Dr R A Mashelkar conferred honorary doctorate degree by IISER Pune
Dr R A Mashelkar conferred honorary doctorate degree by IISER Pune
In the 12th convocation of IISER Pune held on May 30, 2025, a total of 352 students received their degrees. Dr. Shekhar C. Mande (Former Secretary, DSIR and Former Director General, CSIR) was the Chief Guest for the occasion.
Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar was conferred an honorary doctorate degree, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in science and inspiring leadership. Dr. Mashelkar attended the event online and upon accepting the honour, in his speech, Dr. Mashelkar spoke about the importance of education taking examples from his own life experiences. He dedicated the honorary doctorate to his mother who despite abject poverty gave him the gift of higher education.
As someone who witnessed the setting up of IISER Pune, he spoke about the growth of the institute and noted the achievements of IISER Pune members.
Promising to continue to champion the cause of the institute, Dr. Mashelkar said “I am an alumnus of this great institution from today. I assure you that I will do everything possible to enhance the reputation of our institution so that while ‘raising aspirations and climbing new heights’, it rises to not just among the topmost few in India, but topmost few in the world.” His advice to the graduating students was to work hard and with focus, to open new doors of opportunities themselves, and to remember that there is no limit for the ladder of excellence.
On June 19, 2025, the honorary degree was presented to Dr. Mashelkar in-person at his residence by IISER Pune Director Prof. Sunil S. Bhagwat, Dean Academics Prof. Srabanti Chaudhury, and Registrar Umeshkumar Mote. Senior scientist Dr. Arvind Natu was also present at the occasion.
