The Central University of Kerala is organizing its first Multidisciplinary International Conference in hybrid mode (International Conference on Functional Materials for Advanced Technologies - ICFMAT 1) during 2-4 January 2023. The conference has fixed its major theme as “Functional Materials for Technological Applications”.
21st century is looking forward to research advancement in futuristic technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, Quantum Technologies, Energy Materials (both energy harvesting, and storage), and Health Care Systems.
Materials engineering and Nanotechnology are two central technologies which contribute to all these. The development of engineered materials with added functionalities is the need of the hour. The individual building blocks required for the abovementioned futuristic technologies like sensors, storage/memory devices, logic gates, nanoscale transistors, FET, MOSFETs, Photonic crystals, batteries, energy harvesters like solar cells, piezoelectric/thermoelectric energy harvesters etc. demands for specifically engineered functional materials.
Health is always the primary concern of humankind. Regarding the healthcare sector, focused research is being carried out at different labs across the world in the development of wearable healthcare systems, point-of-care healthcare systems, disease diagnostic kits, sensors for pathogen detection, nano-vehicles for targeted drug/genetic material delivery, engineered materials for cancer cell imaging and hyperthermia etc. Identification and engineering of suitable functional materials are of primary importance here too.
This conference will be one of the big International meetings exclusively dedicated to Functional Materials for technological applications. The conference will be extremely useful for researchers working in the field of functional materials and devices and will provide a platform for direct interaction with eminent scientists with diversified backgrounds. The conference includes wider themes to make the event truly interdisciplinary in nature to unravel the recent research and developments in materials research and their applications in various fields including energy harvesting/storage, memory devices, nanoelectronics/mechanics. The conference will feature keynote addresses, plenary sessions, invited talks, short invited lectures and contributed lectures focusing on specific tenets of Functional materials and devices.
24 globally reputed international/national speakers (of which 14 speakers are from outside of India) are delivering keynote/plenary talks at the conference on various applications of materials science and Nanotechnology. The programme starts with an inaugural session at 10.00 am, on Jan 2, 2023, where Prof. H. Venkateshwarlu, Hon Vice Chancellor, Central University of Kerala will inaugurate the event by lighting the lamp. In the inaugural function, Prof. Pulickal M. Ajayan- Benjamin M. & Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering, at Rice University, the keynote speaker of the conference, will be honoured. He is the founding chair of Rice University's Materials Science and NanoEngineering department and also holds joint appointments with the Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University USA. He has published more than 1750 articles (H index =210, i10 Index 1035, total citations close to 2 Lakh) on functional nanomaterials of which more than 300 are in Nature group journals. He is the co-inventor of Carbon nanotubes and the owner of two Guinness world records for making the smallest nanobrush and the darkest material in the world.
Apart from the 24 plenary speakers, 20 speakers are delivering invited/short invited talks on the development of materials for specific applications in the field of IoT, energy, biology/medicine, storage/memory, nanoelectronics, etc. Computational/situational aspects of materials also will be covered. About 30 contributory oral presentations and 70 poster presentations are scheduled in hybrid mode during Jan 2-4, 2023, and the total number of participants (from outside our institution) is 200. The programme will be spread out in 4 venues, all hosted at the Central University of Kerala.
Apart from the technical sessions, international Delegates from industry are giving parallel sessions on job opportunities related to the theme of "Materials", mainly meant for job aspirants in the field of Materials Science. The conference is in line with most of the projected vision of National education policy –Emphasising the multidisciplinary research for future technology, job market-oriented skill development, bringing the lab derived technologies as functional products, emphasis on futuristic technologies like Energy materials, materials for IoT/Artificial intelligence/quantum technologies, and materials for healthcare systems etc. This can kick start discussions on bilateral student/faculty exchange programmes with US/Europe/Australia/Japan like developed sectors which are highly beneficial. It also will pave the way to the establishment of multidisciplinary skill-oriented courses like M.Tech Materials engineering, M.Tech Nanotechnology, and integrated Ph.D programmes in Nanoscience/ Nanotechnology/Nanomedicine. Prof. Swapna S. Nair (Programme General Convenor, Dpt. Of Physics), Prof. Rajendra Pilankatta (Co-convenor, Dpt. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Prof. A. Saktivel (Member, Dpt. of Chemistry) and Public Relations Officer K. Sujith participated in the press conference.