Students can choose to study any of the academic programmes available at AIT and IIT. Source: Website
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and he Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) jointly launched their dual doctoral degree programme (DDDP) over a virtual ceremony. Following a memorandum of agreement (MoA) signed in 2021, four students have already been enrolled into the programme and joined the launch. The beginning of AIT – IIT dual degree programme offers a preview of the two institutions’ academic strengths and more possible collaborations.
The DDDP offers students a chance to benefit from the expertise and research facilities of both institutions. Students can choose to study any of the academic programmes available at AIT and IIT and will be awarded two separate doctoral degrees for one thesis completed. By studying at AIT in Thailand for four semesters, and at IIT Roorkee or IIT Kanpur in India for three semesters, students can have the fees of three semesters waived by the host and partner institution.
In addition, students will receive bursaries from partner institutions to take care of lodging and boarding costs. AIT charges the fee for only four semesters. Students may also take on campus research assistantship in AIT to cover some expenses as well. This programme is the first of its kind initiated by AIT and is aimed to fill the huge gap of human resources with doctoral degrees in many Asian countries.
Hosted by Nitin Tripathi, AIT director of special degree programme, the launch was attended by Eden Woon, AIT President, Abhay Karandikar, Director - IIT Kanpur, Yogesh Joshi, dean of International Relation at IIT Kanpur, and Bharat Lohani, an IIT Kanpur professor who also gave a special lecture on LiDAR technology. The ceremony was moderated by Chitrini Mozumder, AIT-affiliated faculty member.
“It is particularly joyful for me to participate in such an event,” said Woon in his remarks. Noting that having a dual degree programme with such a prestigious and top research university in the region, and one of the top universities in India such as IIT, he added, “This is really something that AIT is extremely honored and happy to do.”
Karandikar acknowledged the launch as a historic milestone. Introducing many new initiatives at IIT Kanpur, he announced an upcoming plan to establish a school of medical research and technology. “I see a number of possibilities of collaborations expanding into other areas, between AIT and IIT Kanpur and I really look forward to strengthening this program.” Similarly, Joshi highlighted, “life science is also going to be a great focus, and I’m sure in years to come, we shall have a better collaboration between two institutes and more students graduating jointly.”
Following the remarks, the first batch of DDDP students who were enrolled into the programme in January 2022 proceeded to introduce themselves and their research interest. The four students are Divya NS Ryali from Bahrain Polytechnic, studying Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, Julius Jimenez from the Philippines, studying RSGIS, Rishi Jain, from India, studying Information Management and Vida Fe Lagumbay, from the Philippines, studying Urban Innovation and Sustainability.
The launch was followed by a lecture on “LiDAR Technology and Applications” by Bharat Lohani, who is also the co-advisor of Divya NS Ryali. The lecture was followed by an interactive discussion on the subject, with Nitin Tripathi facilitating the Q&A. The expert lecture is part of the RSGIS Webinar series which is held regularly for knowledge sharing. For the upcoming webinar, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/rsgis.ait.ac.th