In the 11th convocation of IISER Pune held in the morning of May 29, 2024, a total of 346 students received their degrees. This included 72 students graduating with PhD degree, 28 with Master of Science and PhD dual degrees, and 9 with Master of Science degree pursued via the Integrated PhD channel, 195 with BS and MS dual degrees and 15 with BS degree, and 27 students with a Master of Science degree from the new Master’s programme the institute had launched in 2022-23 academic year. The Institute congratulates all graduates and wishes them a bright future ahead!
Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India was the Chief Guest for the occasion.
At the outset of the event, Director Prof. Sunil S. Bhagwat presented degrees to all graduates. Fifteen BS-MS students received their degrees with Distinction (CGPA >9). BS-MS student Shah Varun Kaushal received the institute gold medal.
Chief Guest Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat presented Best MS and PhD thesis awards. PhD students Himani Khurana (Biology); Pooja Sindhu (Chemistry); and Mitesh Modasiya (Mathematics) received the Xytel Best PhD Thesis Awards; and BS-MS students Shweta Garg (Biology); Hritwik Haldar (Chemistry); Garvit A. (Data Science); Devyani Jambhule (Earth and Climate Science); Varun (Humanities and Social Sciences); Shah Varun Kaushal (Mathematics); and Vedhanth S.V.U. (Physics) received the Xytel Best MS Thesis Awards.
IISER Pune Director Prof. Sunil Bhagwat presented the annual report of the institute, and described the academic achievements of institute members. Prof. Bhagwat noted the various scientific events pursued by the institute researchers through the year and the capacity building outreach programmes pursued by Smt. Indrani Balan Science Activity Centre, Science Media Centre, and the iRISE and MS-DEED projects hosted on the campus.
In his convocation address, Chief Guest Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat congratulated the students on their graduation and their teachers and parents for their crucial roles in the academic journey of the students. He noted the academic achievements of the faculty members and the infrastructure at IISER Pune enabling a high quality education to the students.
Dr. Saraswat spoke about the power of knowledge and interdisciplinary approach to address the multi-faceted challenges and opportunities of the 21st century landscape. “The need of the hour is not just for specialists but for also practitioners who think beyond the boundaries, recognising the inter-linkages of the problem to be solved,” he said.
Dr. Saraswat noted that the youth have a great role to play as India begins its march towards its centenary year. He said, “The youth of this nation have a herculean task of not only transitioning this country into a technology hub, but to accomplish this feat in a sustainable manner”.
With these observations, Dr. Saraswat congratulated the graduates and said “I wish that you have very fulfilling careers but more importantly, I wish that you become model citizens of this country”.
On behalf of the entire IISER Pune community, our hearty congratulations and best wishes to all our graduates!
