University of Chicago’s Center in Delhi Marks a Decade of Impactful Engagement in India

This year, the University of Chicago proudly celebrates the 10th anniversary of the opening of the University of Chicago Center in Delhi. Established as a hub for teaching, research, and dialogue, the Center has played a pivotal role in fostering intellectual collaboration between UChicago and Indian institutions. As the anniversary approaches, the focus turns to setting ambitious future goals, and strengthening UChicago’s commitment to global partnerships.

The University of Chicago’s ties with India trace back to the historic 1913 visit of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, marking the beginning of over a century of intellectual collaboration. The UChicago Center in Delhi, established in 2014, serves as a dynamic platform for scholarly collaboration across India and South Asia across many diverse topics, from telecommunications systems to poetry.

The 10th-anniversary celebrations kick off with a launch event at the Center on February 16, followed by a series of conferences and events throughout the year. The culmination in September will be a gala celebration, embodying a forward-looking spirit that encapsulates the deep relationship between UChicago and India.

Supratik Guha, Faculty Director, UChicago Center in Delhi and Professor in the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, comments, “The 10th anniversary of the UChicago Center in Delhi is a testament to the enduring partnership between the University of Chicago and India. Over the past decade, the Center has facilitated groundbreaking research, academic exchanges, and meaningful collaborations. As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to further strengthening our engagement, fostering innovation, and contributing to the academic landscape in India.”

Leni Chaudhuri, Executive Director, UChicago Center in Delhi, adds, “The Center stands as the embodiment of UChicago’s commitment to India. As we celebrate a decade of impactful presence, our goals for the future are ambitious. We aim to deepen our collaborations, enhance visibility, and continue to contribute significantly to key research areas such as climate, environment and energy, quantum, and data science.”

In celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the Center in Delhi acknowledges the dedicated efforts of several visionaries that have led to this moment, as it sets into motion a full array of globally impactful research and programming in the years to come. The University of Chicago greatly values our partnerships with Indian institutions, and we look forward to another decade of robust collaboration and engagement.

These are just a few of the many exciting developments the Center in Delhi looks forward to advancing:

• The University of Chicago’s new science and technology partnership with IIT Bombay to promote cooperation in fields such as quantum information science, climate and energy, advanced microelectronics, artificial intelligence and data science.
• Collaborations on battery technologies with institutions such as TCG CREST in Kolkata
• Shared expertise, research and concern regarding climate and energy through new initiatives such as the University of Chicago’s new Climate and Energy Institute as well as through existing partnerships such as EPIC-India.
• The International Innovation Corps (IIC), a social impact fellowship based at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy that embeds teams of young professionals into government and non-profit organizations to support their implementation capabilities and outcomes. IIC has worked in sectors such as urban development, education, energy & environment, healthcare, social innovation, and water & sanitation.