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Name: Prof. V Ramgopal Rao
Designation: Group Vice-Chancellor, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
& Former Director, IIT Delhi, India
About Speaker:
Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao is currently the
Vice-Chancellor for the Birla Institute of Technology &
Science (BITS) Pilani group of institutions. Prior to joining the
BITS Group in 2023, Prof. Rao had served as the Director
of IIT Delhi for 6 years during 2016-2021 and as a Chair
Professor for Nanoelectronics at both IIT Bombay and IIT
Delhi.
Prof. Rao is a Nanoelectronics researcher with over 500
research papers and 50 patents, which include 20 issued US
patents. 15 of his patents have been licensed to industries for
commercialization. The IP on CMOS-SoC applications
developed in his group is now used in 100's of millions of ICs sold all over the world. Prof. Rao
is a co-founder of two deep technology startups at IIT Bombay ( Nanosniff & Soilsens ) which
have successful commercial products in the market. For his research accomplishments, Dr.
Rao has been elected a Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS),
the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc),
the National Academy of Sciences (NASI) & the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). 52
Ph.D. students have graduated so far under his supervision and are working in leading
academic institutions, semiconductor industries all over the world, including in India.
Prof. Rao's research and leadership contributions have been recognized with over 35 awards
and honors in the country and abroad. He is a recipient of three honorary doctorates. The
recognitions Prof. Rao received include the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering
Sciences, Infosys Prize, IEEE EDS Education Award and many others. Prof. Rao serves on
the Editorial Advisory Boards of several leading international journals such as the ACS Nano
Letters, AIP Applied Physics Reviews, IEEE Journal on Flexible Electronics etc. Dr. Rao has
delivered over 200 Plenary, key-note and invited lectures all over the world.
Prof. Rao is an internationally acclaimed Nanoelectronics researcher with over 500 research
papers and over 50 patents, which include 20 issued US patents. 15 of his patents have been licensed to
industries for commercialization. The IP on CMOS-SoC applications developed in his group is now used
in 100's of millions of ICs sold all over the world. Prof. Rao is a co-founder of two deep technology
startups at IIT Bombay ( Nanosniff & Soilsens ) which have successful commercial products in the market.
Besides his education and research activities, Prof. Rao is also well known for establishing
major Nanoelectronics Programmes in India. For his research accomplishments, Dr. Rao has been
elected a Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Indian National
Academy of Engineering (INAE), the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc), the National Academy of
Sciences (NASI) & the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). 52 Ph.D. students have graduated so far
under his supervision and are working in leading academic institutions, semiconductor industries all
over the world, including in India.
Prof. Rao's research and leadership contributions have been recognized with over 35 awards and
honors in the country and abroad. He is a recipient of three honorary doctorates. The recognitions Prof.
Rao received include the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences, Infosys Prize, IEEE EDS
Education Award (the highest international award bestowed by IEEE Electron Devices Society for
Education) and many others. Prof. Rao serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of several leading
international journals such as the ACS Nano Letters, AIP Applied Physics Reviews, IEEE Journal on
Flexible Electronics etc. Dr. Rao has delivered over 200 Plenary, key-note and invited lectures all over
the world.
Besides his regular responsibilities at BITS Pilani, Prof. Ramgopal Rao serves as a Chairman for multiple
committees at the National level related to Education, Research and Innovation programmes in India.
He is currently the Chairperson, Council of Management (BoG) for the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bangalore and Chairperson, Board of Governors for the
National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) in Haryana, two
premier institutions of Govt of India.
Title: Advancing IoT Sensor Networks in the Developing World: The Role of
MEMS/NEMS Platforms in Overcoming Key Challenges
Abstract:
IoT based sensor networks are expected to see a massive growth the world over
in the next few years. However, the poor infrastructural facilities available in many of the
developing countries and meeting of the low-cost requirements in these markets can pose
two major challenges for a massive deployment of IoT sensors in the developing world.
Sensor networks for security, healthcare, environment and agriculture are some of the
areas where IoT can significantly impact the world populations.
While silicon has been the most widely used material for Nanoelectronics and
Micro/Nano-Electro-Mechanical-Sensor systems, polymers enable fabrication of
MEMS/NEMS devices with superior electro-mechanical characteristics as compared to
the traditional silicon-based materials. Polymers are also ideally suited for low cost
disposable sensor applications, as well as for applications that require high surface stress
sensitivity. The applications for polymer MEMS/NEMS range from healthcare to
homeland security. There are however multiple issues that need to be addressed in order
to make the polymer MEMS a mainstream technology. One of the issues is related to the
electro-mechanical transduction sensitivity, which requires integration of novel materials
and process techniques. The other issue concerns the stability of polymer materials in
atmosphere, when used as sensors. CMOS compatibility of these materials processing is
another issue. In this talk, we will look at some of the approaches for addressing these
concerns using a variety of processes & materials. This talk discusses the current status of
research with polymer MEMS/NEMS devices and use of organics for enhancing the
performance of silicon devices.