Unveiling of the Foundation Stone of SAMat Building by Secretary, DST

Foundation Stone Unveiling Ceremony - School of Advanced Materials (SAMat)

On 4th March 2022, during the visit of Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, FNA, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institution under DST and a Deemed-to-be-University, a ceremony was organized for the unveiling of the Foundation Stone of the proposed School of Advanced Materials (SAMat) building at the Jakkur campus.

Dr. S. Chandrasekhar unveiled the Foundation Stone of SAMat in the presence of Bharat Ratna Prof. C. N. R. Rao, FRS and Prof. G. U. Kulkarni, FNA, President, JNCASR. The event was attended by Directors of Raman Research Institute (RRI), Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP), along with Deans, Chairs of the Units, Faculty Members, and Officers of the Centre.

Ceremony Highlights

The ceremony commenced with a welcome address by Prof. G. U. Kulkarni, FNA, President, JNCASR, followed by an introduction to SAMat by Prof. A. Sundaresan, FASc, Chair, CPMU & SAMat Coordinator.

A walk-through video of the proposed SAMat building was screened, followed by the inauguration of the Foundation Stone by Dr. Chandrasekhar, who also addressed the gathering. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Joydeep Deb, Administrative Officer.

About SAMat

Over the past 30 years, JNCASR has established itself as a leading research institute in frontier areas of materials science, both nationally and globally.

Given the broad spectrum of materials research at the Centre—including nanomaterials, energy materials, soft materials, biomaterials, and theoretical studies—the idea of an umbrella structure was conceived to integrate all materials research activities.

This vision materialized in 2018 with the establishment of the School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), comprising 28 faculty members from the International Centre for Materials Science (ICMS), Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit (CPMU), New Chemistry Unit (NCU), and the Theoretical Sciences Unit (TSU). The school is chaired by Prof. C. N. R. Rao.