At IISc, Physics to pick industrial pace with new programme

The Department of Physics in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has designed a programme to share talent and resources with the industry, in a concerted move to advance innovation in research and create more career openings for students.

As part of the Industrial Affiliates Programme (IAP), the Department is aiming to work with cutting-edge companies, providing them with the advantages of knowledge transfer and the students and faculty, the possibilities to further explore their work in diverse streams.

In line with the larger goals of the programme, the Department will host the first Physics – Industry Conclave, on February 7.

Akshay Singh, assistant professor of the Department, said the conclave will set the context for discussions with the industry “to hear what their interests are”.

He said the programme has been conceived in response to the concerns flagged by students who aspired to work in the industry but were also left with limited choices.

“Physics has been perceived, largely, as a purely academic discipline. During the outreach programmes with the alumni, we see that most of them are engaged with academia, like in postdoctoral research. The students felt that there are not many role models in the industry. There was space for a collaboration with the industries on these lines,” Singh told DH.

The new programme will facilitate the industry, at an annual membership fee of Rs 10,00,000, technology transfer in diverse areas. The students in the department can find opportunities for internships in industrial research.

The Physics – Industry Conclave aims to further the collaborations in areas of interest that include quantum technologies, plasma astrophysics, Big Data analysis, AI solutions and Machine Learning tools, semiconductors, biomedical sensing technologies, membrane biophysics, and infrared detectors for night vision.

The IAP will provide the industrial associates with early notice of the Department’s publications and technical reports, invitations to deliver technical lectures, and a platform for networking with other industrial associates. “The knowledge-transfer initiative will include the opportunity for a collaborator-in-residence – a representative of the industry who could spend up to a year on the campus and participate in research activity,” Singh said.

The Department’s industry outreach team, which comprises Singh, Arindam Ghosh, Manish Jain, Jaydeep Basu, Prateek Sharma and Sivani Vempati, expects about 15 companies as participants at the conclave.