We hope the launching of these distinguished chair positions will help push the frontiers on brain inspired research. It would be excellent if the collaborations lead to highly creative new computing architectures and algorithms inspired by the functioning of the brain.

- Kris Gopalkrishnan and Sudha Gopalkrishnan
Founder, Pratiksha Trust, Bengaluru.

[+] Shri K. Vaidyanathan Distinguished Chair


Professor Shihab Shamma
Professor, Institute of Systems Research
University of Maryland.

Education
  • BS - Imperial college - 1976
  • MS - Stanford University - 1977
  • Ph.D. - Stanford University - 1980

Expertise
  • Speech models of brain
  • Neural signal processing
  • Computational neuroscience
  • Robust control systems
  • Neuromorphic engineering

Awards and Distinctions
  • Fellow, IEEE
  • Fellow, Acoustical Society of USA
  • ISR Outstanding Faculty Award
  • NIH Advisory Board
  • Blaise Pascal Intl. Research Chair

[+] Smt. Sudha Murty Distinguished Chair


Professor Vasant Honavar
Professor, Pennsylvania State University
Director: Center for Big Data Analytics
Director: Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory

Education
  • BE - BMS College, Bengaluru - 1982
  • MS - Drexel - 1984
  • MS,Ph.D. - Wisconsin, Madison - 1990

Expertise
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Knowledge Representation
  • Bioinformatics
  • Data Science
  • Health Informatics Neurocomputing

Awards and Distinctions
  • National Science Foundation Directors's Award for Superior Accomplishment
  • Edward Frymoyer Endowed Professorship
  • CRA Computing Community Consortium Council Member
  • Iowa State Univ. Regents Award For Faculty Excellence
  • Univ. Winsconsin ECE 125 People of Impact

[+] Pratiksha Trust Distinguished Chair Professor


Professor Christos Papadimitriou
Donovan Family Professor of Computer Science
Columbia University, New York, USA

Education
  • BS - Athens Polytechnic - 1972
  • MS - Princeton University - 1974
  • Ph.D. - Princeton University - 1976

Expertise
  • Theory of Algorithms and complexity, and its applications to optimization,
  • databases,
  • control, AI, robotics,
  • economics and game theory, the Internet,
  • evolution and the brain

Awards and Distinctions
  • Member of National Academy of Sciences, USA
  • Member of NAtional Academy of Engineering, USA
  • Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • Knuth Prize, Godel Prize
  • von Neumann Medal
  • Kalai prize for CS in Game Theory
  • EATCS Award(European Association for Theoretical Computer Science)
  • Author of Novels: "Turing", "Logicomix" and "Independence"
  • Honory Doctorates from Nine Universities