The Office of International Relations, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, was pleased to host a delegation from the University of Alabama (UA), USA, on 20th and 21st January 2026. The delegation comprised Prof. Susan Carvalho, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School; Prof. Andrew Goodliffe, Associate Dean, Graduate School; and Prof. M. N. V. Ravi Kumar, Distinguished University Research Professor.
On 20th January 2026, the delegation visited the Dean of Academic Affairs Office in the James Thomason Building and met with Prof. Naveen Kumar Navani, Dean of Academic Affairs. During the meeting, both sides engaged in discussions on collaboration opportunities, including student exchange programs and academic cooperation. The delegation also visited the Mahatma Gandhi Central Library (MGCL) to explore educational resources, archival collections, and facilities.
On 21st January 2026, the delegation visited the Office of International Relations and met with Prof. Vimal Chandra Srivastava, Dean of International Relations, IIT Roorkee. Both sides held detailed discussions on potential collaborations, with a focus on the signing of a Generic MoU to formalize academic cooperation. Both institutions agreed to work towards signing the Generic MoU, and a draft for the same has already been shared. IIT Roorkee and the University of Alabama agreed to strengthen ties through sustained academic cooperation.
The delegation then proceeded to the Department of Water Resources Development & Management, where they interacted with faculty members, including Prof. Ashish Pandey, Prof. M L Kansal, Prof. Basant Yadav, Prof. Mohit Mohanty, Prof. ellora padhi, Prof. Kritika Kothari, and other faculty and staff. Discussions focused on collaborative research in water resource management and exploring joint projects in sustainable development. The delegation also toured the department’s laboratories.
Later, the delegation met with Prof. Sandeep Singh, Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Roorkee, along with Prof. Lopamudra Saha, Prof. Rajarshi Chakravarti, and other faculty members of the department. The discussions highlighted opportunities for cooperation in geoscience research, faculty exchange, and joint academic programs.
They concluded their visit at the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MMED), where they interacted with Prof. Gajanan Chaudhari. The delegation was pleased to meet Prof. Chaudhary and had a fruitful discussion with him on academic and research collaborations.
We sincerely thank the University of Alabama delegation for their visit and valuable discussions, which will pave the way for stronger academic collaboration and partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.
