About ISI Kolkata
The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was founded in 1931 by Professor P.C. Mahalanobis with the vision of promoting statistical thinking and its application in scientific research and public planning. Headquartered in Kolkata, ISI is a premier academic institution recognized as an Institution of National Importance by an act of the Indian Parliament. The Institute has made pioneering contributions to the development of statistics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative economics, and various interdisciplinary fields. With state-of-the-art research facilities, academic programs, and outreach initiatives, ISI continues to play a vital role in advancing data-driven decision-making and policy formulation in India and globally. The Kolkata campus serves as the Institute's main center, fostering cutting-edge research and hosting a vibrant academic community.
🏅 Key Achievements of ISI
Established in 1931 by Professor P.C. Mahalanobis, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) has evolved into a globally recognized center of excellence in statistics, mathematics, computer science, and related disciplines. It laid the statistical foundation for India's early planning efforts and played a key role in shaping the country’s Five-Year Plans and development policies. The institute continues to provide statistical and analytical expertise to both government and industry.
Over the decades, ISI has nurtured a distinguished community of scholars, many of whom have made transformative contributions to academia and public policy. Among its most illustrious alumni is Prof. S. R. S. Varadhan, recipient of the Abel Prize in 2007 for his groundbreaking work in probability theory. Prof. K. R. Parthasarathy, a pioneering figure in quantum probability and stochastic processes, served on the ISI faculty and made seminal contributions to mathematical sciences. The legendary Prof. C. R. Rao, whose foundational work includes the Cramér–Rao inequality and the Rao–Blackwell theorem, also served as faculty and for sometime as the Director of ISI. He was honored with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India and the National Medal of Science by the United States. Prof. Rao passed away in 2023, leaving behind a lasting legacy in statistical science.
With campuses in Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Tezpur, ISI continues to shape the global future of statistical science and interdisciplinary research.
🌍 Eminent Visitors to ISI
Over the years, ISI has attracted some of the most renowned intellectuals from across the world. Distinguished visitors to the institute include
Sir Ronald A. Fisher, a pioneer of modern statistics;
Andrey N. Kolmogorov, the founder of modern probability theory;
Norbert Wiener, the father of cybernetics;
Walter A. Shewhart, the father of Statistical Quality Control (SQC);
George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics;
Genichi Taguchi, known for robust engineering methods; and
Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics.
These visits not only enriched the academic ecosystem of ISI but also strengthened its position as a premier global hub for statistics, mathematics, and interdisciplinary research.
🎓 Chief Guest
Dr. S. G. Deshmukh
Recently, Dr. S. G. Deshmukh superannuated as a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department of IIT Delhi after 35 years of service at IITD. He earned his bachelors, master’s and doctoral degrees from IIT Bombay. He has over 175 papers to his credits in international journals with 23,000+ citations. He has authored or co-authored books in supply chain and operations. His supply chain research incorporates themes from knowledge management and fuzzy logic. His supply chain management research is multidisciplinary, incorporating perspectives from performance indicators, processes, and operations research. His OM research integrates issues from performance measurement, relevance, a balanced scorecard, and unbundling.
He has conducted several Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs). He was Editor-in-Chief of “Opsearch”, and he is also on the editorial board of journals from Springer, Elsevier and Sage.
He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE), Fellow of the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI, Hong Kong) and Fellow of World Academy of Productivity Sciences (WAPS). He has won several Best Paper Awards and Best Teacher Award at IIT Delhi. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award (Systems Society of India), the Lilian Gilbreth Award (Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering), the Eminent Mechanical Engineer Award (Institution of Engrs), Lifetime Achievement award of AIAP.
Dr Deshmukh was the chairman of the sectoral committee of MSD17 (Management Systems Department) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on Risk Management, Security, and Resilience. Currently, he is a Distinguished Professional of AICTE.
🎖 Guest of Honour
Mr. Debdatta Chowdhury
Mr. Debdatta Chowdhury is currently associated with
Deepak Fertiliser and Petrochemical Corporation Ltd., Pune,
where he serves as Vice President – Commercial Supply Chain.
In this role, he is responsible for the logistics of finished goods
and inbound raw materials across four manufacturing plants
located in different states of India, along with the
procurement of direct raw materials, chemicals, packing items, coal,
and indirect purchases.
He has been working with this organization for the past
eight and a half years. Prior to this, he accumulated extensive
industry experience spanning over two decades, including
13 years with Lafarge Holcim (Cement Industry),
3 years in the Shipping Industry, and
3 years in Automobile Logistics.
Mr. Chowdhury is a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and
a Supply Chain Control Reference Professional (SCOR-P) from the
American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS).
He has completed his post-graduation in Supply Chain and Transportation
from IISW&BM, Kolkata, and is also
Six Sigma certified from the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
About SQC & OR Division
The Statistical Quality Control & Operations Research (SQC & OR) Division of ISI Kolkata is one of the oldest and most reputed centers in India dedicated to applied statistics, industrial engineering, and operations research. Established in the 1950s, the division has played a pioneering role in the introduction and development of quality control, reliability engineering, and operations research practices in Indian industries. The division offers advanced research, consultancy, and training in areas such as Statistical Quality Control, Six Sigma, Reliability Modeling, Supply Chain Analytics, Optimization, Machine Learning, Industrial Statistics, and Decision Sciences. With close collaborations with government bodies, public sector undertakings, and private enterprises, the division continues to bridge academic innovation with industrial application, contributing significantly to national capacity building and technological advancement.
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