Prof. Sankar Kumar PAL
Present Designation:
SERB-National Science Chair, ISI-Emeritus Professor; and President, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Statistical InstituteAreas of Interest:
Pattern Recognition, Image Processing, Machine Intelligence, Deep Learning, Granular Data Mining, Soft Computing, Bioinformatics, Video Analytics, Social Networks, Machine-mind Design
Specialisation:
Computer Science
Major Professional Contributions:
- Made seminal contributions to machine intelligence and pattern recognition research by developing various modern approaches. Its significance is fundamental, applied, and societal.
- He pioneered the development of fuzzy set theory, and neuro-fuzzy and rough-fuzzy computing, in general, and their applications in pattern recognition, image processing, machine learning, granular data mining, machine-mind development, and knowledge-based systems, in particular
- The theories and methodologies formulated enable human-like soft decision-making by reducing the uncertainty, while enhancing the performance, computational intelligence, speed, and flexible information-processing capability of system.
- The work is prominently significant when the pattern indeterminacy is due to inherent vagueness rather than randomness, and the data is heterogeneous and large.
- In the process, he introduced various new concepts, tools and measures, and pioneered generic families of hybrid models for machine learning, computing with words, and knowledge mining.
- This research has led to significant technological development in data science and analytics. Besides, it has augmented the soft-computing definition by introducing rough sets therein, thereby enhancing its computational intelligence and the foundation for the conception and design of high Machine-IQ systems.
- Real-life applications demonstrated with his models include speech recognition, medical imaging, space mission, video surveillance, web intelligence, bioinformatics, cognitive-machine design, social network analysis, and climate analytics.
- His research output is characterized by Google Scholar h-index of 81 with total citations 35,000+.
Consultancy Areas:
Will be added.
Sector Associated With:
Academia
Sectors Interested to Offer Service:
Educational / Academic institutions, Industry (PSUs), R&D Organizations, Government (including funding agencies), Consultancy Firms, Private Agencies
Professional Experience
President, Indian Statistical Institute. 2022 to date, National Scienec Chair, Govt. of India, 2020 to date, AICTE Distinguished Chair Professor, 2021 to date, INSA Distinguished Professor, 2018-2020, DAE Raja Ramanna Fellow of the Govt. of India from October 2015 to 2018, J. C. Bose National Fellow, 2007 to 2018. INAE Chair Professor, 2013-15. Distinguished Scientist, Indian Statistical Institute, 1998-2015. Director, Indian Statistical Institute, 2005-2010. Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, 1987-1998. Visiting Scientist, US Naval Research Lab., Washington DC, USA, 2004. Visiting Professor, Dept. of Computing, Hong Kong Poly University, Hong Kong, 1998. Guest Investigator, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 1990-1992, & 1994. Fulbright Visiting Scientist, CS Division, University of California, Berkeley, and Center for Automation Research, University of Maryland, College Park, 1986-87. MRC Post Doc, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London 1981-83.
Keywords
Pattern Recognition, Image/ Video Processing, Machine Intelligence, Data Mining, Soft Computing, Granular Mining, Deep Learning, Bioinformatics, Social Networks, Big Data.
Education
PhD(Sci.), PhD(Engg.)
- B.Tech./ 1972/ Radio Physics and Electronics/ Calcutta University.
- M.Tech./1974/Radio Physics and Electronics/ Calcutta University.
- Ph.D./ 1978-79/ Thesis: Studies on the Application of Fuzzy Set Theoretic Approach in Some Problems of Pattern Recognition and Man-Machine Communication by Voice/ Radio Physics and Electronics/ Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta University. (Work carried out at Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta as its enrolled PhD student, but the degree awarded at that time by Calcutta University.)
- Ph.D. and DIC/ 1982/ Thesis: Fuzzy Set Theory in Gray Tone Image Processing/ Electrical Engineering/ Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University.
Post-Doctoral:
- Imperial College of Science & Technology, Electrical Engg. Dept., London (1981-83)
- University of California, Dept. of Computer Science, Berkeley, CA and University of Maryland, Center of Automation Research, College Park, MD (1986-87)
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Information Technology Division, Houston, TX (1990-92 & 1994)
Awards and Recognitions
: Padma Shri in Science and Engineering in 2013
: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for the year 1990 in Engineering Sciences
: Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship for the year 1993
: Hari Om Ashram Prerit Vikram Sarabhai Research Award for the year 1993 in Electronics/Telecommunication/Informatics/Automatio
: NASA Space Act Tech Brief Award from NASA Inventions and Contributions Board U.S.A., 1993
: Outstanding Paper Award from IEEE Neural Networks Council (USA), 1994
: Patent Application Award from NASA Invention and Contribution Board, USA, 1995
: Distinguished Speaker of IEEE Computer Society (USA) for Asia Pacific Region, 1998
: Ram Lal Wadhwa Gold Medal from IETE (The Institution of Electronics and Telecom. Engineers), India, 1997
: Om Prakash Bhasin Award in Electronics and Information Technology from Bhasin Foundation, 1998
: Distinguished Scientist, Indian Statistical Institute, July 1998 (He is the first and only scientist outside Statistics & Mathematics to receive this honor from ISI)
: G. D. Birla Award for Scientific Research from K. K. Birla Foundation, 1999 (Award is given to only one considering all branches of science – basic, applied, medical etc.)
: Khwarizmi International Award (1st winner) from the President of Iran, 2001
: Syed Husain Zaheer Medal from Indian National Science Academy, 2001
: FICCI Award in Engineering and Technology from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, 2001-2002
: Director, Indian Statistical Institute for the term 2005-2010 (He is the first Computer Scientist, as well as first person outside Statistics and Mathematics, to become its Director after its inception in 1931)
: P.C. Mahalanobis Birth Centenary Award (Gold Medal) from the Prime Minister of India at the Indian Science Congress 2006, for lifetime achievements and ontributions in Science and Technology
: Distinguished Alumnus of the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta, 2006
: J.C. Bose National Fellowship of the Government of India, 2007
: Vigyan Ratna Award from Science and Culture Organization, West Bengal, 2008
: P.C. Mahalanobis Memorial Medal from Indian Science News Association, 2010
: INAE (Indian National Academy of Engineering) Chair Professor, 2013
: IETE (The Institution of Electronics and Telecom. Engineers, India) Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2013
: IEEE (USA) Fellow Class Golden Jubilee Medal, 2014
: Prof. S.N. Mitra Memorial Award from Indian National Academy of Engineering, 2015.
: Raja Ramanna Distinguished Fellowship, Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India, 2015
: Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture award from Indian National Science Academy, 2017
: Distinguished Professorial Chair, Indian National Science Academy, 2018 (One of the highest scientific honors that the Academy confers)
: National Science Chair, SERB-DST, Government of India, 2020
: Distinguished Chair Professor, AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) 2021
: President, Indian Statistical Institute, 2022 (He is the first person from ISI being elected to hold this honorable Chair after its inception in 1931)
- ONRIFO (Office of the Naval Research International Field Office, Government of USA) Fellowship in 2004.
- National Academy of Science (National Research Council) - NASA (Government of U.S.A.) Senior Research Associate Award in 1989.
- Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellowship (Government of U.S.A) in 1986.
- Medical Research Council (Government of U.K.) Post-Doctoral Award in 1981.
- Commonwealth Scholarship (Government of U.K.) in 1979.
Best Production Award in the 7th World Book Fair, New Delhi, 1986 to his book - Fuzzy Mathematical Approach to Pattern Recognition, John Wiley and Sons (Halsted Press), N.Y., 1986. The book has also been translated into Indonesian Bhasa and Chinese Languages.
His book - Fuzzy Models for Pattern Recognition: Methods that Search for Structures in Data, IEEE Press, N.Y., 1992 was in the list of IEEE Best Seller books till 1995.
Link to Website
https://www.isical.ac.in/~sankarINAE Section Affiliated
II: Computer and Information Technology
Year of Election to Fellowship
1995
Year of Birth
1950
Disclaimer
(i) INAE is not responsible for any activity/interactions that results from the contact with the Expert.
(ii) Information in individual Expert page has been provided by the Expert himself/herself and INAE is not responsible for the information provided
