NIT Rourkela’s new director to improve research and innovation

K. Umamheshwar Rao, who assumed office as the new director of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela on February 18, 2022, plans to improve research and innovation to make NIT Rourkela a campus of the first choice.

“NIT Rourkela is Odisha's pride. The institute’s position in the NIRF Ranking matters today. The time has come to redefine our objectives and work towards them with determination, required skills, and strategies having foresight for the exponential growth of the Institute. Our accomplishment towards the goal starts now,” he said

Rao was earlier the director of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Karnataka, also known as NIT Surathkal. Before moving to NIT Rourkela, he was a faculty for almost three decades at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. Some of his important portfolios include chairman (Estate), and vice-chairman of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). He was also the head of the Mining Engineering department during 2006-08 and 2010-14.

According to various national and international ranking agencies, NIT Rourkela is the top NIT of the country when it comes to research profiles. Rao also aims to bring NIT Rourkela to the top 10 in the NIRF rankings by focusing on different parameters such as number and quality of publications, financial resources and utilisation such as creating facilities for students, which include laboratories, libraries, etc., and faculty-student ratio.

“The expectations of the industry from the students are to have 21st-century skills and sufficient knowledge in niche areas such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analysis, 3D printing and additive technology in manufacturing. These expectations have to be taken care of with a lot of involvement from the Institute. It is the time for the creation of a career development centre instead of a training and placement cell, whose objective is to create opportunities for students to upgrade their career skills, soft skills and technical skills,” added Rao.

He aims to improve research and innovation infrastructure with the help of faculty and students to make NIT Rourkela a campus of the first choice. He would also work towards increasing multidisciplinary quotients in curriculum with special emphasis given to environmental and value-based education.

Congratulating his successor, Simanchalo Panigrahi, the outgoing interim director of NIT Rourkela, said, “NIT Rourkela was founded in the rich land of Ratnabhava (land rich in resources). Our state shares a major part of the country’s mineral reserves. Mining being the primary profession here, the new Director is not only an asset to the Institute but also to the state.”