Research studies gaining ground in India now

When it comes to research and innovation in technology, Microsoft has been at the

RELATED ARTICLES

forefront. The firm’s Indian arm has also been contributing its bit to the software giant's products. P Anandan, MD of Microsoft Research India spoke to N Vasudevan about the company's latest research initiative. Excerpts:

n Please brief us about the recent initiatives taken by Microsoft Research India.

Research is one of the ways where we continue to re-invent ourselves. One of our recent initiatives is the ResearchAndYou.com portal to connect researchers and potential research students by providing expert guidance and educating them about a career in computer science research.

n Are number of students opting for research less in India?

In computer science, US produces 1,800 PhDs a year. Now, India is reaching 100 a year. We have a large talent pool, but India is yet to realise its potential to be a world leader in research. In the US, about a quarter of PhD students are of Indian origin. It’s not that we don’t have talent. It’s just that we have not made it quite a priority, but it is changing.

n Do you think monetary factor plays a role here?

Well, in an indirect way. Compared with olden days, the opportunities are aplenty and the younger generation is eager to grab them. It’s not that a PhD degree will not pay them well. As we start valuing research and innovation, this will certainly change.

n What areas the Bangalore unit is presently focusing on?

We have seven research groups focusing on – algorithm and search, security & applied mathematics, multilingual systems, rigorous software engineering, mobility, networks & systems, technology for emerging markets, vision, graphics & visualisation. We don’t dictate or direct our researchers. The research topic keeps changing.

n What’s the biggest milestone or achievement of Bangalore research lab since its inception?

We have established ourselves as a world-class research lab. We are committed to working with academia and research institutions to strengthen the PhD pipeline in India. I look forward to more growth and seeing other research institutions grow around us. That will be the most exciting thing for us.

Post new comment

E-mail ID will not be published
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.

FC NEWSLETTER

Stay informed on our latest news!

EDITORIAL OF THE DAY

  • Inheritance tax can open Gates to corporate responsibility

    Tech kids — Rishad Premji, Akshata Murthy, Shruti Shibulal, Arihant Gajendra Kumar Patni and Uday Jain — are today crorepatis by virtue of their s

INTERVIEWS

Deepak Chandnani

President, Obopay

Anand Sharma

Commerce and industry minister

Thomas Matthew

MD, LIC

COLUMNIST

Varun Dutt

Carbon storage has challenges

According to so­me experts, global coal consumption is projected to ...

Paulo Coelho

Navel was sacred in ancient cultures

It was precisely a poster of Britney Spears that made ...

Bubbles Sabharwal

When you want to see God, don’t look up, look within

A friend in school, who was not too bright, not ...