Dr S. Sivakumar Appointed Officiating Vice-Chancellor of Krea University

Dr S. Sivakumar Appointed Officiating Vice-Chancellor of Krea University

Due to personal exigencies, Dr Mahesh Rangarajan has requested that he be relieved of his responsibilities as Vice-Chancellor of Krea University.  The Chancellor and the Governing Council of Krea University have accepted this request, and placed on record their deep appreciation for Dr Rangarajan’s contributions.  Dr Rangarajan will continue to serve as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of History and Environment at Krea University.    

Commenting on this, Dr Mahesh Rangarajan said, “Of the many institutions I have worked in, and the positions I have had the honour of serving in, none has given me more pleasure than that at Krea University, not only as Vice-Chancellor but also as a member of the faculty. To me, Krea is and will be more than a University: it stands for a mission to prepare both the teacher and the taught to work for the greater good and excellence in an uncertain world. I am grateful to the staff, students, faculty and all members of the Krea community who have been of great support and helped me at my work.  My departure for personal reasons and commitments is a moment of sadness.  But as Distinguished Visiting Professor, I look forward to continuing my association and engagement with faculty, students and the Krea community.”

In consultation with its faculty and staff, the University will initiate a search process for the next Vice-Chancellor. In the interim, the Chancellor and the Governing Council have appointed Dr S. Sivakumar as the Officiating Vice-Chancellor until such time that a final appointment is made. 

A theoretical physicist, Dr S. Sivakumar – Divisional Chair, Sciences and Professor of Physics at the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) at Krea University, has a PhD in Physics from IIT-Madras. Prior to joining Krea University, he was associated with the Homi Bhabha National Institute and Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI). His wide experience in academia includes faculty positions as Scientist/Professor at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam, Visiting Scientist at Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, and Adjunct Professor at CMI. He has also spent more than two decades researching problems critical to the nation-building objective of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), in addition to mentoring masters and graduate students. Interested in quantum and classical dynamics, and statistical physics, Dr Sivakumar has a passion for teaching and is routinely cited in numerous global publications and top journals. 

Krea University Faculty Receive Prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Environment Journalism

Krea University Faculty Receive Prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Environment Journalism

Sri City, January 6, 2022: Prof. Aniket Aga (Associate Professor of Anthropology & Environmental Studies) and Prof. Chitrangada Choudhury (Associate Professor of Practice in Environmental Studies & Public Policy) from Krea University have won the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism in the ‘Environment, Science and Technology’ category. The Awards aim to celebrate excellence, courage and commitment, showcasing outstanding contributions every year.

This prestigious annual event in the Indian media calendar pays tribute to Print, Digital and Broadcast journalists who maintain the highest standards of their profession despite political and economic pressures, and who produce work that generates and sustains public trust in the media and impacts the lives of people.  The award in the ‘Environment’ category acknowledges exceptional contributions to public awareness and understanding of environmental issues, science and technology.  

Prof. Aga and Prof. Choudhury had reported two articles on illegal herbicide-tolerant GM cotton seeds and an associated complex of lethal chemical inputs like glyphosate which are sweeping through biodiversity-rich Adivasi farms of Odisha’s Eastern Ghats, radically altering a fragile ecology, and food and knowledge systems. Their two stories titled ‘Sowing the seeds of climate crisis in Odisha’ and ‘Cotton has now become a headache’ along with a broader climate change series published by the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), were named for the award. 

Prof. Aniket Aga is interested in science and technology studies, democratic politics, and agrarian studies, and works on questions of environmental justice, food democracy and sustainable agriculture. His first book ‘Genetically Modified Democracy’ examining the ongoing controversy over genetically modified (GM) food crops in India is recently out from Yale University Press & will be published in South Asia in early 2022 by Orient Blackswan. He is especially keen to work with students from disadvantaged groups, including Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi students and students from rural backgrounds.

Prof. Chitrangada Choudhury is a multimedia journalist and researcher. Her reportage on the environment, social justice and rural, in particular indigenous communities, has been cited for multiple awards including the Sanskriti Award (2008), the Press Council of India’s National Award for Investigative Reporting (2015), and the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize twice (2010 & 2018). She is a Founding member of The People’s Archive of Rural India, an Editorial Board member of Article 14, and a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for World Environment History, University of Sussex.

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Industry and Academia come together for Krea University ‘Career Dialogues 2021’

Sri City, December 21, 2021: Krea University hosted their flagship event “Career Dialogues”, which brought together over 20 speakers from industry and academia on one platform.

The day-long virtual event featured 4 panel discussions exploring various Careers in Psychology; Sustainability; Arts, Media & Sport; Analytics. The aim of the event was to open the minds of young school students about future careers across multiple industry verticals.

Career Dialogues 2021 kicked off with two spectacular keynote addresses, by Mr Anurag MalikPartner – People Advisory Services at Ernst & Young and Ms Neerja BirlaFounder & Chairperson – Aditya Birla Education Trust.

In his address, Mr Malik emphasised “Interwoven Careers is the future…The new-age student who sees himself or herself as a professional in the years to come should be ready for the change, as companies are today taking a 360-degree view on skills.”

Addressing the exam time and academic stress that students face, Ms Birla said, “While it is important to do well academically, it’s equally essential to remember that grades don’t define a student.”

Each panel discussion that followed, brought multiple facets of each subject. The conversation on psychology covered Criminal, Sports, Counselling and Clinical aspects of the practice. The discussion on Sustainability hosted practitioners and academics from across Conservation, Sustainability, Economics of Environment and Climate Change. Spinning a different track, the next panel highlighted Arts Managements, Sports Media, and emerging Media technology. In the Analytics panel, experts from Media, Marketing, Financial Risk and Behavioural analytics shared their insights.

20+ speakers representing leading organisations like Tiger Analytics, McKinsey & Co, The World Bank, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Foreseti Consulting, Sony Sports, ArtSpire and many more, shared their insights on future trends in their area of work and shed light on the kind of skills industry will demand from young graduates.

In his opening address, Mr. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Professional Learning at Krea University, said, “Last year, the World Economic Forum came out with a listing of the top 10 skills that will be needed to align oneself to the new opportunities that will be presented in the post-pandemic world by various discipline and industry segments. These include analytical thinking, active learning, problem finding, problem solving, creativity, originality and initiative, technology use, monitoring and control, resilience, stress tolerance, reasoning ideation and flexibility.

Career Dialogues, is an important endeavour by Krea University in partnership with industry, towards informing school leavers about various career options open to them, to encourage them to follow their interest and look at the world of careers more laterally than as silo tracks.

Talk on nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation

Talk on nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation

As part of its Environmental Studies Seminar Series, Krea University hosted a virtual knowledge session on the need for an Ecological Economic approach for Biodiversity Conservation, by Dr. Madhu Verma, Chief Economist, World Resources Institute India, New Delhi.

Dr. Madhu Verma spoke about nature-based Solutions (NBS) and nature-based / ecological infrastructure emerging as cost effective, low risk and ‘no regret’ options that provide more positive consequences than those that are engineering-based, especially with the negative impact of climate change, biodiversity loss and the need for securing livelihood security and human wellbeing.

“NBS reiterates the Sustainable Development Goals as they support vital ecosystem services, biodiversity, access to fresh water, improved livelihoods, healthy diets and food security from sustainable food systems. In the current context, NBS can also be used as a response to the COVID-19 crisis and would help ‘building forward better’. Though the usefulness of NBS is being understood, their use of values and contributions to the economic system and GDP calculus are still invisible to attract desired investments in NBS for their sustainability,” she explained.

The Krea Environmental Studies Seminar Series is a forum to share research and ongoing work in the broad domain of environmental issues and climate change. It invites speakers to explore these themes from multiple dimensions including, but not limited to, climate science, conservation, policy, culture, social movements, and more.

Launch of ‘Kshana’ – a short film on Mental Health

Launch of ‘Kshana’ – a short film on Mental Health

Krea University and University of Oxford are delighted to invite you to this collaborative event with University of Oxford. Over the past year, LEAD at Krea and IndOx have been working on significant impact activities under this partnership, focused on the theme of Mental Health. We conclude this year with the launch of a short film, fully funded by the initiative. 

Join the meeting here: https://krea-edu-in.zoom.us/j/98469424449?pwd=WGk2YzJ2Zi9HY2lkQmEyZ0xydDJlQT09

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Nobel Laureate Dr. Esther Duflo joins Krea University’s Governing Council

Nobel Laureate Dr. Esther Duflo joins Krea University’s Governing Council

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Nobel Laureate Dr. Esther Duflo as a Member of our Governing Council.

Dr. Esther Duflo is an economist and professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is also Co-Founder and Co-Director at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). She was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics (the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel) along with Dr. Abhijit Banerjee and Dr. Michael Kremer for developing an innovative experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.

Welcoming Dr. Esther Duflo to the Governing Council, Mr. Kapil Viswanathan, Chairman of Executive Committee & Member of Governing Council, Krea University said, “As a path-breaking scholar who has brought scientific method and rigor to the social sciences, Dr. Esther Duflo personifies Krea University’s interwoven approach to research and learning. It is a great privilege to welcome her as a member of Krea University’s governing council.”     

Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Esther Duflo said, “It is fair to say that we would not have received a Nobel prize had it not been for all the research we could do in India, thanks in large part to the support we received from Krea University’s sponsoring body since 2008.  I look forward to helping Krea University realize its mission to help humanity prepare for an unpredictable world.”

Recognising this appointment, Vice Chancellor of Krea University Dr Mahesh Rangarajan, stated “Professor Duflo is exceptional as a scholar, researcher and teacher not only for her outstanding work but equally so for the impact of her ideas on the larger world.  Her leadership and interventions also set a standard for scholars, policymakers and the public at large.”

‘Krea Lecture Series: History’ with Dr Dinyar Patel | 29 Sept, 3 PM IST

‘Krea Lecture Series: History’ with Dr Dinyar Patel | 29 Sept, 3 PM IST

How did a Scotsman found the political party which eventually led India to independence? The story of Allan Octavian Hume is a fascinating one. From starting off as a British civil servant to advocating Indian rights and his evolution into the ‘Father of the Congress’, Hume was regarded as a deeply controversial figure in Indian colonial history.

Join Dr Dinyar Patel for an informative lecture as he narrates the story of this historical figure and his contribution to India’s independence. 

This lecture is open to all. Attend the session via https://krea-edu-in.zoom.us/j/99434563966?pwd=UnE5WWxmeE94UEJhWHdFL2RTcElndz09

‘Krea Lecture Series: Environmental Studies’ with Dr R Brawin Kumar | 28 Sept, 6.30 PM IST

‘Krea Lecture Series: Environmental Studies’ with Dr R Brawin Kumar | 28 Sept, 6.30 PM IST

In the world of mammals inhabiting the Indian subcontinent, the Madras Hedgehog is very poorly studied. Did you know that, unlike porcupines, the hedgehog’s spines are not easily detachable, and it rolls its fur-clad face and abdomen into a complete ball of spines in defence?  

Join Dr R Brawin Kumar (National Post Doctoral Fellow – School of Biology, IISER Tirupati) for an insightful and ‘edgy’ lecture — titled “The untold story of my spiny neighbour – The Madras Hedgehog!” — exploring the few species of hedgehogs in India, sharing interesting facts about them, and explaining why efforts need to be doubled towards studying these fascinating creatures.

The ‘Krea Lecture Series: Environmental Studies’ is a forum to share research and ongoing work in the broad domain of environmental issues and climate change. The series invites speakers to explore these themes from multiple dimensions including but not limited to climate science, conservation, policy, culture, social movements and more. 

This lecture is open to all. Register here: https://krea-edu-in.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMscu-gpzooGtRWQu3ulqF1OmZPFSrnPqgm

‘Krea Lecture Series: History’ with Dr David Arnold | 15 Sept, 3 PM IST

‘Krea Lecture Series: History’ with Dr David Arnold | 15 Sept, 3 PM IST

As the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, the past remains a vital resource for us to understand the present. However, the present can act as a trigger for the past, impelling us to re-examine significant historical events and issues. 

Join Dr David Arnold from the University of Warwick (UK) for an insightful lecture on how a “living” history can evoke human experiences that make us re-evaluate the past with a new perspective.

This lecture is open to all. Attend via https://krea-edu-in.zoom.us/j/98952450106?pwd=VVhZTXlQeW5KTTVJVWw2bHlKUnRQdz09