Petro varsity draws foreign faculty

Even as chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi suggests a foray into newer branches like Nuclear Science and Solar engineering for the newly-launched Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) promoted by Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC), the university is slowly filling up the faculty requirement through present professors from top institutes like IITs and IIMs and is even inviting subject experts from overseas.

Being a niche sector, procurement of quality faculty members was looked upon as a challenge to the university when it announced its programme curriculum but it has already recruited 25 permanent faculty members and has procured around 25-30 visiting faculty members for the first batch of students.

Visiting faculty have been pooled from institutes like IIT Bombay and IIM Ahmedabad, along with some adjunct professors from other well known institutes. The university has already had around five industry experts from abroad addressing the students.

PDPU had received approval for two institutes under its purview; the Institute of Petroleum Technology, Gandhinagar (IPTG) and Institute of Petroleum Management, Gandhinagar (IPMG).

IPTG offers full time four-year programme leading to bachelor of technology (B Tech) in Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Instrumentation and Control (IC) Engineering, whereas IPMG offers a full time two year programme leading to post hraduate diploma in business management focussed on oil and gas sector.

Its campus has been created on a land of 50 acres granted by the Gujarat government at Raisan village for which a total of Rs 300 crore would be invested. Of this Rs 20 crore has already been contributed by GSPC. The remaining amount is being raised in the form of contributions from the industry.

At the inauguration of the institute, Mukesh Ambani who has accepted the post of the university's first president pledged his company's support to the students and said that he would try to bring the university into the top 10 universities in the world in the shortest possible time.

Next, the institute is looking at introduction of an M Tech in petroleum studies as well as doctoral programmes on the sector in the next year or two. Research is also expected to be a major feature in the institute's plans for which a 'Research & Innovation Centre' has been created. The centre would offer supplementary courses to the post graduate courses offered presently.

Discussions are also on to create a Petroleum and Geological Lab in partnership with some of the major petroleum groups in the next two years.

Through its executive training and development centre, the institute plans to offer short term certificate programmes for executives and professionals in latest technology and management practices of the energy and petroleum sector.