The Final Lap of My PhD Journey: A Chapter at IIT Kanpur

 

The culminating year of my PhD journey was 2016. After visiting IIT Madras and the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), we went to IIT Kanpur to give the finalize our research work at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. I was accompanied by my colleague, Kaleem Ahmad. Our journey from Srinagar to Kanpur was by train, and upon arrival, we settled into the institute's guest house.

The following day, we had an appointment with Prof. Kamal K. Kar. Prof. Kar was a strict and disciplined academic. Inspite of his busy schedule, he did give us time—discussed the academic plan with us. He gave firm directions to his academic team to accommodate us and support our work, using very direct language. Therefore under such well defined atmosphere, our work moved quickly and smoothly.

At IIT Kanpur, we pushed ourselves further. We conducted advanced tests and added new chapters to our thesis, aiming to raise the standard and depth of our research. We stayed for three more months, fully immersed in academic work. Kaleem, too, was deeply focused as we approached the final stage of our PhD. The interaction and discussions with the faculty members and scholars was an enriching experience and they provided us with invaluable insights which in turn increased the quality of our project.

Unlike IIT Madras, where the vibrant campus life and nearby places like Taramani, Krishna Gate, Velachery, and Phoenix Mall offered welcome distractions, IIT Kanpur was more isolated and academically intense. The lack of nearby markets or social spots meant the environment was wholly academic—serious, productive, but somewhat monotonous.

Upon returning home, we began the writing phase of our thesis. During the winter of 2017, we completed and submitted our thesis drafts. Thankfully, the work was well-received, and we successfully defended our thesis.

This was an important phase and we were helped by many outside experts.

Dr. Pathak and Dr. Suman from CSIR Lab, Jamshedpur, helped in clearing technical uncertainties. Dr. Anandan from NAL, who had earlier facilitated us to perform tribological tests at NAL, played an important role in shaping the practical aspects of our thesis. After completing our doctoral work, we joined NIT Srinagar, working there for two academic sessions in the department of Mechanical engineering. Later, along with our guides—Prof. Sheikh Nazir Ahmad and Prof. Mursaleen Butt—we attended a one-week faculty development program on Material Characterization at IIT Kanpur. This time, we traveled by air to Lucknow, followed by a taxi to the campus. The program was led by Prof. Gauthama which attracted participants throughout the country and was infact informative and hands-on. We were introduced to the institute’s latest transmission electron microscopy (TEM) facilities and other advanced instruments. These sessions enriched us to advanced material characterization tools.

As compared to IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur was academically vivid and less stimulating. But infact it played a very important role in successful completion of our phd journey. The support provided by the faculty and scholars there was immense and that was the reason we were able to change our research into something meaningful and somehow we were able to contribute to the field of materials science.

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