Testimonials

I want to thank KIAC at IISc for their exceptional support in fostering high-quality research. The immediate availability of funding upon achieving an A* publication allows researchers like me to focus entirely on advancing our work without the constant worry of securing financial resources. The funding application and utilisation process is seamless and efficient, ensuring quick access to the resources needed to propel our research forward. This proactive approach significantly strengthens IISc’s research ecosystem and inspires researchers to strive for excellence.

Gugan Thoppe, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Science
Support to present at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML 2024

NeurIPS is among the premier machine learning / AI conferences in the world and being chosen to deliver a tutorial at the meeting is a unique opportunity. KIAC stepped up in a time of need to generously offer financial support for my travel to the conference in USA. Such support goes a long way in meeting the needs of Indian researchers to stay updated on cutting-edge research advances, as well as helping to improve the perception of Indian science and technology on the global stage. I appreciate KIAC for its commitment to supporting the Indian AI research ecosystem through its grants programme.

Aditya Gopalan
Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Communication Engineering,
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Thirty-seventh Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2023)

The KIAC scholarship has been a crucial support for my PhD studies, providing the financial stability needed to concentrate on my research. This support has allowed me to dedicate my time to developing my research skills and advancing my projects in legged robotics. I am sincerely grateful to KIAC for allowing me to focus on my work and move steadily toward my academic and professional goals.

Aditya Shirwatkar
PhD scholarship awardee

The KIAC internship has been invaluable, providing me with the opportunity to explore and contribute to the AI field, fostering a deeper understanding of machine learning and autonomous systems. This experience has been instrumental in honing my technical and research skills and has strengthened my resolve to pursue a Master’s degree and a future in this exciting field.

Aiman Aatif Bayezeed
KIAC intern

The KIAC predoctoral fellowship has been instrumental in shaping my academic career, providing the resources, mentorship, and exposure to cutting-edge research in AI, machine learning, and computer architecture. The fellowship has not only enhanced my technical skills but also solidified my passion for advancing the design of next-generation computing systems.

Ayman Un Nisa
KIAC predoctoral fellow

The KIAC predoctoral fellowship has been instrumental in enabling me to conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and machine learning (ML). The fellowship has provided substantial financial support, allowing me to focus on advancing this research area. With the continued support of KIAC, I look forward to showcasing my work at the upcoming CASML 2024 conference.

Bakhshi Mehul
KIAC predoctoral fellow

The KIAC predoctoral fellowship has been an incredible platform for my professional and academic growth. Throughout my time here, I gained hands-on experience in the field of control and AI-driven systems, allowing me to apply theoretical knowledge to practical projects. Working under expert mentorship, I developed robust skills in advanced control algorithms, data-driven modelling, and machine learning, which have all been instrumental in expanding my research acumen and technical capabilities.

The KIAC internship has undoubtedly been a transformative experience, equipping me with both the skills and confidence to contribute meaningfully to this rapidly evolving domain.

Chiluveru Akhil
KIAC predoctoral fellow

We are extremely grateful for the support of KIAC for supporting our research. The paper tackles an important problem of how well large language models handle false assumptions.  (The short answer is not well enough). Through the KIAC travel support, the authors could present their findings to a large community of scholars, engineers, and practitioners.”

Danish Pruthi, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Science
Support to present at the Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2024)

The KIAC predoctoral fellowship has been a highly positive experience as it allows me to further my interest in using AI/ML for solving engineering/scientific tasks while being mentored by highly capable mentors from IISc. This has also presented me with opportunities to share space with like-minded, highly-capable and motivated students from my mentor’s lab, which has been very influential in developing my research skills further.

Hariharasai Mohan
KIAC predoctoral fellow

Kotak AI Centre support for travel grants is a blessing for AI researchers, as the students don’t have to worry about external funding sources if the paper gets accepted in top-tier AI conferences. The AI Centre has provided funding for only the top AI conferences, which encourages students to publish research papers of top-notch quality at these conferences. The Centre has had a positive impact on the AI research landscape in IISc.

Harsh Rangwani
PhD student,
Department of Computational and Data Sciences,
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV 2023)

The KIAC fellowship has been instrumental in providing me with the resources and mentorship necessary to dive deeper into my research. It has allowed me to work on projects of high academic and practical relevance, greatly enriching my learning and professional development.

Harshith Reddy Kaila
KIAC predoctoral fellow

My future goal is to pursue a PhD focussed on advancing representation learning for vision-based models through unsupervised and self-supervised learning, with the aim of developing efficient and generalisable frameworks for visual data understanding. The support provided by KIAC has been invaluable in gaining the research experience essential for achieving this goal.

Kinjawl Bhattacharyya
KIAC predoctoral fellow

As a KIAC fellow, I am the recipient of this year’s PhD fellowship. I also got a travel grant for the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) in Vienna, Austria. Because of the grant, I was able to connect with a lot of renowned professors working in the same field and get their feedback on my work. 

At ICML, I presented my work on cancer and got multiple feedback from my peers and also got to understand the limitations. Additionally, I attended a lot of workshops and sessions, which helped me in understanding the limitations of the current work and also in understanding the most recent technologies that are being used for the same task. 

I am really thankful to KIAC for helping me out financially to travel to Vienna and attend the conference. 

Kumar Shubham 
PhD scholarship awardee
Support to present at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML 2024)

I had the privilege of being awarded the KIAC predoctoral fellowship in July 2024. I feel extremely honoured to be part of this programme to actually be able to explore my areas of interests and learn among some of the brightest minds here at IISc. The amount of learning that I have been able to take here would probably not have been possible anywhere outside of IISc.

Margamitra Bhattacharya
KIAC predoctoral fellow

Receiving my predoctoral fellowship in June 2024 has helped me fulfil my dream of conducting research alongside some of India’s top minds at the nation’s premier research institute. This opportunity has provided me with exposure to high-quality research and has deepened my understanding of robotics. I am truly grateful for this experience.

Natish Murugesh
KIAC predoctoral fellow

Kotak IISc AI-ML Centre has given me a wonderful platform where I could refine my learning and hone my skills under the guidance and mentorship of a highly experienced and renowned expert in the field of guidance, navigation, and control.

KIAC has ensured that my entire journey at IISc is seamless, right from my onboarding. Throughout the journey, the entire team has been extremely helpful and supportive to address any of my queries or concerns. It has been an amazing experience to be associated with Kotak IISc AI-ML Centre and IISc.

Nitya Ahuja
KIAC intern

The fellowship has enabled me to experience high-quality research and the steep learning curve has enriched my knowledge about the field. The time spent at the lab has not only increased my technical skills but has also shown me the methodology to carry out my own research.

I am grateful to the Kotak IISc AI–ML Centre (KIAC) for this unique opportunity, as it has provided some much-needed clarity on the nature of my postgraduate studies.

Prateek Upadhya
KIAC predoctoral fellow

KIAC scholarship has provided me with the financial freedom to focus on research, allowing me to dive deeper into complex problems in machine learning and deep learning. It has also provided me access to high-end compute resources, which has helped facilitate my research endeavours, enabling me to develop novel solutions by leveraging state-of-the-art techniques and tools. I look forward to making impactful contributions to the field, thanks to the support and recognition from KIAC.

Priyam Dey
PhD scholarship awardee

The KIAC internship has been instrumental in advancing my understanding of robotics and artificial intelligence. It has provided me with hands-on experience in developing both manual and autonomous control methodologies, deepening my expertise in a real-world research environment. Working at IISc has allowed me to engage in state-of-the-art research in robotics, which has profoundly enhanced my technical capabilities and broadened my perspective on the future of robotics and intelligent systems.

Puneeth S
KIAC intern

The KIAC internship has been transformative, providing a strong foundation and invaluable mentorship for my research aspirations. It has deepened my passion for AI research and broadened my networking with like-minded researchers, enriching my academic journey. I am excited to continue this growth with KIAC in the future.

Ram Samarth B B
KIAC intern

The KIAC internship has enabled me to pursue state-of-the-art research in one of the most supportive environments, working alongside a high quality peer group and receiving exceptional guidance from my mentor, Dr Rajiv Soundararajan, all while earning a competent stipend. I am grateful for this opportunity and aim to make the most of it!

Rikhil Gupta
KIAC intern

I would like to express my gratitude to KIAC for awarding me the predoctoral fellowship, which has significantly supported my research endeavours. This fellowship has not only allowed me to delve deeper into my research interests but has also helped me refine my goals for pursuing a Master’s and PhD in the future. The numerous seminars and workshops organised by KIAC have been helpful in broadening my knowledge across various domains in AI and ML, as well as providing valuable networking opportunities with experts from both academia and industry.

Rishabh Sabharwal
KIAC predoctoral fellow

The KIAC predoctoral fellowship has been a pivotal milestone in my academic journey. Its financial support allowed me to focus entirely on advancing my research in the computer vision domain. The fellowship allowed me to work in the esteemed Visual Information Processing Lab at IISc, under the guidance of Prof Rajiv Soundararajan. This experience deepened my understanding of efficient architectural designs using multimodal LLMs for AI-generated image quality assessment and enhanced my technical expertise and problem-solving skills. It has been instrumental in shaping my aspirations to address real-world challenges through AI in collaboration with government or corporate organisations.

Sai Teja Tangudu
KIAC predoctoral fellow

My experience at KIAC has been transformative, offering me hands-on experience, enabling me to learn new techniques, and expanding my professional network with highly skilled individuals. This internship has equipped me with practical skills and insights that will be foundational in my future career.

Sanjana Kiran Tikare
KIAC intern

The travel grant allowed me to participate in one of the top conferences in computer vision and machine learning. The experience that I gained by interacting with fellow researchers around the world is unparallel. I thank KIAC for giving opportunity to Indian students like me to present our work at such an esteemed venue.

Shankhanil Mitra
PhD student,
Department of Electrical Communication Engineering,
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV 2023)

Being a part of the Kotak IISc AI-ML Centre as a postdoctoral fellow has been an immensely rewarding experience. The fellowship has provided me with a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research in a highly supportive academic environment. Access to world-class facilities, collaborative opportunities, and mentorship has significantly enhanced my research capabilities and professional growth. I am deeply grateful for the fellowship, which has played a pivotal role in my academic journey and continues to shape my aspirations for contributing meaningfully in my field.

Surbhi Shaw
KIAC postdoctoral fellow

ICCV is one of the top tier conferences and a highly competitive venue to publish. Very few papers from India were published at ICCV. This year, only 16 papers were from India among 2300 papers presented at ICCV. KIAC ‘s travel support immensely helped the researchers to travel and present their papers. Also, the acknowledgement given to KIAC in these papers gives visibility to KIAC at international level and will help in getting Visiting Professors to IISc through KIAC. This great initiative of KIAC should be continued.

Venkatesh Babu Radhakrishnan
Professor and Chair, Department of Computational and Data Sciences,
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV 2023)

We are very grateful to the Kotak IISc AI-ML Centre (KIAC) for its support as a silver sponsor for COLT 2023. The support provided from KIAC has facilitated meaningful discussions and knowledge exchange among experts and participants in the areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence. We anticipate that the insights gained will be beneficial for ongoing and future research endeavours.

Aditya Gopalan, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Science
Workshop support for the 36th Annual Conference on Learning Theory (COLT 2023)