About the ACM India Anveshan Setu Fellowship

Objectives of the Fellowship

To provide CS/IT PhD students in India:
1. an opportunity to get up close and personal with best research practices outside their parent institutes.
2. a longer and more intense mentoring experience beyond ACM India PhD Clinic.
The target is to develop Anveshan Setu into a premium-value program over the next three years—something that every CS/IT PhD student in India would aspire to participate in their PhD career.

Eligibility for Students and Mentors

Student: Any full-time/part-time enrolled/registered CS/IT PhD student in India.
Mentor: Faculty member with established research credentials in India, willing to host and mentor a visitor student for four weeks.
It is preferred that a mentor-mentee pair would have interacted in the past through other fora/platforms, viz. PhD Clinic.
A mentor will be matched with a mentee only if both sides are agreeable to the match.

Salient features of the Fellowship

Duration of the visit: We recommend a minimum of four weeks in a year per visit. Depending on the performance, mentee/student can be allowed to visit same or different mentors up to three times in three years, during the PhD career of the student.
It is expected that at the end of each four-week visit, the mentee will have a better understanding and perspective of research methodology and practices in her/his area of interest, develop taste and enthusiasm for exploring an area of her/his interest in depth, and expand her/his network of academic contacts.
Depending on the interest by the mentor and mentee, ACM India will do the matchmaking. Explicit approval from the mentor will be taken before assigning a mentee.
Mentor and mentee are expected to meet a minimum set of expectations. The guiding principle of these expectations is to ensure that the mentee learns best research practices and feels more comfortable and encouraged in pursuing her/his/their research at the end of the visit.

Expectation from Mentors

Facilitate logistics of mentee's visit:
- Office space/desk, access to building/lab, internet access, access to library (for reading, not necessarily for issuing books)
- Access to student hostel/guest house accommodation and mess/canteen facilities. Financial support from ACM India is available for this.
Have the mentee participate in group meetings, presentations, etc. as a visitor.
Spend at least 1-2 hours per week with the mentee on his/her work, giving feedback on research, helping progress with work.
Have other students in the mentor's research group spend some structured time with the mentee explaining what they are working on, pitfalls to avoid, best practices to pick up, etc.
Have a joint video/teleconference with mentee and her/his/their advisor in her/his/their parent institution at least once (preferably in the first week) during the visit to ensure that all are on the same page.
Provide a Completion Letter (see template) to the mentee on institute letterhead, on completion of the visit.
Give feedback to ACM India about what worked and what didn't work; a separate form will be shared with mentors for this purpose.

Expectation from Mentees

Mentee must have discussed the visit with her/his/their advisor and comply with all requirements of advisor and parent institution.
Mentee must submit a no-objection-certificate (see template) from the advisor.
Given that this is a full-time visit, mentee must spend a minimum of 40 hours per week interacting with the mentor and her/his/their research group, trying to understand research methodologies and best practices.
Participate as a visitor in group meetings, presentations etc. of the mentor's group.
Stay in close touch (preferably weekly) with an advisor in the parent institution about work/activities being done in the visiting institute.
Prepare a report (format to be provided by ACM India) of outcome of the visit at the end of the duration of visit.
Give feedback to ACM India about what worked and what didn't work; a separate form will be shared with mentees for this purpose.
Possibly participate in ACM India events and present her/his/their work and experience from the visitor program.

Tentative Timeline

By 15 Oct. 2022	Applications open
By 30 Nov. 2022	Last date for submitting applications
By 15 Jan. 2023	Application review, interaction between potential students, mentors
By 30 Jan. 2023	Announcement of Fellows
March 2023–Feb. 2024	Student visits Mentors

Other guidelines

ACM India will have no stake in the produced IP through this collaboration/visit of the mentee to the host institution and beyond.
Mentor and student should publish the findings from the visit and beyond in public domain.
If the mentor and mentee mutually agree to extend an Anveshan Setu visit beyond four weeks, and if the mentee’s advisor and parent institution are agreeable to this, and if the mentee and mentor mutually agree to take care of expenses related to stay beyond the four weeks supported by ACM India, it is possible to extend the mentee’s visit beyond four weeks. In all such cases, ACM India’s financial support will however be capped to a total of Rs. 20,000 as specified below.
We plan to support up to 50 students in the 2023–2024 cycle of the Fellowship.

Financial details

ACM India will provide INR 10,000 to the student at the start of their visit.
When the student completes the visit, she/he/they will submit a report along with pictures (with mentor, students, lab, etc.) taken during the visit, and ACM India will provide an additional INR 10,000 to the student.

Definitions

Mentor/Faculty: Faculty member of the institute to whom the student visitor is assigned.
Candidate/Student/Mentee: A student from another institute getting the Anveshan Setu Fellowship to pursue research with the mentor at the institute.
Grant: Cash grant named Anveshan-Setu Fellowship provided by ACM India to the institute to fund the candidate's visit and research project.
Research topic: Plan agreed between the mentor and the candidate to work on. This could be a 2-3 line description of the topic of research.

List of mentors for 2023–2024

Prof. Chetan Arora, IIT Delhi - Computer Vision, specifically Medical Imaging, Object Detection, Semantic Segmentation
Vineeth N Balasubramanian, IIT Hyderabad - Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Explainable AI, Continual Learning
Prof Aritra Banik, NISER Bhubaneswar - Computational Geometry, Parameterized Algorithms, Graph Algorithms
Arnab Bhattacharya, IIT Kanpur - NLP, Databases, Graph Mining, Data Mining
Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay - Formal verification, Formal methods in Machine Learning, Automated synthesis
Prof. Anirban Chakraborty, IISc - Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Video Surveillance
Ayon Chakraborty, IIT Madras - Wireless sensing, ML-driven sensing, IoT devices
Sridhar Chimalakonda, IIT Tirupati - AI + Software Engineering, Green AI and Software, Human-Computer Interaction
Prof. Dileep A. D., IIT Mandi - Pattern Recognition, Kernel Methods for Pattern Analysis, Speech Technology
Prof. Asif Ekbal, IIT Patna - Natural Language Processing, Multimodal AI
Chaya Ganesh, IISc Bangalore - Cryptography
Pawan Goyal, IIT Kharagpur - Dialog Modeling, Sanskrit Computational Linguistics, Low resource NLP
Saptarshi Ghosh, IIT Kharagpur - Social networks, Law-AI
Sudarshan Iyengar, IIT Ropar - Social Computing, Big Data Analytics, Data Sciences
Prof. Preethi Jyothi, IIT Bombay - Speech, NLP, Multimodal learning
Prof. Harikumar Kandath, IIIT Hyderabad - Aerial Robtics, multi robot systems, Reinforcement Learning
Prof. Hemangee Kapoor, IIT Guwahati - Multiprocessor Computer Architecture, Emerging Memory Technologies, Near Data Processing
Kalpesh Kapoor, IIT Guwahati - Blockchain Science and Technology
Ponnurangam Kumaraguru “PK”, IIIT Hyderabad - Social Networks, Cybersecurity
Prof Radhika Mamidi, IIIT Hyderabad - Natural Language Processing
Prof Neeldhara Misra, IIT Gandhinagar - Algorithms, Computational Social Choice, Combinatorial Games
Prof. Sudip Misra, IIT Kharagpur - IoT, Wireless Networks, ML applications in Networks
Prof. Raghava Mutharaju, IIIT Delhi - Knowledge Graphs/Semantic Web, Ontology modeling and reasoning, Linked Data
Vinayak Naik, BITS Goa - Networks, Ubiquitous Computing, and Cloud Computing
Prof Krishna Nandivada V, IIT Madras - Compiler Optimizations, Program Analysis, High Performance Computing
Prof G N Srinivasa Prasanna, IIIT Bangalore - algorithms and robotics
Prof. Padmanabhan Rajan, IIT Mandi - Speech and audio processing, machine learning
Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, IIT Madras - Reinforcement Learning, Learning on Graphs, AI and Society
Prof Chester Rebeiro, IIT Madras - Malware Analysis, Binary Analysis, Cybersecurity
Prof. Sriparna Saha, IIT Patna - Natural Language Processing, Social Media Data Analytics, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Bioinformatics
Prof. Saket Saurabh, IMSc Chennai - Algorithms, Graph Theory, Streaming Algorithms
Prof Tavpritesh Sethi, IIIT Delhi - Healthcare, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence
Prof. Rajiv Ratn Shah, IIIT Delhi - Natural Language Processing, Multimedia Computing
Prof. Jainendra Shukla, IIIT Delhi - Affective Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, Social Robotics
Prof. Mayank Singh, IIT Gandhinagar - Code-mixing: Creating libraries for code-mixed language processing, Mining of scholarly data
Srinath Srinivasa, IIIT Bangalore - Consent Management, Big Data Analytics, Responsible Autonomy
P.B. Sujit, IISER Bhopal - Multi-robot systems, multi-agent reinforcement learning, path planning
Prof. Chiranjeevi Yarra - Speech Signal Processing, Digital Signal Processing and Time-varying Signal Analysis

Apply for 2023–2024

Apply here

Team

Prof. Ponnurangam Kumaraguru “PK”, - IIIT Hyderabad
Prof. Rajiv Ratn Shah, - IIIT Delhi
Prof. Rishabh Kaushal, - IGDTUW

Fellows for 2023–2024

Student Name with Institute	Mentor Name with Institute
Abhay Kumar Pathak, BHU Varanasi	Prof. Sudarshan Iyengar, IIT Ropar
Aditi Roy, NIT Tiruchirappalli	Prof. Chester Rebeiro, IIT Madras
Akarsh K Nair, IIIT Kottayam	Prof. P.B. Sujit, IISER Bhopal
Ankur Nahar, IIT Jodhpur	Prof. Sudip Misra, IIT Kharagpur
Archana S M, NIT Calicut	Prof. Radhika Mamidi, IIIT Hyderabad
Ashok Yadav, IIIT Allahabad	Prof. Ponnurangam Kumaraguru "PK", IIIT Hyderabad
Babita, MNIT, Jaipur	Prof. Chetan Arora, IIT Delhi
Bharti Khemani, Symbiosis International Deemed University	Prof. Arnab Bhattacharya, IIT Kanpur
Bhushan Zope, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune	Prof. Tavpritesh Sethi, IIIT Delhi
Chanda Grover, Ashoka University	Prof. Preethi Jyothi, IIT Bombay
Chaturvedi Gayatri Krishnapratap, VJTI, Mumbai	Prof. Ponnurangam Kumaraguru "PK", IIIT Hyderabad
Deborsi Basu, IIT Kharagpur	Prof. Ayon Chakraborty, IIT Madras
Deepasree Varma, APJ Abdul Kalam University	Prof. Saptarshi Ghosh, IIT Kharagpur
Fathima Beevi P S, Ilahia College of Engineering and Technology, KTU	Prof. Radhika Mamidi, IIIT Hyderabad
Geetanjali, NIT Hamirpur	Prof. Asif Ekbal, IIT Patna
Girish Sharma, MNIT, Jaipur	Prof. Sudip Misra, IIT Kharagpur
Hridya Sobhanam, NIT Calicut	Prof. Rajiv Ratn Shah, IIIT Delhi
Jaya Sharma, IIIT Delhi	Prof. Chaya Ganesh, IISc Bangalore
Juhi Pruthi, J.C. Bose University of Science & Technology, Faridabad	Prof. Tavpritesh Sethi, IIIT Delhi
Kannadasan K, NIT Tiruchirappalli	Prof. Jainendra Shukla, IIIT Delhi
KATHIRAVAN P, Central University of Tamil Nadu	Prof. Ponnurangam Kumaraguru "PK", IIIT Hyderabad
Komal Rani Tehlan, Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak	Prof. Rajiv Ratn Shah, IIIT Delhi
Krishna Presannakumar, Mahatma Gandhi University	Prof. Padmanabhan Rajan, IIT Mandi
Mamata Das, NIT Tiruchirappalli	Prof. Sriparna Saha, IIT Patna
Nirmala Murali, IIST(Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology)	Prof. Vineeth N Balasubramanian, IIT Hyderabad
Pagalla Bhavani Shankar, Krishna University	Prof. Sridhar Chimalakonda, IIT Tirupati
Pooja Kumari, IIT Madras	Prof. Anirban Chakraborty, IISc
Pranav Shukla, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU)	Prof. Raghava Mutharaju, IIIT Delhi
Pyare Lal, IISER Bhopal	Prof. Harikumar Kandath, IIIT Hyderabad
Rajeev Ranjan Dwivedi, IISER Bhopal	Prof. Vineeth N Balasubramanian, IIT Hyderabad
Ranjeet Vasant Bidwe, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune	Prof. Tavpritesh Sethi, IIIT Delhi
Reshma Sheik, NIT Tiruchirappalli	Prof. Rajiv Ratn Shah, IIIT Delhi
Riya Verma, IIT Madras	Prof. Chetan Arora, IIT Delhi
Rupinder Kaur, SLIET Punjab	Prof. Vinayak Naik, BITS Goa
Ruthwik Muppala, IIIT Hyderabad	Prof. Ayon Chakraborty, IIT Madras
Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay, IIT Kharagpur	Prof. Sriparna Saha, IIT Patna
Sandipan Dhar, NIT Durgapur	Prof. Chiranjeevi Yarra, IIIT Hyderabad
Sonia Rani, LPU Punjab	Prof. Sudarshan Iyengar, IIT Ropar
Soumyajyoti Dey, Jadavpur University	Prof. Anirban Chakraborty, IISc
Sourav Das, IIIT Kalyani	Prof. Asif Ekbal, IIT Patna
Sricheta Parui, IIT Kharagpur	Prof. Sriparna Saha, IIT Patna
Suneera C M, NIT Calicut	Prof. Raghava Mutharaju, IIIT Delhi
Sudhansu Bala Das, NIT Rourkela	Prof. Asif Ekbal, IIT Patna
Suvam Mukherjee, NIT Surathkal	Prof. Vinayak Naik, BITS Goa
Unnikrishnan K N, IIIT Kottayam	Prof. Kalpesh Kapoor, IIT Guwahati
Vicky Vikrant, NIT Tiruchirappalli	Prof. Saket Saurabh, IMSc Chennai
Vivek Kumar, NIT Patna	Prof. Saket Saurabh, IMSc Chennai
Yamini Sahu, IISER Bhopal	Prof. Harikumar Kandath, IIIT Hyderabad

FAQs

Q: I have not yet attended the PhD Clinic, can I apply for this fellowship?
A: Absolutely, you can. We strongly recommend applying to Anveshan Setu Fellowship after attending the Clinic, but it is not mandatory.

Q: Will there be any written test, interviews, for the selection process?
A: No, there may be an interaction session (which could be a PhD Clinic slot too) with the mentor to ensure that you are prepared to make the best use of the visit.

Q: Is there a necessary condition that I can visit only the faculty that I interacted with in PhD Clinic?
A: No, not necessary. You can apply to visit any host faculty mentioned in the application form. Please be aware that this is a matchmaking activity, where host faculty should also be interested in hosting you.

Q: Will I get a lab space/desk to sit and work in the host institute?
A: Depending on the infrastructure facilities of the host institute, you will get some space.

Q: Will I get a hostel in the institute that I will be visiting?
A: Same goes for hostel rooms; be prepared to stay in some hostel type accommodation outside if you don't get a hostel room in the campus.

Q: I just finished my PhD, submitted my thesis, waiting for evaluation/defense, am I eligible for this fellowship?
A: Congrats on submitting the thesis, must be very satisfying. Unfortunately, this program is for PhD students who have not yet reached the final stages of thesis defense.

Q: How much fellowship money will I get?
A: INR 20,000 per student per visit. ACM India will credit INR 10,000 when you start the visit and additional INR 10,000 when you complete the visit and satisfy the requirements (report, pics, etc.).

Q: When can I visit? Should the visit be planned in summer?
A: Visit timing can be planned with the host faculty; both you and the faculty member can decide on the timing for the visit. Visit should happen in the period of March 2023–Feb 2024.

Q: Do I need to have ACM membership to apply for this fellowship?
A: No, any PhD student (not restricted to ACM members) can apply for this fellowship.

Q: I received the 2021 Fellowship, but did not visit the mentor because of the pandemic and other reasons. Can I apply again this year?
A: If you are still a registered PhD student, you are eligible to apply. We look forward to seeing your application.

Q: I received the 2021 Fellowship and I visited the mentor. Can I apply again this year?
A: If you are still a registered PhD student, you are eligible to apply. We look forward to seeing your application.

Q: Does the fellowship elapse?
A: Yes, the visit must be completed during March 2023 – Feb 2024.

Q: Can I visit the mentor for more than 4 weeks?
A: ACM India expects a mentee visit for a duration of 4 weeks, the mentor and mentee can mutually agree (with consent of the mentee's advisor and parent institution) to extend the duration of the visit. If you need any financial support for extending the visit, please reach out to us at (pk.guru[at]iiit[dot]ac[dot]in) with the request.

For any clarifications, please write to pk.guru[at]iiit[dot]ac[dot]in.