In the vast landscape of academia, certain individuals stand out for their remarkable contributions and profound insights. Professor K. Venkateswarao, a luminary in the field of nanotechnology at JNTUH, is one such figure. With a distinguished academic background and a passion for innovation, Professor Rao’s journey is nothing short of inspiring.
A Raman fellow with a rich academic lineage, Professor Rao’s work spans from quantum mechanics to nanomaterials. His innovative research, global collaborations, and industry partnerships have left an indelible mark in the field.
An exclusive interview with NSH
Can you explain to us what drove you to such a state of the art field?
So basically, I am a physicist when I joined my journey in the University of Hyderabad in solid state physics.
So where I used to have a different variety of teachers, where I came to know the nanoparticles, nanotechnology related issues. And after that, when I joined my PhD, I entered into this nanomaterials, synthesis, characterization and giving some applications and all other things.
And this made me very interesting. In the meantime, University started a separate department called Center for Nanoscience and technology with the support of DST nanomission funding in 2010. So at that point, I was transferred and promoted as Associate Professor of Nanotechnology.
However, I am now Professor of Nanotechnology and I developed the department nanotechnology department from the starting to till to date.
Professor as a layman what is nanotechnology can you explain to us?
So for a layman, when people are trying to as of now the definition of nanotechnology nanoparticle is whose size is below 100 nanometers. If any material size is below 100 nanometers they exhibit a very interesting properties like you take a gold particle, gold color will change to blue, red, yellow, orange and white when you are reducing the size of the nanoparticles.
As you also ask what are the applications take this gold nanoparticles as on today you know some diseases like cancer it is a very typical thing to cure because the main problem is what type of however we have a pet scanning all these things are there they cannot tell you.
What is the protein in that material like if a doctor want to treat a cancer treatment, he need to understand what is the material which formed the lump. So, to understand that imaging of cancer cells is very much required.
So, for this imaging of cancer cells nowadays people are using red gold nanoparticles, yellow gold nanoparticles, orange gold nanoparticles they are called quantum dots. So, when the size is reducing the properties of the materials are going to be different as I told you in the case of gold it is red, yellow, orange color.
Similarly, some materials behavior let us say some material is magnetic material it will change its property and some materials strength will change, some materials color will change, some materials electrical properties will change.
These properties are changing and people are trying to understand the nanomaterials properties and engineer according to their applications.
So, as a registrar you have the subject in this university how is the interest level of students?
So, as a registrarof JNTU ,when comes to the natural things the students as on now the students are too much inclined towards the high tech city because of lot of software jobs are there, but however, some students are there from mechanical physics background metallurgy background, chemistry background they join in M Tech nanotechnology course and they are doing miracles.
Some of the students those who have interest in the area of research especially in the area of materials research they are excelling very good actually. We have M Tech in nanotechnology separate center for nanoscience and technology in the university college of engineering which is situated in Hyderabad campus.
So, I was just getting to know that you have done your postdoc in John Hopkins which is supposed to be a very prestigious university. Can you tell us more about that?
So, when comes to my journey in John Hopkins, it was an interesting and fantastic journey. I learned lot of things there. Before that I got called Raman postdoctoral fellow which is a Indo US project.
So, I was given one year on duty in JNTU and 2016 June to 2017 June, one year I did post doctoral research in John Hopkins in school of medicine especially in imaging of cancer cells. So, this as I told you earlier also, when you are imaging of any cell, imaging means what are the types of because when you take there are number of proteins are there, this protein will form as a lump in cancer cell.
So, if you know what type of protein the lump is formed, and then drug designing will be very easy to the doctors actually. So, the part imaging is one of the very interesting area especially we worked on XPS 12 protein and XPS 13 protein especially and the journey what I learned there is basically I used to work the JHU used to have around 12 to 13 noble laureates and generally they used to give some talks, they used to give some introduction talks and some high end talks.
By attending this kind of talks I learned lot of things and that that made me really encouraging and motivated the talks actually.
when will India come to the level of John Hopkins, where are we standing right now?
I do not want exact comparison but I can tell John Hopkins when I when I there is a joke people used to say those who are at John Hopkins they are on the fire. So, that the professors those who are working there the scholars those who are working there they say that they are on the fire.
That means that much of heat is generated in the system surrounding the system so that the product is coming very effectively whereas, coming to Indian education systems or Indian research systems there are 2 or 3 things I categories like this actually.
The funding is one of the very important scenario and people used to have an ideas when they come and perform the experiment they need to have lot of experimental setups and all other things. So, maybe a little lagging might be there, but however when compared to the people energy levels people science levels they are very good at here also, but they do parallel research not perpendicular research.
That means multidisciplinary research will not happen here why because every department will be doing very good and they are publishing very nice articles and getting patents and getting citations, but the product when it comes to the product it is not that much effective when compared to the European countries the main reason is multidisciplinary approach is very less when compared to other countries that is what I can put it in that manner.
So, as a registrar, what are your roles and responsibilities towards the university?
As a registrar I need to take care of academic, administrative and all affiliated colleges issues all other issues of the record I do not work anything actually people work and I consolidate and I present the things and I perform it that’s it all the other people are working but I manage it actually. Frankly speaking.
Compared to, let’s say, the universities where extracurricular activities in US and all you understand, how the relationship between students and the faculty members are there? Where do you think we stand here?
When it comes to Indian culture, it is there after parents, guru is the very important person I feel here also the similar way But as of today the student attitudes are changed a lot when compared to like I’m 22 years onwards I am in the teaching field my beginning career when I compared to my beginning students and now students not say they lost interest but you should be as a teacher you should be extraordinary good actually otherwise I am teaching class 40 minutes and going away means it won’t work. That is the reason nowadays there are lot of platforms came up like Moodle, MOOCs teaching kind of thing that means teacher teach 40 minutes in the class and he should be in connection with the teacher.
So teacher availability through online is mandatory so that student will remember us and student will follows and one more thing is teacher should be more smart enough otherwise student is not going to take because everything is available in PPT format, online format NPTL courses are there they are already learning and coming.
So if you want to make students an effect on the students teacher should be very good and his teaching and other activities also that is what my feeling.
How does a good teacher make an industry ready student?
This is another main drawback in our curriculum. When it is coming to the curriculum part the universities and industry interaction parties I can say that it is little bit less when compared to European or US universities most of the professors used to have a industry, a research professor will have an industry and that is encouraged, but here that culture is not that much there.
So, in general research will go to publication, publication will go to patent and it is not going to the product part. Once again it is due to the multidisciplinary aspect missing that is one aspect and one more aspect is however we nowadays the NEP national education policy is coming up and like J. N. T. U. Jawaharlal Nehru technological university we always encourage new curriculum, it is evolving it is in the process of evolving. I cannot say exactly that we are making industry ready person we can say that we are developing a people who is oriented towards the industry that much.
People’s reading habits have come down. And you have any message for neo science hub magazine?
Actually people are forgetting reading habit if they start reading they know the value of life. So, I very recently read a Telugu book, I am a Telugu reader basically I read lot of Telugu books for every journey I read one book.
So, if they know the reading they if they start reading they never forget it. Nowadays this media in Instagram or YouTube all these things made people to stop read, but there are some people who are continuing reading habit once they read they know the value of reading actually it will go and sit in your brain actually whenever you read something in a calm manner in a comfortable manner that will happen actually reading habit is very important.
