Best Place To BuildDr. Mahesh Panchagnula |"An individual in their professional life gets paid in 2 currencies"| Ep. 22
CHAPTERS
Setting the stage: IIT Madras as a “best place to build” and the sports admissions surprise
Host Amrut frames the podcast’s core question—what makes IIT Madras uniquely builder-friendly—then pivots to the most unexpected recent initiative: the Sports Excellence Admissions program. The episode’s themes of institution-building, ecosystem design, and unconventional excellence are introduced through this hook.
- •Podcast premise: spotlighting IITM “builders” and what enables them
- •Introducing Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula and the range of topics to cover
- •Teaser of the Sports Excellence Admissions (often called “sports quota”) as a major institutional shift
How Sports Excellence Admissions works: diversifying talent without diluting academics
Prof. Panchagnula explains the structure and intent of Sports Excellence Admissions: admitting a small number of students per UG program who still qualify JEE Advanced. The differentiator is that sports excellence influences branch allocation, with the broader goal of diversifying the student body and culture on campus.
- •Two students per undergraduate program; must qualify JEE Advanced
- •Branch choice is driven by sports excellence criteria
- •Director Prof. Kamakoti credited with the philosophy and design
- •Goal: diversify incoming cohorts and the alumni pipeline
- •Expected “trickle effect” on campus health, training, and sports culture
From idea to policy: IITM’s internal approval pipeline (and debunking the bureaucracy myth)
Responding to concerns about bureaucracy, Prof. Panchagnula argues IITs are largely autonomous and historically left alone to operate as national role models. He then walks through the formal governance path that moved the sports program from proposal to implementation with broad stakeholder deliberation.
- •IITs are government-funded but operationally autonomous
- •Historical note: even during the Emergency, IITs were largely untouched
- •Decision pathway: DCC (where relevant) → Board of Academic Courses → Faculty Senate → Board of Governors
- •Student representation and detailed debate in the Senate
- •Institution-wide support and swift execution once approved
Early outcomes and athlete profiles: the first cohort on campus
The program’s first year intentionally started small to manage uncertainty and build confidence. Prof. Panchagnula shares that only five student-athletes were admitted in the first cycle and reports they are doing well academically and athletically across a range of sports.
- •Capacity could be ~32 at saturation, but year one admitted 5
- •Timing: idea in late 2023, implemented by July 2024
- •Athlete sports mix: swimming/water polo, table tennis, squash, volleyball, tennis
- •Focus on helping them balance elite training with academics
CESSA: building a sports-tech vehicle inside IITM to support athletes and performance
Prof. Panchagnula introduces the Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA), created to bring engineering rigor to athlete performance. The center’s mission goes beyond fandom and analytics—into sensors, biomechanics, data science, and holistic performance support for Indian sport.
- •CESSA’s intent: apply world-class engineering rigor to sport performance
- •Provides technical support: sensors, analytics, biomechanics, psychology edge
- •Works with Sports Authority of India, federations, IPL teams, and other institutions
- •Designed as an institutional “vehicle” to elevate Indian elite sport
Smart Stats and fan engagement: the ESPN Cricinfo project that catalyzed the journey
The conversation traces CESSA’s origin to an IITM collaboration with ESPN Cricinfo that produced “Smart Stats.” Prof. Panchagnula explains how AI-driven context (match situation, timing, wicket value) makes scorecards and post-match analysis more meaningful for fans.
- •IITM-led creation of ESPN Cricinfo “Smart Stats” products
- •Smart scorecard values runs/wickets by match context, not raw totals
- •Supports counterfactuals: dropped catch, reversed LBW, alternate outcomes
- •Fan engagement framed as one end of the broader sports-tech spectrum
Aligning sports R&D to national goals: TOPS sports and Olympic medal focus
CESSA’s R&D agenda is intentionally aligned with India’s Olympic ambitions and the government’s TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) priorities. Prof. Panchagnula lists sports where IITM is directing effort—emphasizing medal potential and scalable national impact.
- •Alignment with TOPS and Olympic-medal priorities
- •Focus sports: boxing, archery, shooting; expanding to wrestling, judo
- •Also active in cricket, tennis, table tennis, athletics
- •Cricket’s evolving status as an Olympic sport noted (2028 onward)
Core research identity: fluid mechanics applied to complex real-world systems
Prof. Panchagnula describes himself as a mechanician working on large-data problems, with roots in spray/engine physics. He explains how the same mathematical tools can transfer across domains—forming the basis for his work in crowds and aerosols.
- •Background: fluid mechanics/mechanics; PhD in aircraft engine spray physics
- •Research style: large datasets → actionable insights
- •Cross-domain thinking: using core math/tools across disparate applications
- •Examples of broader “unifying” math in engineering and beyond
Crowd dynamics and stampede prevention: treating dense crowds like flows
A major applied thread is modeling dense crowd movement using fluid-dynamics intuition to understand how stampedes initiate. The work aims to identify risky geometries and produce guidance for police and administrators, including collaborations with temple administrators and analysis related to large events.
- •Dense crowds resemble slurry-like flows in aerial views
- •Goal: understand how stampedes start and how to prevent them
- •Identify geometric/geographic hotspots in crowd-management designs
- •Collaborations with temple administrators on system design
- •Post-facto analysis work connected to Kumbh crowd flow data
Aerosols and lung function: mechanics of breathing, filtration, and protection
Another application area is aerosol transport and what happens when humans inhale polluted air. Prof. Panchagnula highlights a key insight: lungs are not only for oxygen exchange but also act as a protective filtration system against harmful particles.
- •Research on aerosol behavior during breathing (including pre-COVID work)
- •Lungs framed as protective organs filtering “dust and crap” before oxygen transfer
- •Mechanistic view of respiratory protection and particle transport
- •Continues the theme of physics-driven insight with societal relevance
Returning to India: professional pull of a fast-growing academic ecosystem
Prof. Panchagnula recounts how the idea of returning began around 2008 while he was faculty in the US, driven more by professional opportunity than personal reasons. He saw rapid growth in India’s academic ecosystem—funding, ambition, and bold ideas—and chose IIT Madras among offers.
- •US position: Tennessee Tech; decision-making started around 2008
- •Motivation: India’s academic growth in money, talent, and research ambition
- •Chose IIT Madras (alma mater) among other IIT offers
- •Perspective after ~15 years at IITM following a long US stint
India vs US academia: depth vs reinvention—and why India rewards multidimensionality
He contrasts the US system’s niche depth and mature networks with the difficulty of frequently reinventing oneself there. India, he argues, offers exceptional room to explore and build across domains because resources for new ideas are rising faster than the number of people positioned to execute them.
- •US academia: deep specialization and mature ecosystem benefits
- •US drawback: harder to pivot across fields in a mature, competitive system
- •India advantage: strong funding for new ideas and room to explore multiple areas
- •Mismatch: available capital/opportunity exceeds the number of takers in academia
- •His own career benefits from cross-domain exploration at IITM
Two currencies of a career: salary and society’s goodwill (respect as a non-fungible reward)
The conversation turns to compensation and social standing, where Prof. Panchagnula argues IIT faculty receive unusually high respect in India compared to US faculty in their ecosystem. He introduces the idea that professionals are paid in two currencies: money and societal goodwill—powerful but not convertible.
- •Faculty salaries have grown significantly over decades; global industry outpaces academia
- •Reference to Sarkar Committee report shaping early pay philosophy for IITs
- •Quality-of-life factors: campus housing, security, and IITM’s forested enclave
- •Claim: Indian faculty (especially IIT) get exceptional ecosystem respect vs US faculty
- •Concept: two currencies—bank salary and social goodwill; the latter is “non-fungible”
Why IIT Madras is a top place to build a faculty career: seven axes and strong reward systems
Prof. Panchagnula explains IITM’s deliberate encouragement of multidimensional faculty careers, citing a “seven axes” framework articulated by former director Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurti. IITM supports excellence across teaching, research, industry, government, society, entrepreneurship, and advisory—with unusually faculty-friendly policies.
- •Seven axes framework: teaching, research, industry, government, societal engagement, startups, advisory
- •Faculty can choose their axis of excellence while staying engaged across others
- •Patents: highly active IP pipeline; large share of upside returns to inventors (~72%)
- •Startups and industrial consultancy policies described as among the most faculty-friendly
- •Institutional culture rewards both blue-sky and applied/translational excellence
IITM’s institutional DNA: German-influenced industry linkage, student life nostalgia, and future programs
Closing segments reflect on IITM’s late-80s/early-90s campus culture, its long-standing industry consultancy roots, and how entrepreneurship has become mainstream in India. The discussion then moves to IITM’s incubator model, alumni fundraising and scholarships, ASK IITM for admissions guidance, and hints at new academic programs launching soon.
- •Industry consultancy embedded early (IC&SR office since ~1960; German mentoring influence)
- •Undergrad memories: smaller cohorts, closer student bonds, hostel life (Ganga; nickname “P.V.”)
- •Shift from 90s “go abroad” trend to strong India opportunities and startup normalization
- •Incubation Cell model: small equity for services; supports students/faculty/alumni/outsiders; value creation leadership
- •ACR fundraising: philanthropic gifts vs ~700+ crore industry R&D/consultancy; scholarships like Vidya Lakshmi
- •ASK IITM: credible information platform to help parents/students make informed choices
- •Future direction: department growth and new industry-focused UG programs slated for July 2025
