About the ACM India Anveshan Setu Fellowship
Objectives of the Fellowship
- To provide CS/IT PhD students in India:
- an opportunity to get up close and personal with best research practices outside their parent institutes.
- 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.

