgettable fun memories associated with my wingmates – Jakaalu Wing of Hostel 6 and my 7ul and 7dl gang of Chemical Engineering. Get to relive a lot of those with IIT Bombay Hyderabad Chapter alumni friends.”nnSpeaking about contributions made by Mr. Sharat Chandra for the IIT Bombay Hyderabad Chapter, Ex- Chapter President Mr. Deepam Morparia says, “Sharat was the most enthusiastic Secretary of Hyderabad Chapter for a period of 3 years and played significant role in reviving alumni activities since 2011. He has actively contributed in the organization of the Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations of IIT Bombay and a gala get together event “Meeting Manu”, featuring Goa CM and fellow alumnus Manohar Parrikar, held in Hyderabad”.nn“Sharat has been active in participating in the outdoor events,” added Mr. Morparia.nnOn his hobbies, Mr. Sharat Chandra says, “Do a bit of outdoor keeda giri – cycling, hiking once in a while… participate in triathlon and play cricket”.nn 

Dr. Chandan Mozumder earned his dual degree (B. Tech. +M. Tech.) in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2005 and Ph. D. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, USA in 2010.nnDr. Mozumder is a CAE Optimization Integration Lead for Battery Electric and IC Trucks and SUVs in the Vehicle Optimization Group at General Motors (GM), USA. He is currently responsible for development and execution of comprehensive Program Optimization Plan to support mid/ full-size trucks, SUVs, and Vans across cross-functional focus groups. He also leads the Global Simulation Owner (GSO) for Topology Optimization group, and facilitates the creation of standard optimization work guidelines and process automation for all GM regions.nnHis responsibilities as CAE Lead for Design and Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) is to identify and define tool strategy for DfAM in collaboration with design, manufacturing, and software vendors, and create roadmap for CAE and initiate new projects/ advanced technical work/ new methods for design optimization, material characterization, and process simulation.nnOn his memories, Dr. Mozumder remembers working all day and night for PAF prod work and going to Maddu mess early morning for Anda Dosa, nightoutnnwith friends watching movies in hostel common room or playing ‘Age of Empire’ and last-minute studies before exam days and spending nights at the department labs with batchmates.nnHis hobbies include photography, astronomy, travel, cooking.nnSpeaking on the contributions made by Dr. Mozumder for the Chapter, Michigan IIT lead-organizer Mr. Rajesh Radhakrishnan said, “As a steady member of the Michigan volunteer team, Chandan has continued to impress me with his reliability and attention to detail. He has been our go-to-person for all food and planning at our conferences, which is held twice a year, and the yearly picnic. Chandan is a good listener, very process-oriented, and brings maturity and a confidence in dealing with multiple age groups of alumni and outside constituents (such as sponsors, venue-hosts, speakers, guests from corporate and academia). Chandan is very enthusiastic and has always shown a willingness to learn and readiness to step up a challenge. He is a good team player”.nn“Chandan was a pillar in the alumni community of Michigan as we organized four conferences in 2017-19 under the theme of “Business Technology and Society”. Chandan designed the logo of MichiganIIT, set up its communications online on facebook, whatsApp and through the iitbombay.org site, repeatedly negotiates ruthlessly sometimes with caterers and restaurants for our events, and then rolls up his sleeves to fire up the grill and cook burgers at the picnic. Chandan is just the kind of guy every chapter deserves! Chandan has helped on national level projects with IITBHF, whenever we sought his assistance,” Mr. Radhakrishnan added.nn 

Mr. Mudit Jain pursued B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2011. He is the Founder and CEO of Synoriq – provider of IT services and solutions in BFSI space – primarily servicing Banks, NBFCs and FinTechs.nnMr. Jain, on his memories of IIT Bombay said, “IIT Bombay is full of memories. The professors and peers. Truly a lifetime experience. At times I look back to my google photos and live it back those days – woh din bhi kya din the. I would like to share a story from my first year. There was a special course by Prof. B.G. Fernandes on EE101. Prof. was speaking something; I was little inattentive. I could hear only the last part – ‘raise your hands’. I raised mine while no one did. Then he asked me to come to podium – and I was declared Class Representative.nnI executed that job honestly throughout my 4 years, also received love and support from my batchmates. Till date, I am being known as Mudit aka CR by my batchmates. This seemingly small incident had defining impact in my life leading to entrepreneurship”.nnHis hobbies include socializing, reading, striving to build a long-lasting enterprise.nnSpeaking about his contributions made by Mr. Jain for his Chapter, Jaipur Chapter President Mr. Mohit Soni said, “Mudit has injected new passion and energy into the Chapter. A great guy and a great friend. We are lucky to have him in our Chapter”.nn nn