Prof. Ranil Wickramasinghe, Ralph E. Martin Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, USA, recently visited the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, to deliver a distinguished lecture during a one-day workshop on “Sustainable Membrane Innovations for Clean Water Futures”, organized by Prof. Bhaskar Jyoti Deka, Department of Hydrology.
During his visit, he called on the International Relations Office and met with Prof. KARUN RAWAT, Dean of International Relations, IIT Roorkee. The interaction was also attended by Prof. Gopinath Packirisamy, Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering, IIT Roorkee, and Prof. Bhaskar Jyoti Deka, Department of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee.
The discussions focused on strengthening collaborative research initiatives, promoting interdisciplinary projects across sustainable membrane technology, desalination and brine management, separation and purification, chemical engineering, bioengineering, and hydrology, and enhancing faculty and student mobility. Both sides expressed keen interest in developing structured, long-term, and outcome-oriented collaborations in emerging research domains. The dialogue also included possibilities of joint research proposals under international funding schemes, co-supervision of Ph.D. scholars, organization of joint workshops and conferences, and exchange of best practices in research innovation and technology transfer. Emphasis was placed on creating sustainable institutional mechanisms to support regular academic exchanges, collaborative publications, and industry-linked research partnerships.
The visit marks an important step toward advancing academic engagement and expanding global research linkages between IIT Roorkee and the University of Arkansas.