PU sets up panel to look into research scholars’ issues

Panjab University has constituted a five-member panel to address issues of research scholars. A team of five research scholars, one of each stream, including a convener, will act as a go-between the researchers and the university. The forum will work in close coordination with PU vice-chancellor and dean, research.

The university nearly has 3,000 research scholars, including 1,500 regular PhD students. This year, Himangna Gupta, a research scholar of the environment studies department will be convenor of the forum, while Amandeep Singh of the physics department, Baljeet Singh from the anthropology department, Pooja Pal of the University Business School and Heena from microbiology department will be the members.

The forum will be reconstituted annually. “This group will keep in touch with research scholars, then take their problems to the dean, research,” said a PU official said adding that scholars need special attention so they can devote more time for their research.

The idea was conceived in a meeting between vice-chancellor (V-C) Arun Kumar Grover and Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) Chandan Rana last month.

“Researchers are forced to make several rounds to dean, research, office and the dean, student welfare’s office irrespective whether their issues are big, such as delay in research funds, or small.

The panel will meet researchers in their respective departments frequently and pass on the feedback they receive to dean research and vice-chancellor office,” Himangna Gupta said.

Officials said that the forum would also be entrusted with the task of creating a database of the research papers published by PU students and also select papers to be used for the presentation to be made by researchers in a proposed lecture series with Delhi University.

The lecture series, which is in the pipeline, proposes that selected research scholars from PU will deliver lectures at DU and vice-versa.

The official said that V-C also wanted the forum to work on invited lectures and workshops on “the roadmap of research in country”, a topic on which University Grants Commission chairman Ved Prakash will deliver a lecture in August later this year.

Prakash is expected to speak on ‘Impetus to Research: Strategic Planning and Work-Plan’. A two-day national workshop to help boost the process of research in the country will also be held in October. “The forum has been asked to give a detailed plan on this,” the official added.