Prof Balaram set benchmark for his successors

The long tenure of Prof P Balaram as director of IISc will come to an end on July 31. Balaram has been at the helm for nine years.

His scholarship, insight, incisive talks and writing and analytical approach to things, his vast sweep of knowledge of a variety of fields and above all his humility will surely be treasured. It is, therefore, incumbent on Prof Anura
g Kumar, the new director, to maintain such excellent standards and to exhibit in some measure, at least some of these qualities. Kumar is an expert in networks, wireless, sensors and computation.

The announcement of the name of the new director is made several months in advance of the retirement of the current director, in line with established tradition.

Kumar told Deccan Herald. “It is true I have been proposed as the new director by the IISc governing council’s search committee. Various approvals from the Central government and the President have to happen. Once these come through, I can formally be declared and designated director of IISc. This may take a month or two.”

Kumar, a recipient of the President’s Gold Medal, said his work and routine would be the same till the approvals come. 

Prof B N Raghunandan, chairman of Earth and Environment Sciences, and Dean, Engineering, told Deccan Herald: “We are very happy with the selection. He is a very able person. He is a very calm person and meticulous in his work. Kumar will be a successful director. We wish him the best.”

Kumar is an expert in communications, networking, the world of computers and computing and electrical engineering.

He obtained his BTech degree in electrical engineering from IIT-Kanpur in 1977 and later his Phd from Cornell University, USA, in 1981. Since 1988, he has been with IISc in the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering. 

From 1989 to 2003, he was coordinator at IISc of the nationwide Education and Research Network project, which established the first country-wide packet communication network in India.

Kumar’s research interests are in the fields of communication networks: stochastic modelling, analysis, optimisation and control problems arising in communication networks, computers and distributed systems and wireless and sensor networks.