IIT Madras sets up chair for research on sustainable construction

The chair professorship is being established with support from Surendra P Shah, a global expert in engineering materials, particularly concrete and other cement-based construction. 

 The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has launched the ‘Surendra and Dorothie Shah Chair’ for furthering cutting-edge research in the field of civil engineering materials.  

Surendra P Shah, a global expert in engineering materials, particularly concrete and other cement-based construction, chose IIT Madras to set up the institute chair. He has led the development of new advanced materials, which have become world standards in these fields, and his work revolutionised the way modern concretes are used worldwide. 

Surendra Shah currently serves as the presidential distinguished professor, University of Texas and Dorothie Shah is the founding president of the Indo American Museum, now called the National Indo American Museum, in Chicago. 

Addressing the launch event, Surendra Shah said, “The decision to choose IIT Madras (to set up this chair) was very easy. The construction materials group is not only one of the best in India but very highly recognised internationally in the field. My association with IIT Madras has been quite long and fruitful.” 

Surendra Shah said, “In the US, we are trying to get more women into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). In the IIT Madras research group, a large number of PhD students are women, which is very impressive. Also, I believe that successful groups must be inter-disciplinary, and I know that the research group of IIT Madras is also associated with researchers in chemistry, material sciences and mechanical engineering. Thegroup has already started working on reducing carbon footprint, which affects the whole world.” 

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