IUCEE Co-Guide PhD Program (Proposed Model)

Phase I: EXPLORING DEMAND from Indian Faculty (August 15 to Sept 5, 2009) !!!!!!!!

During the past two years, IUCEE has focussed on improving teaching quality.  There are definite signs that this is in process. As a result of strengthening the first pillar of capacity building by improving teaching quality, networks have been created between Indian and US faculty and institutions which are already resulting in research collaborations wherein Indian faculty seeking PhD degrees have found co-guides among the US faculty. The second pillar of research excellence is, therefore, being launched in the form of an IUCEE Co-Guide PhD program this year. 

Depending on funding sources,  IUCEE believes that a target of 500 PhDs per year can be realized. Indian faculty will be able to obtain high quality PhDs in a 4-year period, with the mentorship of distinguished US faculty co-guides. Resulting research collaborations between Indian and US faculty, enabled by faculty exchanges and distance education technologies, will allow large scale PhD production and research productivity in fields of global relevance, within the next 10 years. This program is expected to dramatically increase production of PhDs in engineering in India from the current ~800 per year. Support from government and private sources is expected to make this possible.

The Pilot program this year will be administered as follows.

  1. Interested PhD candidates in India, who are currently teaching in engineering colleges, will identify and register with a PhD guide at an Indian PhD granting institution.
  2. The PhD candidate will post a brief  (one paragraph) summary of background and research interest on this blog site.
  3. More  detailed Resume as well research topic of interest will be sent to IUCEE by email to Krishna_Vedula@uml.edu; this will posted as part of separate blog page here under the appropriate discipline and category of institution.
  4. Engineering faculty at US engineering colleges, with significant research programs, interested in co-guiding an Indian Ph.D. candidate, will submit a brief statement of interest on this site.
  5. If there appears to be matching of interests between a Indian PhD candidate and a US faculty, IUCEE will facilitate the process forward.

Important features of the Co-Guide Program:

  1. Program is meant for faculty members of Indian engineering colleges.
  2. PhD degree will be granted by an Indian institution and candidate will need to adhere by all requirements of that institution.
  3. At least one trip per year (minimum one month duration) will need to be made by the Ph.D. candidate to the US institution of the Co-Guide. This will ensure exposure to high quality research culture.
  4. At least one trip per year has to be made by the US Co-guide to the Indian institution, to ensure adequate mentoring of the candidate.
  5. Qualification procedure will require indepth understanding in topics related to the research area; this could be in the form of specialized courses taken in person or on-line in US or India.
  6. Indian faculty member be given significant reduced teaching load during the expected 4-year duration of the PhD program.
  7. Suggested PhD dissertation to be in the form of two papers as conference proceeding and two refereed papers in reputed journals. 

The home institution of the Indian faculty PhD candidate will need to provide the required support for the cost of travel and boarding and lodging for the Candidate as well as for the Co-Guide. IUCEE is exploring various avenues for requesting Government of India to provide schemes for this purpose.