IIT Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 22: The Indian Institute of Technology here is trying its best to produce maximum number of PhDs despite limited infrastructure.

The institute has already enrolled 130 students for PhD since 2009, while it has invited applications from more students.

“Six students have submitted their thesis, while three have received their doctorate degree since 2009,” said director of IIT, Bhubaneswar, Madhusudan Chakraborty. The institute has introduced PhD programme from the first year of its operation from here in 2009.

In 2012, the institute began an integrated MTech-PhD programme in five subjects with 18 seats in each. Only the top thirty per cent scorers of these students will be eligible for a PhD from the institute. In 2013, the institute introduced an integrated MSc-PhD programme in four subjects with 20 seats in each.

The institute enrols research scholars twice a year - in July and January.

“We are trying our best to accommodate maximum number of PhD students despite our limited resources,” said Chakraborty.

The institute has 90 faculty positions, of which three positions are lying vacant at present. Apart from teaching and guiding PhD students, the faculty members are required to spend time undertaking sponsored research projects, publish papers and books, file patents and support industry requirements through consultancy assignments.

The institute is trying to get more staff to increase its PhD intake.

“One faculty member can guide about four students for PhD. But, we also need to build sufficient infrastructure, including lab facilities, for that. We have sought 80 more faculty members,” he said.

Initiatives are also being taken to increase the number of PhDs passing out from the IITs from the current 3,000 to 10,000 a year following the recommendations of the Kakodkar Committee.