Varun Aggarwala’s Post

Is Indian research credibility at risk because of self-citation? Phil Baty of Times Higher Education recently defended it, and they’re right - https://lnkd.in/eEKjUEh8 Giants like Einstein, Curie, and Hawking built on their own work. But in India, self-citation is sliding down a risky path. Some institutions, in the race for higher rankings, are using it to artificially inflate impact metrics. This may seem harmless, but, it’s eroding trust in our research community. Let’s talk about where it goes wrong... In India, we’re seeing self-citation patterns that aren’t always ethical. Some institutions and Professors use it to artificially boost impact metrics, Professors are gaming the system for a “better” ranking. Now it harms the credibility of our research community. When credibility is questioned, even deserving researchers lose trust. Self-citations aren’t the enemy. Misuse is. As Indian institutions, let’s set the right standards. Let’s make sure our research is about true discovery – not just climbing the ranks. Why? Because overuse of self-citations can distort genuine research impact, and this manipulation affects how the world sees Indian academia. Image Credit: Phil Baty

Earlier this week, I was very honored to be invited by the School of Economics and Management of Dalian University of Technology to return to Dalian having a classroom session  with the students. During the lecture, I shared my insights on several significant global trends until 2050. In the auditorium, I mainly met #economics and #business students. Therefore, I kicked off my lecture with key economic facts, such as slowing global growth, increasing trade barriers, potential scenarios of the future world trade order, and the future of #globalization. Sharing about the ongoing discussions between economists on whether we will have a genuinely global, multi-polar, or fragmented economic world order by 2050 was met with great interest. The rising economic weight of Asia in the global economy is both, a fact and a future trend. This trend also puts more responsibility on Asian countries, not only for balanced trade and investment policies but also on how Asia can reach its growth ambitions by protecting the #environment at the same time and not depleting natural #resources. The loss of #biodiversity is visible on many farms in Asia, where humans take over bees' job of pollinating trees. Still, I do not believe that AI-driven robot bees will be saving our planet eventually. Nevertheless, #technology and #innovation will have to play an enormously important role here. I discussed with the students how advances in #ai and #genai will make a difference to humankind and how nations work together to advance innovation by controlling the risks. My lecture's final part was about the long-term impact of critical economic and environmental changes and the accelerating innovation on people and societies. How do we deal with the aging population across many countries in the northern hemisphere of the globe? Are we ready for the dramatic changes #AI will bring to jobs and how we live our lives? There are many more questions that the next generation will be pivotal in coming up with ideas and shaping the answers to. University students of today will need to navigate both #challenges and #opportunities in the future, which are crucial in shaping society. To do so, they need the necessary knowledge and skills. Furthermore, having an open mind and innovative thinking is critical to discovering new opportunities in a changing world. I was glad to engage with the students after the lecture, and I hope my talk will inspire their thinking and equip them for their future endeavors. (Disclaimer: The ideas, views, and opinions expressed in my LinkedIn posts, articles, videos, and profiles represent my own views and not those of my current or previous employers or any organizations with which I am associated. Additionally, any comments on my posts from respondents/commenters to my posts belong to, and only to, the responder posting the comment.)

Presented a paper at International Conference organized by Sarvajanik University on Heartful Practices - The key for Inclusive, sustainable & global education. In the times when we are seeing the fast evolutionary changes through human brain in matter & material world.. what makes us different from AI, Robots, humanoids, Clones etc is the spiritual heart which humans can't make but which is the key connection between Nature's Energy & this world. We need to make an educational system wherein we can teach our generations how to tap this spiritual heart so that we can enhance human's sentient mass evolution. , the heart approach promotes a society that values emotional intelligence, empathy, and human connection. Its widespread adoption could lead to healthier relationships, stronger communities, inclusive leadership, and an overall more harmonious and resilient future for generations to come. Its times to put higher values into action and not talk just about it. #highereducation #educaitonreforms #NEP #inclusiveeducation #equitable #humanrights #humanvalues #international #conference #research #education #surat #india

still relevant and need much more emphasis...

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 📝 In today's rapidly evolving academic landscape, professors' roles extend far beyond teaching. 📚 Research is at the heart of innovation, and publishing in reputable journals can shape the future of education and society. Here’s why focusing on high-quality publications is crucial:  🔍 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Publishing in well-established journals boosts the individual professor’s reputation and elevates their institution’s standing on the global stage. This can lead to stronger collaborations and more opportunities for international research. 🎯 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 Research in fields like science, technology, AI, and social sciences can address real-world challenges. When professors publish high-impact research, they contribute directly to India’s growth, supporting healthcare, education, and industry innovations. 🌱 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  A strong research profile sets an example for students. When professors prioritize cutting-edge research, they inspire the next generation of scholars to dive deeper into academia and push boundaries in their fields. 🔗 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 High-quality publications open doors to research funding, collaborations with global scholars, and industry partnerships that bring practical applications to life. Let’s aim for impact on the world and future generations by prioritizing research excellence! 🔬📊 #Research #Education #HigherEd #Innovation #India #AcademicExcellence

It is time for India to stop phd. Indian education is not promoting science...it is teaching students how to make money from the earliest age. Universities should focus on teaching research, innovation, and entrepreneurship instead of teaching how to make money. This will create a more skilled workforce and create jobs. It will also help to bridge the gap between rich and poor in India.

Amid discussions on the fairness of NIRF University ranking, I find them being futile. Aren't the metrics behind it: the teaching credentials, research journal ranking and the way of recognition a fair process. A journal having an impact factor of 10 or above publishing the same ML model again and again, is it better than a paper with innovative ideas but publishing in a low impact theoretical journal. These rankings have led to deterioration of universities, now being centres of blind publishing. Career of students who came to study the fundamentals now lurch in this race. My take: let universities be universities, for research open R&D labs. Give them adequate funding and industry linkages. Give students a way to visit labs often but do not make labs a university. Research should sprout innovation which should then lead to fulfillment of societal needs. We need Nobel prizes not Q1/Q2 or core ranks which change every year. We need leaders in education to ignite bright minds who can spearhead the change. Undeniably a good foundation of theoretical concepts will lead to novel research papers but that is not the goal, the goal remains strong fundamentals.University Grants Commission (UGC) Research Foundation Of India (RFI) Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Sai University Revolutionizes Indian Education with launch of four New Schools, a first-of-its-kind initiative in India. Schools of Artificial Intelligence, Management, Biotechnology & Media Studies. Sai University Click: https://lnkd.in/e9rH9t7T

Joined a panel at Hangzhou Normal University today to discuss #innovation and future industries with Chinese and international students. Some key points: What are the comprehensive qualities needed by today’s university students? First, you need to maintain your physical, emotional and intellectual health. We live in a world full of toxins. Both survival and dignity require limiting the extent which you allow yourself to be poisoned. Second, with health in hand, you need to have purpose, ability, opportunity, and drive. Nietzsche insist drive or will is the most important, and Gramsci would temper this with his prison mantra, "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.” Forget tangping (躺平). You need to resist the culture of nihilism, you need to avoid the sort of end-of-the-world post-humanism that features in so many books, films and video games. Žižek has characterized those who follow this trend as being “perverts who are secretly horny for the apocalypse.” He's right. Third, in the past, the "hero" succeeded when she became the "master of two worlds." In today's #quantum environment, in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, where we experience the “blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds,” one must move with increasing sophistication between different fields. Fourth, the gaokao (高考) has conditioned too many to avoid risk and fear failure, two of the most common companions of seeking success through innovation. Today, most Chinese university graduates eschew entrepreneurship for a government job or position with a state-owned enterprise. But the fourth industrial revolution is just that--a revolution--and you need to run towards the struggle, you need to adapt, grow, innovate, change, or get left behind. What are some challenges students should consider?   First, avoid becoming enframed and reduced by technology or technological society, and I mean this both in terms of what you do and how you think. Learn to have more humanistic experiences, learn to love, care and relate to others in meaningful ways. Avoid mistaking individualism for how you cultivate your image in media or the apps you use. Too often this is a mirror, with an #ai inside showing you what you want to see... Second, young people lack experience, and therefore they lack perspective and wisdom. Let's recall the idiom of the frog at the bottom of the well, looking upward. Today the greater risk is that we're a prince or princess gazing into the well, hoping to catch our reflection in the water below, or perhaps simply entranced by the dark vertigo of staring into a black hole. This can breed narcissism, alienation, hopelessness and resentment. Yes, we live in a new era with challenges unseen in a century, yes there are many headwinds, but the youth of today in many respects are the best we've ever produced. Be grateful for what you have, not resentful for what you don’t have, and work positively to make things better.

A personal highlight of the Times Higher Education Asia Universities Summit was a plenary conversation with Tieniu Tan, Chair of the University Council at China's Nanjing University - on student success. Professor Tan is a highly decorated scholar and a leading expert on Artificial Intelligence, so it was good to hear about how the university is adopting teaching for the digital age, with a new compulsory core course for all first year students on #AI and with a fresh focus on closer cooperation between the university and industry. A major theme of the event was the importance of teaching values and integrity - in an age of misinformation and disinformation. At Nanjing, Professor Tan explained, students received two transcripts – one for academic performance and one for their “integrity”, which measures their soft skills.  “The most important soft skill is virtue,” said Professor Tan. “I believe students with virtue and talent are [a] quality product…Students with talent and no virtue [are] a poisonous product.” THE's report on Nanjing's compulsory AI module is here: https://lnkd.in/eD4JvfSR THE's Helen Packer's write-up of the interview, and much more from the Summit, is here: https://lnkd.in/eApN2uKF During the event, Professor Tan confirmed China's drive to promote international scientific and educational cooperation and cultural exchanges and international scientific and technological collaborations. Times Higher Education very much looks forward to collaboration - thanks to great worth from Simone Dilena, Sophia LI and our APAC team. #THEAsia #AI #StudentSuccess #graduateemployability #AIeducation