IIIT Hyderabad Launches JA Chowdary Faculty Chair on 29th Foundation Day

The International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad announced the establishment of the JA Chowdary Faculty Chair during its 29th Foundation Day celebrations on Wednesday in Hyderabad. The chair, backed by technology ecosystem veteran J.A. Chowdary, founder of ISF and Junicorn 100K, has been instituted to advance research and innovation in emerging technologies as the institute enters its 30th year.

According to IIIT-H, the JA Chowdary Faculty Chair will have a dedicated corpus. The endowment is designed to catalyse cutting-edge research and facilitate deeper collaboration between academia and the technology industry.

The announcement was made during the Foundation Day event organized around the theme “Navigating the Future of AI & Technology.” B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Cyient founder chairman, board member, and former Nasscom chairman, attended as the chief guest and keynote speaker. In his address, Reddy stressed the need for stronger linkages between academia and industry to nurture talent, drive innovation, and translate research into real-world impact.

The celebrations also featured a panel discussion titled ‘Deepening Industry-Academia Collaboration.’ The panel brought together Sirisha Voruganti, CEO and MD of Lloyds Technology Centre India; Mohit Dhingra, CEO and president of CIBC India; and Ramesh Kaza, EVP and country head of LPL GCC. The speakers deliberated on sustained knowledge exchange, research initiatives, talent development, and emerging technological trends.

In addition to the faculty chair announcement, IIIT-H presented its 2026 Alumni Achiever Awards. The awards went to Karandeep Anand, CEO of Character.ai; Pramod Nair, founder and CTO of LoadShare Networks; and Siva Reddy Goli, principal scientist at ServiceNow and assistant professor at McGill University.

IIIT-H Director Prof. Sandeep K. Shukla noted that the institute will sustain its focus on research, talent development, and industry partnerships, specifically in artificial intelligence and other emerging fields, as it steps into its 30th year.