523 students graduate from IIIT-Hyderabad

Hyderabad: International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH) conducted its 20th convocation and graduated 523 students and a record number of 18 PhDs and 118 Masters with thesis. This year the convocation was conducted online amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, however it was live-streamed.

Over 26 per cent of graduates – 136 out of 523 – earned their degree based on a high-quality thesis. Graduates of IIITH's Dual-Degree, Master of Science and Ph.D programmes continue to make their mark in top universities and product groups globally

Aadilmehdi J Sanchawala, B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) was awarded the IIIT gold medal in recognition of his outstanding academic performance. The B.Tech Best All-rounder award was presented to Vakada Lakshmi Sireesha (dual degree in CSE) and Aashna Jena Dual Degree in Computation Linguistics. As many as 14 students received programme gold medals.

Moreover, a total of 93 companies registered for conducting placements and made job offers to IIITH's graduating students.

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In his e-Convocation address, Prof Yosuha Bengio, University of Montreal and Mila (Quebec AI Institute) encouraged the graduates to give meaning to their lives by helping society with their expertise and helping the next generation of researchers bloom.

Commending the graduating students and their parents, Prof P J Narayanan, Director, IIITH said, "I congratulate the graduating students and their parents for their achievements. The world is going through unprecedented challenges right in front of our eyes.

This is truly an opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills, and attitude gained in IIIT Hyderabad to alleviate the problems of the world, while enriching yourselves in multiple ways. I am confident you will do it admirably and make the institute proud. I urge you to stay connected with the institute so that your efforts and ours are amplified.

Great institutions are fundamentally defined and owned by its alumni. It has been our privilege to play a small role in your journey of life and you will be in our thoughts forever".

Turing award winner Prof Raj Reddy, Chairman, Governing Council of IIIT-Hyderabad also dialed in to the e-Convocation from the US to admit students to their degrees and congratulated the graduating students.