The Department of Mathematics organised the International Conference on Recent Advances in Mathematics and Related Areas 2025, from January 14 – 19, 2025, featuring the latest advancements in the field of pure and applied mathematics and theoretical computer science. The conference featured esteemed speakers like Fred Diamond (King’s College London), Ken Ribet (UC Berkeley), Jean-Marc Deshoulliers (University of Bordeaux), Gyula Katona (Alfred Renyi Institute Hungary), Olivier Ramare (CNRS France), Vita Kala (Charles University Prague) Mahan Maharaj, Anish Ghosh, Eknath Ghate (TIFR Mumbai), Apoorva Khare (IISC Bengaluru), U K Anandavardhanan (IIT Mumbai), Sukumar Adhikari (RKMVERI), B Ramakrishnan, Madhavan Mukund (CMI), Meena Mahajan (IMSc Chennai), Ken Ono (University of Virginia), and Anupam Saikia (IIT Guwahati).

The conference included sessions on topics and cutting-edge research on number theory, representation theory, Langlands program, geometry and topology, ergodic theory, lie algebra, diophantine approximation, modular forms, graph theory, combinatorial algebra, theoretical computer science, etc.

In his inaugural address, Dr Kalyan Banerjee, Assistant Professor and programme convenor from the Department of Mathematics, mentioned the importance of this conference in the research of mathematics and related areas. The Head of the Department, Prof. Kalyan Chakraborty talked about the history and relevance of this conference in the context of Indian and international mathematical communities.

On the last day of the conference, the Vice Chancellor of SRM AP, Prof. Manoj K Arora, SRM University-AP, hosted an interactive session with the distinguished speakers of the conference and other participants. In this interaction, the possibility of collaboration (both teaching and research) with different foreign universities was discussed.

The conference hosted 17 distinguished invited speakers from India and abroad and 8 young scholars. There were 40 participants from different research institutes in India, such as IISER, IMSc, CMI, and IITs. An upcoming conference proceeding will feature the articles of the invited speakers in association with Springer Proceedings. Additionally, the National Board of Higher Mathematics generously supported the conference.

The Paari School of Business hosted its Two-Day ICSSR-sponsored National Conference on the theme “Women in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and Career Progression” as part of the Vision Viksit Bharat@2047 initiative on January 23 – 24, 2025. This event brought together academics, delegates, and leaders to discuss research findings and actionable solutions for advancing gender equity in academia and leadership roles.

Prof. Bharadhwaj Sivakumaran, Dean – Paari School of Business, delivered the welcome address and officially inaugurated the conference. In his address, he highlighted the significance of the conference in promoting the Viksit Bharat Programme and fostering inclusivity in education, drawing attention to the persistent gender disparity in leadership roles within Indian academia, citing that very few Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have female directors and only a small percentage of Indian universities are led by women Vice-Chancellors. Prof. Bharadhwaj commended the efforts of researchers like Dr Kamesh, whose ICSSR-funded study on breaking the glass ceiling effect secured a ₹20 lakh grant, which focuses on understanding and addressing barriers that limit women’s progress to leadership positions in higher education.

The first keynote address was delivered by Ms Rekha V, Vice President of HR at vCom Solutions, California, on the glass ceiling effect, and its impact on women. She began by acknowledging the efforts of the organising committee in addressing this pressing issue and shared her perspective on the systemic barriers that hinder women’s advancement in leadership roles across sectors.

Ms Rekha commented, “There is a high underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles, for example, in the tech sector. This disparity results from various biases that obstruct their career progression.” She emphasised that the challenges extend beyond mere representation, involving deeply ingrained issues such as unconscious bias, gender stereotypes, limited access to promotions, and inequitable pay structures, despite evidence showing that women often outperform their male counterparts.

She insisted organisations make conscious efforts to address these challenges by creating awareness about them, setting up mentorship programs, advocating for pay equity, and promoting transparent promotion practices. Her statement, “Be the change, Bring the change,” served as a reminder to actively contribute to creating diverse environments that champion gender equity and work towards shattering the glass ceiling and building societies where every woman has opportunities to rise to the highest levels. The keynote address concluded with an engaging Q&A session, during which the discussion focused on the thought-provoking questions asked by the audience.

The second keynote address was delivered by Dr Syed Sadiq, a UN Women Representative from Kyrgyzstan. He commended the Paari School of Business and ICSSR for their dedication to advancing women’s rights and higher-education career opportunities. Reflecting on global progress since the first International Women’s Day in 1911, he highlighted achievements like equal voting rights, leadership opportunities, and establishing landmark treaties like the UN CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).

Despite these advancements, Dr Syed spoke about the persistent challenges women face in achieving equal pay, breaking barriers to leadership, and addressing workplace discrimination. He emphasised the need for gender-inclusive policies in higher education, targeted funding, mentorship programs, and stronger laws to combat harassment and discrimination. His “Change the Trend” and “Women Deserve More” statements were inspiring. He also discussed how systemic efforts that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can bring meaningful change to ensure no one is left behind.

The two-day conference also had various sessions on the barriers and biases that lead to the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. The event concluded with a felicitation ceremony where both speakers were awarded a memento in appreciation of their remarkable sessions as keynote speakers.

The Department of Physics organised a 3-day conference on “From Big Bang to Now : A Theory-Experiment Dialogue.” The event witnessed the presence of – Prof. Ranjit Thapa, Dean-Research; Dr C V Tomy, Dean-School of Engineering and Sciences, Dr Pranab Mandal, Head – Department of Physics, Prof. Sreerup Raychaudhuri along with Assistant Professors Dr Ashmita Das, Dr Basabendu Barman and Dr Amit Chakraborty.

As part of the inaugural address Dr C V Tomy highlighted the varsity’s prowess in terms of its accomplishments for a relatively young University, he stated that the varsity’s H-index of 59 reflects its significant global impact, the department of physics has also been the FIST sponsored Department among many other departments in the university.

Prof. Ranjith Thapa in his address stated, “SRM University-AP is a self-reliant institution, generating its own resources to fund cutting-edge research and education,” he also welcomed students to be a part of the academic community at SRM AP.

The Department head, Dr Pranab Mondal stated, “Since the inception we have grown tremendously as a department and as a university, both in terms of academic output and research impact. We also focus on actively collaborating with other departments to focus on not just research but also on advancing higher education and have strived to make the department what it is today.”

Prof. Sreerup Rayachaudhuri, visiting professor at the varsity and former professor at the TIRF said, “There are 4 categories of universities in India, the IITs, the private universities, the government universities and research institutes. Although SRM AP is a private university, it strongly encourages research, the very existence of this conference today, exemplifies the varsity’s commitment to fostering research culture.”

The conference also featured engaging presentations and lectures by students and faculty from various prestigious institutions across India. The event served as a platform for knowledge exchange, and networking, further strengthening SRM University-AP’s reputation as a hub for academic and research excellence.

The 3-day conference concluded with a renewed commitment to spreading knowledge in the field theory, high-energy physics, Astroparticle physics and Machine Learning, ensuring that SRM University-AP continues to contribute significantly to global scientific progress.

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SRM University-AP honoured the accomplishments of its student and Paris Paralympian, Ms Deepthi Jeevanji, who is a recipient of the Arjuna Award this year on January 24, 2025. Deepthi, a student of commerce at the Paari School of Business, represented India at the Paris Paralympics 2024 in the 400-meter T20 event and secured a bronze medal, becoming the first intellectually impaired Indian athlete to win a Paralympic medal.

The felicitation ceremony featured Vice Chancellor Prof. Manoj K Arora, Registrar Dr R Premkumar, Director of Campus Life and Maintenance and Director I/C of Sports, Mr Anup Suryavanshi and Former IIT Madras Faculty, Prof. N Siva Prasad presented Ms Jeevanji with award cheques of rupees twenty-five lakh for her Paralympic success and an additional fifteen lakh rupees for winning the Arjuna Award.

The event served as a platform to encourage aspiring students to pursue sports and consider it as a career option. During the ceremony, Deepthi expressed her gratitude, stating, “It is an immense honour to represent my country on such a prestigious global platform. The support from the management, staff, and my teachers at SRM University-AP played a crucial role in helping me achieve success.”

Vice Chancellor Prof. Manoj K Arora highlighted the importance of sports in education and the university’s commitment to fostering a culture of excellence. He stated, “We are proud of her achievement and hope she participates in the next Paralympics too, bringing gold to the country.” He also emphasised that the university is here to provide any form of support for her way forward in sports. Registrar Dr R Premkumar acknowledged Deepthi’s remarkable accomplishment and expressed pride in her historic success.

Director – Campus Life and Maintenance and Director I/C of Sports, Mr Anup Singh Suryavanshi, mentioned in the press meeting that followed, SRM University-AP has allocated seventy lakh rupees to encourage its high-performing students in sports. He noted that the university’s sporting infrastructure is on par with international standards and welcomes students from across the country to join its Sports Department.

The felicitation event also saw the announcements of the university’s upcoming National-Level Sports Fest, UDGAM 2025 which will see participation from over 3,200 students from across the country. Arjuna Awardee Ms Deepthi Jeevanji unveiled the event brochure to the members of the media.