IIT Goa’s 7th Convocation Ceremony

188 students awarded degrees, Institute reports 92.25% placement rate

Goa Khabar : The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa celebrated its 7th Convocation Ceremony at Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir, Ponda, on Sunday, with 188 students receiving degrees across B.Tech., M.Tech. and Ph.D. programmes.

The ceremony was presided over by IIT Goa Board of Governors Chairperson Mr. Adil Zainulbhai and attended by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, as Chief Guest. Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Persistent Systems Ltd., was the Guest of Honour. 

Among the graduate students, Presented President of India gold medal Award to the Overall Topper of Bachelor of Technology Class of 2026 Mithun P from Computer Science and Engineering, while Deval Nyaneshwar Gawas (M.Tech. EE) was awarded the Institute Gold Medal. The Best Outgoing Student (Overall) award was presented to Atharva Sachin Keny (B.Tech. CSE). Dr. Rubal (Ph.D. ME) received the Best  Doctoral Thesis Award (Engineering).

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Zainulbhai urged graduates to move beyond the traditional job-seeking mindset and become creators of opportunities and nation-builders. Stressing the importance of entrepreneurship, innovation and continuous learning, he said India’s growth would be driven by young professionals capable of developing indigenous solutions to emerging challenges.

On the occasion Dr. Anand Deshpande encouraged students to prepare for long and dynamic careers by embracing lifelong learning and adaptability. He highlighted five pillars of sustained professional success — ambition, continuous learning, teamwork, strong personal values and perseverance. He called upon graduates to focus on creating value and contributing meaningfully to society through innovation and leadership.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood lauded the achievements of young Indians in science and technology and urged graduates to convert research into scalable real-world solutions. Referring to government initiatives aimed at supporting deep-tech innovation and entrepreneurship, he said the country was creating an enabling ecosystem for scientific advancement. He also encouraged students to explore emerging interdisciplinary areas such as artificial intelligence, biology and quantum technologies to address global scientific and environmental challenges.

Presenting the institute’s report for 2025–26, IIT Goa Director Prof. Dhirendra S. Katti congratulated the graduating students and acknowledged the support of parents, faculty and staff. As IIT Goa approaches its tenth anniversary, he outlined several new academic initiatives, including a double-major pathway for undergraduate students, industry-focused specializations within M.Tech. programmes, a new M.S. by Research programme and the introduction of two-year M.Sc. programmes.

On the research front, Prof. Katti stated that the institute secured 15 Extramural Research (EMR) projects with cumulative funding of approximately ₹690.88 lakh. He also announced that IIT Goa had expanded its academic and research collaborations through the signing of 11 strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with national and international institutions.

Further Prof. Katti noted that the graduating batch recorded an impressive 92.25 per cent placement rate, reflecting the institute’s growing reputation and strong industry engagement.

On the occasion Faculty members, staff, students, parents and invited dignitaries were also present.