Distinguished
Service Professor, Engineering
and Public Policy, Robotics
Institute, and Materials
Science and Engineering.
Technology
and economic growth, infrastructure development in
newly growing economies, information technology.
B.Sc. 1956,
Mysore University, India;
M.Sc., 1958, Sangor University, India;
Ph.D. 1965, University of Wales, U.K.;
D. Litt. 1990, honoris causa, Annamalai University,
India;
Dr.Engg. 1992, honoris causa, Roorkee University,
India.
Carnegie
Mellon, 1992-.
Technology
is an important ingredient for the growth of an economy.
Technology diffuses through learning, work experience,
and availability of the appropriate infrastructure.
Professor Arunachalam's present program of research
is aimed at understanding the various components that
make up this infrastructure and the specificity of
technology in determining growth. Such technologies
can indeed form the 'core technology' for a society.
The object is to understand the role of national and
industrial policies and government 'intervention'
in choosing technologies. Another issue is the problem
of technology transfer and identifying the conditions
necessary for successful transfer. Here again, the
choice of technology will be studied in the context
of national policies and priorities.
A related
interest involves the problem of building infrastructure
in developing economies, most notably electric power
and telecommunications. Professor Arunachalam's research
in these areas includes the choice of technologies,
investment options, assessment of viability and evaluation
of public good.
Professor
Arunachalam is a foreign fellow of the Royal Academy
of Engineering (U.K.) and a past president and fellow
of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, as
well as a fellow of the Indian National Academy of
Sciences.
Representative
Publications
V.S. Arunachalam
and S. Mahajan, "The Role of Materials in Lightwave
Communications," Zeitschrift Fur Metallkunde, December
1999.
R. Tongia
and V. S. Arunachalam, "India's Nuclear Breeders:
Technology, Viability, and Options," Current Science,
vol. 75, no. 6, 1998.
V. S.
Arunachalam and R. Reddy, "A Program for an Inter-University
High Speed Data Network: A Report," Carnegie Mellon
University, 1998. |
