The man has a relaxed air about him. He doesn?t seem to be in a hurry. Guess that?s a trait with top scientists. P Anandan, managing director of Microsoft Research India, points towards a plush Lazyboy chair and even wants you to stretch out and then shoot the questions. That would have been too much relaxation and hence one straightens up the chair to start the discussion. Being a Friday afternoon, Anandan looked even more at peace, in a kurta pyjama, at his office.
He has been heading operations at Microsoft Research since January 2005. The firm conducts research in computing and engineering sciences relevant to Microsoft?s business in particular and the global IT community in general. The emphasis, according to the company, is on technology for emerging markets and underserved communities, digital geographics, mobility and networks, and multilingual systems. This apart from some critical work in other areas such as software engineering, cryptography and security, applied mathematics and algorithms research.
Anandan holds a Ph.D in computer science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He also attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where he received his master of science in computer science, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, where he earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering.
Anandan has been part of MS Research at the company headquarters in Redmond, since June 1997. He was instrumental in building one of world?s strongest research teams in computer vision and video processing.
In the research circles, he has a giant reputation. Anandan widely regarded as one of the finest brains in the business that he is in, and close to being the last word.
?I can?t say I had a specific childhood dream, but have always wanted to do something that will impact society. Microsoft Research is by far the best place to do computer science research in an industrial setting. I am glad to have an opportunity to work here,? he says.
?The quality of the people that work here, the high standards of research, the freedom to explore ideas and the opportunity to learn from the company?s vast experience in building products for probably the largest customer base in the computer industry are great incentives,? says Anandan, who has a passion for African drumming.
During his American research days, he had also served as an ambassador for the Microsoft Research University Relations programme in India. Through repeat visits to India?s leading educational institutions, Anandan helped develop strong relationships between Indian universities and Microsoft Research. He has also represented Microsoft in meetings with the government of India to emphasise the company?s commitment to research and development. Anandan continues Microsoft Research?s ongoing relationships with the government and academic communities.
Before joining Microsoft, Anandan was an assistant professor of computer science for four years at Yale University, where he founded the computer vision group. His group developed state-of-the-art video stabilisation technology and systems for ground and airborne video surveillance. Over two decades, his research work has resulted in numerous patents, academic papers and recognition in the form of several awards in computer vision.
During a research career that has spanned two decades, Anandan has done some globally recognised research in video motion analysis and is noted for his cutting edge contributions in the area of optical flow, motion estimation, video mosaicking and 3-D scene analysis.
He says that work at Microsoft Research India at the moment is pulsating. ?I see a lot of new innovations coming up in the mobile space, obviously given my own background I have a special excitement about the space of imaging and video, what we are doing in the area of technology for emerging markets, the interesting challenges and opportunities for addressing privacy and security issues in the cloud etc.?
?I try to hire the best people. I can and give them the room to do their best. I encourage people to make their work fun and collaborate with others,? he says.
Anandan believes the next big wave in technology will come from life sciences. ?I think the convergence of biology, sensors and computing is a place to look. As we unravel the mysteries of biological systems, we will find ourselves ways to address many problems in health, find ways to live a healthy life by continuously monitoring our well-being, and find ways to enhance our natural potential and capabilities.?