Shimla: New IIAS Director vows to bridge gap between academia & public

The newly-appointed Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS), Prof Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi, today said his focus would on building stronger grassroots connections, enabling citizens to better engage with the advanced scholarship taking place at the institute. He said local perspectives and experiences must inform national scholarship.

While interacting with the media here today, Prof Chaturvedi said, “The IIAS must not remain isolated within its walls. Its vibrancy depends on how meaningfully its work connects with the public,” he observed.

He also stressed the need for stronger media partnerships.

“Science has powerful answers, but it also has limits,” he remarked, stressing that true progress lies in a dialogue across disciplines. He underscored the institute’s commitment to enhancing interdisciplinary research, positioning IIAS as a hub where hard sciences, social sciences and humanities intersected to generate new insights.

Emphasising India’s cultural depth, Prof Chaturvedi said that traditions deserved greater academic attention. “The IIAS would work towards connecting more people with this heritage, ensuring advance research resonates with everyday life” he added.

He said there was a pressing need to strengthen the Indian Knowledge Systems and develop localised criteria to understand the nation. He also announced plans for e-library enhancement through digitisation drives.

“Our aim is to create an institute that is academically rigorous yet socially rooted,” he said.

He said that on September 3 and 4, the institute will be organizing a two-day national seminar on the theme “Modern Hindi Literature and Indianness.”