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Dr. Mahesh Panchagnula |"An individual in their professional life gets paid in 2 currencies"| Ep. 22

Join host Amrut in conversation with Professor Mahesh V. Panchagnula, one of IIT Madras's most popular professors. In this wide-ranging interview, Prof. Mahesh discusses the groundbreaking Sports Excellence Admissions program that's diversifying IIT's student body, his work leading the Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics, and his journey from IIT student to US academic to returning as faculty. Prof. Mahesh shares insights on: - The Sports Excellence Admissions program bringing elite athletes to IIT - His research spanning fluid mechanics, crowd flow management, and sports analytics - Comparing academic careers in the US vs. India - The unique respect and opportunities for IIT professors - IIT Madras's culture of encouraging multidimensional faculty careers - The successful IIT Madras incubation ecosystem for startups - His role in alumni relations and fundraising initiatives - Upcoming new undergraduate programs at IIT Madras Discover why Prof. Mahesh believes IIT Madras is "the best place to build a faculty career" and how the institution continues to evolve while maintaining its core values of excellence and innovation. 00:00 Introduction 01:11 Meet Professor Mahesh Panchagnula 01:36 Sports Excellence Program at IIT Madras 02:59 Implementation and Impact of the Sports Quota 06:22 Challenges and Approval Process 10:20 Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics 13:56 Smart Stats and Fan Engagement 15:43 Aligning with Olympic Goals 18:16 Professor Mahesh's Research Interests 19:16 Fluid Mechanics and Crowd Dynamics 20:37 Aerosol Research and Lung Function 22:18 Decision to Return to India 23:47 Comparing Academia in India and the US 26:35 Respect and Rewards for Indian Professors 32:02 The Best Place to Build a Faculty Career 33:02 Choosing Your Axis of Excellence 34:21 Patents and Startups at IIT Madras 35:49 Historical Perspective: IIT Madras in the Late 80s and Early 90s 36:07 The DNA of Industry Consultancy 37:24 Pursuing Excellence Over the Years 38:08 Hostel Life and Nicknames 38:46 The Trend of Going Abroad 39:51 India's Growing Opportunities 40:31 The Rise of Entrepreneurship 41:37 Incubation Cell at IIT Madras 49:37 Alumni Contributions and Fundraising 53:59 ASK IITM Initiative 56:20 Informing Parents and Students 01:01:17 Future Directions and New Programs

Dr. Mahesh V. PanchagnulaguestAmruthost
Apr 24, 20251h 4mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

IIT Madras’ builder-professor on sports, research, and institutional ecosystems

  1. IIT Madras’ Sports Excellence Admissions program admits JEE-Advanced-qualified athletes and uses sports excellence to decide branch allocation, aiming to diversify the student body and improve campus health culture.
  2. The initiative moved quickly through IITM’s internal academic governance (departments, BAC, Faculty Senate, Board of Governors), countering the idea that IITs are inherently bureaucratic.
  3. Panchagnula’s Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) grew from data/AI work like ESPN Cricinfo’s “Smart Stats” into Olympic-aligned R&D across sports such as boxing, archery, and shooting.
  4. He describes India—especially IIT Madras—as unusually enabling for faculty to reinvent themselves across domains (sports analytics, crowd dynamics, aerosols/lung function), due to funding, opportunity, and institutional openness.
  5. Beyond salary, he argues academics are “paid in two currencies”—money and societal goodwill—while highlighting IITM’s strong incentives for patents, industry consultancy, startups, scholarships, and student information initiatives like ASK IITM.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

IITM’s sports admissions is diversification, not dilution.

Athletes must still qualify JEE Advanced; sports excellence mainly determines branch choice, while the program’s broader goal is to change campus culture via a small but visible cohort (eventually ~32 of ~1200 intake).

IIT governance can be fast when the idea is well-shepherded.

Panchagnula outlines a clear internal path—BAC scrutiny, Faculty Senate debate (with student members), then Board of Governors approval—showing that major changes can be institutionalized without external bureaucracy.

Sports tech is bigger than “Moneyball”—it spans full-stack performance support.

CESSA’s mandate goes beyond dashboards to include sensors, biomechanics, analytics, and even psychological edge, working with SAI, federations, and pro teams to raise elite performance.

A real “center” often starts with a credible, shippable project.

The Smart Stats work for ESPN Cricinfo served as a proof point that IITM could build deployable sports analytics products, creating momentum and legitimacy for forming CESSA.

India can be unusually good for academic reinvention right now.

He contrasts the US ecosystem’s depth and specialization with India’s current opportunity: significant funding for new ideas and fewer people positioned to pursue them, enabling cross-domain work.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

An individual in their professional life gets paid in two currencies.

— Dr. Mahesh V. Panchagnula

No US faculty member gets the kind of respect in their ecosystem that an Indian faculty member gets within India.

— Dr. Mahesh V. Panchagnula

Sports excellence is just the jhaanki. Picture abhi baaki hai.

— Dr. Mahesh V. Panchagnula

We wanted to bring the math that we had learned in fluid dynamics to crowd flow, primarily to understand how stampedes start.

— Dr. Mahesh V. Panchagnula

You can choose your axis of excellence, and every one of them has their own reward structure at IIT Madras.

— Dr. Mahesh V. Panchagnula

Sports Excellence Admissions (sports quota) designInternal approval and governance at IITM (BAC, Senate, BoG)CESSA: sports science, sensors, analytics, performance psychologyESPN Cricinfo Smart Stats and fan engagement AIOlympic alignment and TOPS priority sportsFluid mechanics applied to crowd flow and stampede preventionFaculty career “axes of excellence,” patents, consultancy, incubation, and alumni fundraising

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