Chennai Mathematical Institute - CMI

About Chennai Mathematical Institute - CMI

Chennai Mathematical Institute is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in the mathematical sciences. It was founded in 1989 as a part of the SPIC Science Foundation, funded by the SPIC group in Chennai. Since 1996, it has been an autonomous institution. CMI is managed by a Governing Council consisting of eminent persons. Today, CMI is a rare example of public-private partnership in research and education in India. The Institute receives major private funding, side by side with substantial financial support from the Government of India.

The main areas of research at CMI are Mathematics and Computer Science. A Physics group is also being set up. In October, 2005, CMI moved to its new campus at Siruseri, on the southern outskirts of Chennai. In December, 2006, CMI was recognized by the Government of India as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. It is recognized both within the country and abroad as one of the important centres in India for research and teaching in mathematical sciences.

CMI's goal is to evolve into an institution on the lines of the great universities in Europe and USA. These institutions, founded on a tradition of learning and scholarship over the past few centuries, attract students by the presence of outstanding academic persons on their faculties. Excellence in research and teaching go together. Faculty who are research oriented can present the material they teach from fresh perspectives. This gets students involved in the process of scientific discovery and opens the eyes of bright young minds to the joy of doing science. CMI's vision is to build on its early success and develop into a well-rounded academic institution, in the tradition of the best universities around the world.

Location - It is located in the SIPCOT IT Park, near Chennai in India. The campus is located along the Old Mahabalipuram Road, which is fast developing as the IT corridor to the south of the city.

Courses of Study - In addition to a vibrant PhD programme, the Institute conducts BSc programmes in Mathematics and Computer Science as well as Physics, along with MSc programmes in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Departments / Faculty

• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Humanities

Facilities

Hostel Campus - The campus has been designed by the well-known architect K.S.Ranganath. CMI's programme is fully residential. All students are accommodated in the hostel on campus. Students pay hostel and mess fees at the beginning of each semester. Currently, the amount payable is Rs 13,600 per semester, (Rs.4,000, Rs.7,200 and Rs. 2,400 towards hostel fees, mess charges and establishment charges respectively). These charges are adjusted periodically to account for inflation. The on-campus hostel was opened in January 2007. Currently all students are supposed to stay in the hostel.

Library - The online Library is powered by Koha free software ILS, and compliant with web standards.

Research - The research groups in Mathematics and Computer Science at CMI are among the best known in the country. Recently, a research group has also been set up in Physics. The Institute has nurtured an impressive collection of PhD students. The main areas of research in Mathematics pursued at the Institute are algebra, analysis, differential equations, geometry and topology. In Computer Science, the main areas of research are formal methods in the specification and verification of software systems, design and analysis of algorithms, computational complexity theory and computer security. In Physics, research is being carried out mainly in quantum field theory, mathematical physics and string theory.

Internship - The Institute has also entered into an active partnership with Microsoft Research India (MSR), Bangalore. Students from CMI can take up internships at MSR. In addition, faculty at both institutions will collaborate actively in teaching and research.

Transport - The Institute has a regular transportation arrangement for students to visit the city for shopping and other activities.

Placement - Though the majority of students from the Institute continue in Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics, CMI graduates have also moved into areas such as financial mathematics (at IFMR), management (at IIM) and economics (both in India and abroad). Students from CMI have also been placed in some of the best software companies in India.

Seminars - Seminars are held annually.

Achievements

Students in higher studies - Students who have graduated from CMI are pursuing higher studies at the most prestigious institutions around the world: Caltech, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Princeton, Rutgers and Yale in USA, the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, the University of Paris-Sud and the University of Bordeaux in France, the Max Planck Institutes in Saarbruecken and Bonn in Germany, ETH in Zurich, not to mention CMI, IMSc, HRI, IITs, ISI and other institutions in India.

Exchange Programme - CMI has a regular exchange programme with the Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) in France. ENS is one of the leading academic institutions in the world. Each year, the two top-ranking senior BSc students from CMI spend the summer at ENS working on research problems with faculty there. In return, four PhD students from ENS visit CMI each year to participate in research and teaching.

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Information compiled from: Chennai Mathematical Institute - CMI Website