Best Place To BuildProf. Preeti Aghalayam|"Sometimes it feels like living in a National Geographic documentary."| Ep.19
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 5:19
Why an offshore IIT campus is a big leap—and what it takes to build one
Prof. Preeti Aghalayam explains why creating a physical IIT Madras campus abroad is far more complex than launching a program or partnership. She lays out the foundational dependencies—government-to-government alignment, institutional autonomy, and building everything from scratch.
- •Offshore campuses require strong bilateral/strategic ties between governments
- •IIT Madras’ internationalization groundwork enabled the Zanzibar step
- •Early planning covers programs, curriculum, student selection, and market fit
- •Faculty sourcing and building a credible academic experience are critical
- •Physical campus build-out and day-to-day operational details run in parallel
- 5:19 – 6:57
From MoU to classrooms in months: the rapid launch timeline
The conversation zooms into the surprisingly compressed timeline from first visit to first day of classes. Preeti walks through key milestones and highlights how many moving parts had to come together at once—applications, curriculum, facilities, hostels, and staffing.
- •Feb 2023 exploratory visit; July 2023 tripartite MoU signed
- •Applications opened immediately; first day of classes: Oct 24, 2023
- •Logistics included hostels, dining, and academic readiness from day one
- •Execution relied on cross-team coordination and unusually fast decision cycles
- •Even leadership found the speed hard to believe in retrospect
- 6:57 – 8:08
Academic offerings: Data Science & AI now, Ocean Structures and Process Engineering next
Preeti outlines the initial degree programs and the logic behind adding new disciplines. The campus starts with data-driven programs and expands into region-relevant engineering like ocean structures, with chemical/process engineering planned next.
- •BS (4-year) in Data Science & AI and MTech in Data Science & AI launched first
- •MTech in Ocean Structures added in 2024 due to island/coastal relevance
- •Planned BS in Chemical/Process Engineering (pending final checks)
- •Program selection considers Zanzibar, East Africa, and global needs
- •Data/AI is treated as a cross-cutting skill across disciplines
- 8:08 – 12:23
What ‘international campus’ means: who applies, who studies, and why Zanzibar works
They define internationalization in practical terms: open applications across nationalities for both students and faculty. Preeti shares early demographic realities, the ‘what counts as international’ question, and how the campus is positioned as a regional/global hub.
- •International campus = open to all nationalities for students and faculty
- •Current student body includes East African countries, India, Middle East, Nepal
- •Roughly ~50% ‘international’ depending on definition (non-Zanzibari vs non-Indian)
- •Campus is small today (105 students; ~10–12 faculty) but designed to scale
- •Geography makes Zanzibar a convenient, attractive destination for multiple regions
- 12:23 – 15:43
Campus culture: building the ‘IITM Zanzibar family’ and high-access faculty life
Preeti describes a deliberately community-first campus DNA, enabled by small size. Shared meals, cycling trips, and day-to-day interactions create unusually high access to professors and a tight-knit learning environment compared to large campuses.
- •Community is designed intentionally from day one; ‘IITM Zanzibar family’ identity
- •Small size enables everyone to know each other and interact frequently
- •Faculty and students share dining spaces; visiting leadership eats with students
- •Group activities (cycling, trips) mix students, faculty, staff, and drivers
- •Contrast with Chennai’s scale where communities can become siloed
- 15:43 – 19:08
The Zanzibar ‘vibe’: chill island energy meets IIT rigor and student innovation
They synthesize what campus life feels like: the island’s relaxed pace combined with IIT Madras academic intensity. Preeti emphasizes early signs of entrepreneurship and hackathon culture, and why nurturing innovation is harder than simply delivering coursework.
- •Island culture creates a calmer counterbalance to startup-like launch stress
- •Academic rigor remains core; students still identify as IIT Madras students
- •Students actively join hackathons and innovation activities even with limited disciplines
- •Innovation culture is treated as essential—beyond ‘just handing out degrees’
- •Small-but-mighty identity: close-knit yet ambitious in output
- 19:08 – 22:44
Student showcase: ‘The Power of Data’ and early proof of creative ambition
Preeti recounts a campus-wide student showcase designed to test and build innovation mindset. Short, high-pressure presentations surfaced strong ideas tied to local needs like tourism and inclusive education, with real interest from regional stakeholders.
- •Event goal: ensure Zanzibar campus matches IITM growth directions beyond degrees
- •35+ students presented; strong participation including women presenters
- •3-minute format with strict timing encouraged clarity and confidence
- •Projects spanned inclusive edtech for learning disabilities and tourism tech
- •Audience included corporate/ministry/academia; at least one idea drew funding interest
- 22:44 – 29:12
Touring the transit campus through photos: multilingual identity, facilities, outreach
Walking through images, Preeti highlights the campus’s multilingual welcome, cultural events, and the layout of the transit facility. The discussion also covers school outreach and how the campus integrates with the local ecosystem through visits and engagement.
- •Language inclusion matters; campus signage/welcome represented in multiple languages
- •Diwali and local festivals both celebrated—community building across cultures
- •Transit campus: ~4.5 acres with classrooms, admin, and hostel zones
- •Local school visits are frequent and strategic for ecosystem integration
- •Students’ soccer culture and campus courtyard life show day-to-day vibrancy
- 29:12 – 35:23
Island realities and ‘National Geographic’ moments: nature, logistics, and startup stress
The conversation turns to Zanzibar’s natural beauty and proximity to Tanzania’s game parks, alongside the operational challenges of building in a different infrastructure context. Preeti reflects on adapting expectations, solving connectivity, and learning not to over-assume brand recognition.
- •Zanzibar offers striking nature and easy access to Serengeti/Ngorongoro
- •Leadership and visiting faculty blend teaching with limited sightseeing
- •Early-stage campus brings startup-like nervous energy; island mindset helps pace it
- •IIT brand isn’t universally known—requires local trust-building and humility
- •Infrastructure differences (costs, cables, island constraints) change operational planning
- 35:23 – 44:14
Admissions and the screening test: eligibility, centers, interviews, and confidence-building
Preeti explains the admissions pipeline end-to-end, including global eligibility and the in-person screening test run across many centers. She also addresses why coaching culture hasn’t formed yet and how the campus supports applicants—especially to reduce self-doubt.
- •Eligibility: 12th-equivalent boards globally (CBSE/ICSE/IB/NECTA, etc.)
- •Online application with academic documents; screening test is in-person
- •~40 centers worldwide (including ~20 in Africa and ~20 in India; some in Middle East)
- •Test sections: math-heavy plus physics, chemistry, mental ability, English
- •Short online interviews assess aspirations and readiness; support initiatives build confidence over coaching
- 44:14 – 49:05
How IITM Zanzibar is governed: degrees, senate control, and a local governing council
They unpack how an offshore IIT campus works legally and academically. Preeti clarifies that IIT Madras grants the degrees and controls curriculum through the IITM senate, while the campus is registered locally and overseen by a joint governing council with Zanzibar counterparts.
- •Starting point is a tripartite MoU (India–Zanzibar–IIT Madras)
- •Degrees are IIT Madras degrees; curriculum and admissions are IITM senate-approved
- •Campus is registered as a cross-border institution under Zanzibar’s laws
- •Governing council includes IITM nominees and Zanzibar officials/academics
- •Finances sit in Zanzibar (tuition + Zanzibar govt support) with substantial IITM academic staffing support
- 49:05 – 55:32
Five-to-ten-year vision: research-park-style impact, interdisciplinary growth, and skilling
Preeti describes an aspirational roadmap: mirror IIT Madras’ strategic goals while leveraging Africa’s demographic opportunity. The campus aims to grow beyond teaching into entrepreneurship, technology development, and large-scale professional skilling programs.
- •Vision aligns with IIT Madras strategic goals despite being offshore
- •Build research/entrepreneurship pathways akin to the IITM Research Park model
- •Address Africa’s youth bulge as both opportunity and challenge
- •Interdisciplinary curriculum with AI/ML/data as cross-cutting foundation
- •Expand certificate/professional skilling programs to meet regional demand
- 55:32 – 1:01:49
Chemical engineering demystified: careers, safety myths, and why the discipline is versatile
The interview pivots to Preeti’s home discipline—chemical engineering—clarifying how it differs from chemistry and addressing outdated gender concerns. She frames chemical engineering as a broad, interdisciplinary field spanning materials, energy, pharma, data, and industrial processes.
- •‘Safe for girls’ is an outdated question; representation and shop-floor norms are changing
- •Chemical engineering is not bench chemistry—it’s industrial-scale process design
- •Core areas include flows, reactors, reactions, separations, and energy systems
- •Chemical engineers work across oil & gas, materials, pharma/biotech, renewables, and sustainability
- •Process industries are data-rich, making data science a natural complement
- 1:01:49 – 1:28:59
Her research, teaching innovation, and concluding personal reflections (running & identity)
Preeti shares her research trajectory in reaction engineering and emissions/carbon capture, then discusses her course designs aimed at better classroom engagement and research literacy. The episode closes with reflections on gender in academia, her experiences across institutions, and personal notes on running and her laptop stickers.
- •Research: combustion-related systems, soot/carbon black, automotive emissions, CO₂ capture
- •Teaching innovation: ‘Play to Learn’ student-designed games for technical courses
- •Research skills course: literature search, source quality, problem framing; AI tools improve efficiency
- •Gender ratio discussion: progress in PhD populations, faculty pipeline challenges, data-driven interventions (GATI)
- •Personal close: running as reflective/meditative practice; stickers as a window into personality; encouragement to carve one’s own path
