AHMEDABAD: It is reverse brain drain and how! Nearly half of the 700-odd applications received by the newly opened IIT-Gandhinagar for faculty positions are from NRIs, teaching in premiere universities all over the world.

Director of IIT-Gandhinagar Sudhir Kumar Jain said at least three NRIs teaching in prestigious universities in the US and Singapore will join them by the end of December.

The institute has received over 300 applications from NRIs teaching in universities across UK, US, Europe, Japan, Israel, South Korea, Canada and Singapore for teaching positions.

"This is a great development as we would get Indians who are involved in cutting-edge research and academics and are finding opportunities in India attractive. More so for us as the faculty would get to prove academic excellence given that we are a new institute compared to other IITs and hence more open to ideas," says Jain.

The three faculty members who are expected to join by December include Sameer Dalvi who specialises in solid-solid reaction and phase equilibrium. Dalvi, who did his PhD from IIT-Bombay, currently teaches in Columbia University.

Sriram Kanvah too has a PhD from IIT-Bombay and specialises in bio-organic chemistry.
The third faculty to join is Surendra Ranganath who completed his doctorate from University of California, specialises in digital image and signal processing and currently teaches at National University of Singapore.

Apart from the NRIs, a large number of senior faculties, who have retired from IIT-Bombay are also expected to join IIT-Gandhinagar.

There is of course sentiment attached to returning home, but these NRIs are also attracted by the stable economy even as developed countries battle recession.
"To attract more talent from abroad, we are also offering them option to go abroad twice a year to pursue research and academics," says Jain.

source: TOI