Vijay Bhatkar
Dr. Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar is a renowned Indian computer scientist, IT leader, and educationalist, best known as the 'Architect ofIndia's supercomputing' initiative. Dr Bhatkar is renowned for his significant contribution to the field of supercomputing, including the development of India’s first supercomputer, thePARAM 8000in 1991, followed by the PARAM 10000 in 1998.
He is the Founder and Executive Director of theCentre for Development of Advanced Computing(C-DAC), a premier R&D organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for carrying out R&D in IT, Electronics and associated areas.
Dr. Bhatkar's work on the PARAM series of supercomputers led to the creation of theNational Param Supercomputing Facility(NPSF), now integrated into India’s National Knowledge Network (NKN), providing High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure to the country. Currently, his work focuses majorly on developing exascale supercomputing capabilities.
Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, the Founder Chancellor and Chief Mentor ofMultiversityand the Chief Mentor ofNuverse, shares his visionary legacy with his children—Samhita,Nachiketas, andTaijasa—who contribute to these organisations through their leadership in design, technology, and brand communication.
He also serves as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, continuing his commitment to advancing education and fostering innovation on a global scale.
Dr. Bhatkar is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Neutrino Energy Group, supporting the development of the self-charging Pi Car in India.
Dr. Bhatkar has created national research institutions, including the Electronics Research and Development Centre (ER&DC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala (IIITM-K), and the International Institute of Information Technology (I2IT) in Pune.
Dr. Bhatkar has contributed to the development of ICT initiatives like the GIST multilingual technology, which supports 22 official Indian languages and 10 scripts. The Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation’s (MKCL) computer literacy program, under his leadership, implemented a computer literacy programme that produced 10 million computer literates within a decade.
Dr. Bhatkar is also the Chairman ofVijnana Bharati, a non-profit organisation of Indian scientists. In 2016, he was appointed Chairperson of theScience and Engineering Research Board(SERB).
Dr. Bhatkar has served national committees, including the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister, the IT Task Force established by the Prime Minister in 1998, and the Governing Council of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He has also chaired e-Governance committees for both Maharashtra and Goa.
Dr. Bhatkar has authored and edited over 12 books and 80 research papers and has delivered speeches at various national and international conferences, including theWorld Peace Parliament of Science, Religion, and Philosophy.
Dr. Bhatkar was honoured with Padma Shri, the highest award in India, in 2000, the Padma Bhushan in 2015, and the Maharashtra Bhushan in 1999. He has led India's National Supercomputing Mission. He is also the mentor of theGreen TERRE Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on environmental sustainability.
Dr. Bhatkar also chairs theUnnat Bharat Abhiyan, a government initiative aimed at rural development.
In July 2024, Dr. Bhatkar washonouredwith the Punyabhushan Award for his contributions to science and technology.
Dr. Bhatkar received his B.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from Nagpur University, M.E. from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and Ph.D. from IIT Delhi. Dr. Bhatkar founded academic and research body, the Multiversity.
