Preeti Aghalayam’s journey from being a student at IIT Madras to leading an international IIT campus reflects her long career in education, research and academic leadership.
Aghalayam began her academic journey at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, where she studied Chemical Engineering. She completed her BTech degree in 1995, building the foundation for a career focused on teaching, research and higher education.
She later moved to the United States for advanced studies and earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. Her doctoral studies helped strengthen her expertise in chemical engineering and prepared her for an academic career.
After completing her PhD, Aghalayam began her teaching career at IIT Bombay as a faculty member. She worked in academics and research before eventually returning to IIT Madras, where she continued to contribute to teaching and research in Chemical Engineering.
A New Chapter at IIT Madras Zanzibar
A major milestone in Aghalayam’s career came in 2023, when she was appointed Director-in-Charge of IIT Madras Zanzibar in Tanzania.
IIT Madras Zanzibar represents IIT Madras’ first international campus initiative. Aghalayam took on an important role in developing the new institution and helping establish its academic and administrative systems.
Setting up an international campus involved creating programmes, developing academic processes and building an educational environment that follows the standards associated with IIT Madras. Her experience in teaching, research and academic administration became important in this process.
The Zanzibar campus has introduced undergraduate programmes in areas including Chemical Engineering and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. These programmes aim to provide students with technical education while creating opportunities for international academic collaboration.
Aghalayam’s journey also highlights the changing role of Indian higher education institutions on the global stage. Her move from IIT Madras student to an academic leader at an international IIT campus shows how education and research careers can develop over several decades.
Her career has combined engineering education, research and institutional leadership. From completing her BTech at IIT Madras to earning a PhD abroad, teaching at IIT Bombay, returning to IIT Madras and eventually taking a leadership role in Zanzibar, Aghalayam has remained closely connected to higher education.
The development of IIT Madras Zanzibar marks another important stage in that journey, as the institution works to establish itself as an international centre for technical education and academic collaboration.