Research @ Presidency

The spirit of research has always been given top priority in all academic activity in the erstwhile Presidency College. ‘Not to accept any doctrine without questioning’, the basic spirit of education as conceived by the founders, embodies the pivotal role of research activity in the teaching and learning of this institution. Research activities in the Presidency University, on the one hand contribute to the fundamentals of various sciences, and on the other, to the understanding of socially relevant issues.

Presidency University (earlier Presidency College) has been a reputed research centre since the late nineteenth century, a tradition initiated by eminent teachers like Acharya J. C. Bose, Prof. Alexander Pedler, and Acharya P. C. Ray. The laboratories, library and research infrastructure created over the years, offer excellent facility to conduct research at the highest level. It is because of the intellectual trend initiated by these eminent scholars that research has always remained an integral part of teaching and learning here. In recognition of the research potential of various departments, the University Grants Commission and other national agencies have time and again extended special provisions. The Economics Department was selected by the UGC as a ‘Centre of Excellence in Economic Studies’ in the Fifth Five-year Plan and the ‘Centre for Economic Studies’ was set up in the year 1972. The Centre boasts of a commendable track record and eminent faculty members at the Centre made some fundamental contribution in the fields of studies in development economics. The Department of Geology was also selected for prestigious COSIST and SAP by the UGC between 1986 and 2003 for contribution in the field of ‘Precambrian Crustal Evolution’ and the Department was recognized as UGC-Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Precambrian Crustal Evolution & Metallogeny during 2006-20012. The UGC has recently upgraded the Geology Department to ‘CAS-Phase II’ for next five years (2012-2017). The main focus of research of the Geology Department remains the study of development and evolution of early crust, atmosphere and life on Earth and genetic modelling of ore deposits, particularly iron-manganese, base metal and uranium ore deposits.

Consistent research contribution of this institution is further recognized by the Department of Science and Technology (DST, Govt. of India) when the DST awarded the prestigious FIST (Fund for Infrastructure Development in Science and Technology) facility to most of the science departments including Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Economics, Physics, Physiology and Zoology. Research in humanities and the social sciences has also received international acclaim. Research has been an integral part of the academic activities in these disciplines as well. Apart from working on projects granted by the funding agencies like the UGC, the faculty members have worked on their own and their output can be seen not only in the impressive list of publications but also as books and articles in journals of repute. Several teachers in the departments of History, Political Science, Sociology, Philosophy, English and Bengali guided research students leading to the award of Ph.D. degrees.

The primary outlook of research reflects both theoretical and practical problem oriented applied aspects in the sciences. The humanities and social sciences retain similar objectives with text, sociological and economic analyses, data survey and critical appraisals of literary and historical aspects. Research in the university is facilitated by infrastructural and administrative support from the administration. State-of-the-art laboratories, computer and Internet facilities together with a rich reference library offer high quality research infrastructure for advanced studies.

An exhaustive account of research collaboration of the faculty members in national and international levels is beyond the scope of this narrative. The faculty members have active collaborations with scholars and scientists of the national research institutes as well as with the universities in the country and abroad. Acharya P.C. Ray first started entrepreneurial development through research activities in this institution way back in the late nineteenth century, when he translated his research outputs into a successful industry with the foundation of the Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceuticals Limited. Improving industry-academia interaction remains a major concern for the University even in recent times. The faculty members are entitled to pursue consultancy projects and the University would facilitate such industry-academia collaboration through dedicated industry-university partnership cell.

Application of research to immediate societal needs, reflected in some of the commendable work done by the faculty members including the development of low-cost filter for removing arsenic from drinking water, ensures the commitment of the college to the world outside academia. The Department of Chemistry has devised a low-cost filter for removing arsenic from drinking water, free genetic diagnosis & counselling services in the diagnosis of different chromosomal disorders to patients referred from different medical institutions of Kolkata, coal-bed fire, environmental management, groundwater quality assessment and land use studies, projects on microcredit, joint forest management etc.

The advanced research laboratories and instruments such as XRD, SEM-EDS, WDS-XRF, AAS, High-resolution optical microscopes with photomicrography systems (both biological and petrological), rock-powder mills, mineral separation (isodynamic) unit etc. are open for use by external users from other institutions and industries.

In keeping with the university’s spirit of cutting edge research, the Humanities have started a new transdisciplinary initiative in the Digital Humanities. The Digital Humanities, involving the critical analyses of digital interventions in cultural theory, is a rapidly developing area in Humanities research worldwide. As a first step in exploring the area in India, the English department organised the ‘Digital Humanities in India’ conference that brought together academics working in the area from all parts of the country as well as international experts. Topics of interest covered digital archiving, social networking, digital cartography, digital games and the digitisation of texts. The university encourages collaborative research in the Digital Humanities and plans to develop on its initiative in the area.