IIT Delhi sets up chair in cyber security named after former education secretary

IIT-D alumnus Suresh M Shivdasani has endowed the 'Shri G K Chandiramani Chair for Cyber Security' in honour of his uncle.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi alumnus Suresh M Shivdasani has endowed the ‘Shri G K Chandiramani Chair for Cyber Security’ in honour of his uncle which will “promote excellence and leadership in teaching and research & development in the field of cyber security”.

G K Chandiramani was a secretary in the ministry of education. “As joint secretary at the ministry in 1961, he led the team that established the collaboration between IIT Kanpur and several leading US universities, including MIT. He was also personally involved with the negotiations and signed the agreements for the collaboration of IIT Bombay with Russia, as well as IIT Madras with Germany. He was associated with the IIT Council for over three decades and was a founding member of the board of IIM Ahmedabad,” IIT-D said in a statement.

“After retirement from the ministry, he was one of the longest-serving chairman of the Council of the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore from 1973-1986 and was succeeded by Dr Raja Ramanna, the well-known Indian physicist. He was also the chairman, board of governors, IIT Delhi from 1982 to 1985,” it said.

Shivdasani is the managing director and CEO of Sohar International Urea and Chemical Industries (SIUCI), which when constructed, was the largest private-sector greenfield fertiliser project in the world. He was also a member of the board of directors of the National Bank of Oman for nine years, and since 2012 is a member of the advisory board of the Tata Opportunities Fund, Singapore.

On his purpose for establishing the Chair, he said, “Our society today is more reliant on technology and connectivity than ever before and consequently the risks of data breaches and cyber-attacks are increasing exponentially. However, there is a severe shortage of cyber security technologists in India and globally. Hence the focus of the Chair on cyber security.”

IIT Delhi established a Centre of Excellence in Cyber Systems and Information Assurance (CoE-CSIA) in 2014. The centre aims to train professionals in India and the region through degree, non-degree, and public education programs, and to collaborate with industry, government, and academia on both the theory and practice of information assurance and cyber security.

Prof Naveen Garg, dean, alumni affairs, IIT Delhi, welcomed the Chair and said, “We are excited that Mr Shivdasani has endowed this Chair in cyber security at IIT Delhi. The Centre of Excellence in Cyber Systems and Information Assurance at IIT Delhi has started an MTech programme in cyber security this year. The Chair will further propel research in this key area and benefit the institute and the country.”

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