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Bangkok, March 17, 2022 – The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) jointly launched the Dual Doctoral Degree Program via a virtual ceremony. Following a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed just last year, four students have already enrolled into the program and joined the launch. With remarks by the leaders of the two institutions and a special lecture, the beginning of AIT – IIT Dual Degree Program offers a preview of the two institutions’ academic strengths and many more possible collaborations.
The Dual Doctoral Degree Program (DDDP) between AIT and IIT, two leading higher education institutions in Asia, offers students a chance to benefit from the expertise and research facilities of both institutions. Students can choose to study any of the academic programs available at AIT and IIT and will be awarded two separate doctoral degrees for one thesis completed. By studying at AIT in Thailand for four semesters, and at IIT Roorkee or IIT Kanpur in India for three semesters, students can save the fees of three semester waived by the host and partner institution.
In addition, students will receive bursary from partner institution to take care of loging and boarding costs. AIT charges the fee for only 4 semesters. Brighter students may take on campus research assistantship in AIT to cover some expenses as well. This program is the first of its kind initiated by AIT and is aimed to fill the huge gap of human resources with doctoral degrees in many Asian countries.
Hosted by Prof. Nitin Tripathi, AIT Director of Special Degree Program, the launch was attended by Dr. Eden Woon, AIT President; Dr. Abhay Karandikar, Director-IIT Kanpur; Dr. Yogesh Joshi, Dean of International Relation at IIT Kanpur; and Dr. Bharat Lohani, IIT Kanpur Professor who also gave a special lecture on LiDAR technology. The ceremony was moderated by Dr. Chitrini Mozumder, AIT Affiliated Faculty Member.
“It is particularly joyful for me to participate in such an event,” said AIT President Woon in his remarks. Noting that having a dual degree program with such a prestigious and top research university in the region, and one of the top universities in India such as IIT, he added, “this is really something that AIT is extremely honored and happy to do.”
Dr. Abhay Karandikar, Director of IIT Kanpur, acknowledged the launch as a historic milestone. Introducing many new initiatives at IIT Kanpur, Dr. Karandikar remarked an upcoming plan to establish a school of medical research and technology. “I see a number of possibilities of collaborations expanding into other areas, between AIT and IIT Kanpur and I really look forward to strengthening this program.” Similarly, Dr. Yogesh Joshi highlighted, “life science is also going to be a great focus, and I’m sure in years to come, we shall have a better collaboration between two institutes and more students graduating jointly.”
Following the remarks, the first batch of DDDP students who were enrolled into the program in January 2022 proceeded to introduce themselves and their research interest. The four students are Divya NS Ryali, fromBahrain Polytechnic, studying in Remote Sensing & Geographic Information Systems (RSGIS) program with AIT and IIT Kanpur; Julius Jimenez, from the Philippines, studying in RSGIS with AIT and IIT Kanpur; Rishi Jain, from India, studying in Information Management program at AIT and IIT Roorkee; and Vida Fe Lagumbay, from the Philippines, studying in Urban Innovation and Sustainability program at AIT and IIT Kanpur.
The launch then followed by Expert Lecture on “LiDAR Technology and Applications” by Dr. Bharat Lohani, who is also a co-advisor of Divya NS Ryali. The lecture was followed by an interactive discussion on the subject, with Dr. Nitin Tripathi facilitating the Q&A. The Expert Lecture is part of RSGIS Webinar series which is held regularly for knowledge sharing. For the upcoming webinar, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/rsgis.ait.ac.th
