Krishnendu Chakrabarty
Leading by Example
Krishnendu Chakrabarty received the Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, in Kharagpur , India and the M.S.E. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science and engineering from the University of Michigan . He joined the Duke faculty in 1998 after serving as assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Boston University . Krish, as he is widely known, pioneered research on the testing and design-for-testability of core-based system-on-chip (SOC) integrated circuits. Acknowledged by his peers as a “leading influence” in the emergence of this research area, Professor Chakrabarty was recently elevated to the grade of Fellow by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
What Krish's students find especially endearing “is his willingness to lead by example and get his hands dirty trying to solve their problems.” Krish builds leadership qualities in his students by teaching them how to supervise the research progress of younger students, set agendas for meetings, and develop and stick to work schedules for the semester, resulting in a highly effective graduate school experience that has armed them with the ability to lead a team of researchers successfully. His readiness to focus completely on his students' progress has been extremely beneficial to his students' success. One student observed that “most of his Ph.D. students finished their study in a period of three to four years and landed decent first-entry jobs. Some of them, including me, continue to do research together with him after graduation.”
Krish's mentoring commitment extends to identifying promising young scientists in their precollege years.
“Krish believes strongly in early mentoring programs that pick out promising high-school students and bring them into a sophisticated research environment…This is not only highly beneficial to the high-schoolers (one of whom has gone on to gain admission to MIT), but also infuses our research group with tremendous diversity in terms of academic and research skills…As a result, everyone in the group gains.”
Professor Chakrabarty captures the minds and hearts of his students by encouraging independent, critical thinking and building a strong personal rapport with every student he meets.
“What makes Krish such a good mentor, especially to young students, many of whom have never worked or studied in a research environment before, is his highly approachable nature and ability to immediately grasp the problems his students may be experiencing, from the student's point of view.”
Nominators add that “comfortable personal relationships are the cornerstone of effective mentoring, since students are encouraged to bring their problems to Krish and are also encouraged to gain the ability of solving problems on their own.” Professor Chakrabarty strikes a balance between being actively involved in his students' research and giving them room to grow. “He shares with us his zest for research, excellent analytical skills, eye for detail and insistence on ethics as well as quality research.”