Georgia Tech-Europe professor, Dr. Nico Declercq was named Honorary Adjunct Professor of Physics at the University of Allahabad in India. Declercq received this honorific title for his lifetime work and achievements in Acoustics and Ultrasonics. It is also a celebration of many years of friendship with the Physics Department at the University of Allahabad, particularly with Professor Raja Ram Yadav and his colleagues.
Dr. Declercq is a G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering faculty, with primary duties at Tech’s European campus, Georgia Tech-Europe, in Metz, France. He received his PhD in Engineering Physics from Ghent University and his MS in Physics from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He joined Georgia Tech in 2006.
The University of Allahabad is a central collegiate university located in Uttar Pradesh, India. The Chancellor is Mr. Ashish Kumar Chauhan, and the Vice-Chancellor is Professor Sangita Srivastava. The research topics at the Physics Department range from Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics to Plasma Physics and several types of Spectroscopy. In Ultrasonics, the investigations focus on advanced materials and nanomaterials.
The University of Allahabad was established in 1887 and is, therefore, almost as old as the Georgia Institute of Technology, established in 1885. One of the oldest modern universities in India, the university is known as the "Oxford of the East" and stems from the Muir Central College, established in 1876 and named after Sir William Muir, who suggested establishing a Central University at Allahabad.
The Physics Department was established in 1922 as a faculty, located in the Muir Central College premises. Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington (1882-1944) nominated astrophysicist Meghnad Saha (1893-1956) to become the first professor and Head of the Department in 1923.
When Meghnad Saha resigned as head of the Department, quantum physicist Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961) was selected to be his successor and accepted. However, travelling to India was impossible because of WWII, and the university had to offer the position to physicist Sir Kariamanikkam Srinivasa Krishnan (1898-1961) in 1942 instead. The latter was the co-discoverer of Raman scattering. The physics of acoustic waves was introduced in the Department by Rajendra Nath Ghosh (1892), who was, like acousto-optician N. S. Nagendra Nath, a co-worker of C.V. Raman.
According to Georgia Tech's strategic plan, our strategies are guided by our values, and Dr. Declercq’s award exemplifies the core value of celebrating collaboration. Strong academic connections such as this one between Georgia Tech and the University of Allahabad strengthen our role in worldwide collaboration along with building a global learning network to expand our reach and amplify our impact.
Dr. Declercq is certain that this close connection with India will be mutually beneficial and will open doors for faculty to access networks of researchers and prospective students.