Leading Australian university, The University of Queensland will bring its Global Challenges Leadership Series to India with a seminar in Chennai at the Taj Club House on November 21.
The seminar will explore how a regional approach to planning can provide a framework for sustainable growth of rapidly expanding urban cities.
The urban corridor between the coastal cities of Pondicherry and Chennai in the south of India will be used as case studies.
The presentation will be delivered by Professor Luis Feduchi from the University of Queensland’s School of Architecture and Dr A. Srivathsan, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Journalism, Anna University in Chennai.
Professor Feduchi is a practising architect and Professor of Architectural Design at The University of Queensland (UQ).
He has taught architectural design at schools around the world and was Chair of Urban Design at the Technische Universität Berlin from 2006 to 2008.
Dr A. Srivathsan is an urban designer and researcher who has been studying the development of Chennai for more than a decade. He is currently a deputy editor with The Hindu and writes on architecture and cities.
UQ is one of Australia’s leading research-intensive universities and is ranked in the world’s top 100 universities.
UQ Vice President (International) Dr Anna Ciccarelli will lead a senior delegation to India to reinvigorate and deepen collaborative research and academic linkages with key partners from education, research, industry and business.
The visit includes an Indian partners’ dinner to be held on November 24 in New Delhi at the Australian High Commission.
“UQ is committed to advancing research and collaborations with our Indian partners and allies,” Dr Ciccarelli said.
"We already have strong research connections with India in various fields, including biological science, quantum science, medical research, renewable energy, chemical engineering and community development.
“The delegation will strengthen existing links and nurture new relationships with top Indian institutions through our network of alumni, friends and partners.
“A stronger network and deeper collaborations will help expand our joint knowledge and advance findings to achieve shared goals in solving global challenges.
"Through our partnerships we can enrich our staff and student experience and increase the real impact of research on society.
“The Global Challenges Leadership Series will provide the University’s alumni and friends with an insight into those big ideas and an opportunity to rally behind them, to become involved and to be powerful supporters.”
The University has a long-term view to build on some 25 partnerships with Indian universities and institutes across research and education to help address global challenges.
These partnerships include a joint research project with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras on nanomaterials and the production of green chemicals and sustainable energy.
UQ has also been working closely with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on a research project to ensure food security by using science to protect grain harvest from insect threats.
Along with the University of Delhi, UQ is also a member of Universitas 21 – a network of research intensive universities from across the globe.
The network promotes student mobility by providing enhanced options for students to complete or complement a portion of their university studies at another international university.
UQ also supports mobility of its student and staff to create global citizens.
Each year UQ students undertake internships in social work with an Indian community aid agency and practical medical placements in Vellore.
Between 2005 and 2009, UQ researchers co-authored 102 publications with Indian institutions, which were cited on average 9.14 times.
Visit http://www.uq.edu.au/global-challenges to find out more about The University of Queensland's Global Challenges Leadership series.
