"Think of a problem faced by society and try finding a solution for it," advised Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay's Prof V Ramgopal Rao while interacting with students from Gujarat University's (GU) physics department. Prof Rao, who is also chairman of DIT's (Department of Information Technology) Innovation Council under the National Innovation Council, has suggested reforms in the current method of research for doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes in a white paper.
Talking to DNA, Prof Rao said that he has suggested to NIC that field work and opportunities to understand problems society faces should be made part of the PhD programme. Current method of pursuing PhD is a research method that involves understanding others' research, studying references and research in closed classrooms.
"Such research does not help as it is done without understanding society's problems. I have suggested that field work for specific period of time should be made mandatory for PhD students so that they spend time with people in remote areas and come up with solutions for their problems," he said.
Prof Rao was in the city on Saturday to participate in a two-day national symposium on 'Advances in Materials Science and Technology' at GU's Convention Centre.
Citing an example he said that the agriculture sector and farmers in India were facing several problems. "Research at IIT-B is going on to come up with a chip that can help farmers know what kind of fertiliser is required or amount of water needed for specific crops," he said.
Prof Rao said number of PhD students has gone up in the last few years. "But that is not because of students' passion for research but in order to get a job or promotion. The government has made PhD mandatory to be in academics," he said.
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