IISER Tirupati Awards Degrees to 214 Students at 7th Convocation
Dr G. Satheesh Reddy urges graduates to drive innovation and strengthen India's research
Tirupati: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati held its seventh annual convocation at its campus near Yerpedu on Friday, with 214 students receiving degrees across undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programmes.
Renowned defence and aerospace scientist and National Security Advisory Board member Dr G. Satheesh Reddy attended the convocation as the chief guest, while IISER Tirupati Board of Governors chairperson Hari S. Bhartia presided over the ceremony. IISER director Prof. Santanu Bhattacharya presented the institute’s report, highlighting academic progress and research activities.
Addressing the students, Dr Satheesh said India had witnessed a major transformation in technology and skill development over the past two decades, moving from a technology-importing nation to a technology-exporting nation. He said research institutions such as IISERs have an important role in strengthening the country’s scientific capabilities. Drawing from India’s progress in developing indigenous technologies, he encouraged graduates to focus on innovation, address scientific challenges and contribute to national and societal needs.
Presenting the institute’s progress report, Prof. Bhattacharya said IISER Tirupati published around 260 research papers in reputed journals during 2025–26. The institute’s cumulative research output reached nearly 1,500 publications by the end of 2025, attracting more than 25,000 citations. It secured the 20th position nationally among academic and research institutions in the Nature Index 2026, improving from 33rd place in 2025. The institute also received nearly `41 crore in research and consultancy funding during 2025–26 and filed 14 new patent applications.
The programme concluded with a multilingual vote of thanks delivered by registrar Inderpreet Singh Kohli in English, Hindi and Telugu. The graduating batch comprised 131 BS-MS dual-degree students, 12 BS graduates, 10 B.Sc. graduates, 27 professional master’s graduates, 13 integrated PhD graduates and 21 PhD scholars. Sayed Sahil C. (physics) received the Institute Gold Medal for the BS-MS programme. Rayis T.R. from biology and Siddhant Ray from earth and climate science received Institute Silver Medals, while Nandana Manoj was presented with the best student campus activities award.
