Australian-Indian nanotechnology pioneer to visit India

An Australian-Indian nanotechnology expert, who was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour - the Companion of the Order of Australia, begins a five-city tour of India on October 24.

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, has welcomed the visit by Professor Chennupati Jagadish, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

"Australia greatly values our close science and technology relationship with India. Professor Jagadish's efforts in solidifying the bond between Australia and India through science are noteworthy," she said.

"Professor Jagadish has been associated with Australia India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF), Australia's largest fund dedicated to bilateral research with any country, since its inception," Ms Sidhu said.

Professor Jagadish said he was looking forward to visiting premium institutions in India to explore possible collaborations.

"I am grateful to India for nurturing me from childhood to adulthood and providing excellent education and grateful to Australia for providing me the opportunities to flourish as a scientist and make a difference to the world," he said.

"Science plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life and inspiring the younger generation to pursue science is critical to ensure that various countries flourish in terms of improved quality of life for their citizens."

As part of the visit, Professor Jagadish will deliver lectures at premier institutions in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi - the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, the Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, Anna University, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Science and the University of Hyderabad. He will also address the next generation aspiring scientists at various schools across the country.

Born in a small village in southern India, Professor Jagadish moved to Australia in 1990 with his family to forge a career in nanotechnology. In January this year, Professor Jagadish was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour - the Companion of the Order of Australia - for his contribution to physics and engineering.

He has pioneered the creation of high performance next generation optical devices, which have huge potential in the field of communications, data storage and solar cells. Professor Jagadish and his wife Dr Vidya Jagadish have set up an endowment fund with their own money to help students from developing countries to undertake research at ANU in Canberra.