Lights fade at Calcutta University’s unique Department of Applied Optics and Photonics due to staff shortage

KOLKATA: When Kallol Bhattacharya, professor and head of department, retires next year, Calcutta University’s department of applied optics and photonics will be left with just two permanent teachers for 164 undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as PhD scholars.

Born out of CU’s department of applied physics, itself set up in 1925 and celebrating its centenary year, the department of applied optics and photonics was for many years, the only one of its kind in the country. It started as an MSc in Applied Physics with specialisation in Lighting Engineering, first offered in 1951-52. It struck out as a separate department in 2005. Over the years, it built a strong reputation for teaching and research in optics, photonics, and related subjects; its graduates have gone on to become scientists and teachers in India and abroad.

But now, acute teacher shortage threatens that legacy. The department has nine sanctioned posts but only three teachers, soon to be two. Managing classes, research, and student supervision has become quite challenging, said Rajib Chakraborty, professor, integrated optics, photonics, “If there is no immediate recruitment, we will face serious challenges,” he said.

The department offers a four-year BTech in Optics and Optoelectronics – the only one in the country – and three MTech programmes, Optics and Photonics; Biomedical Instrumentation, and Astronomy. It also offers an integrated MTech-PhD programme in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) Bengaluru, and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) Nainital.

‘Teaching load is huge’

Over the years, the University of Calcutta department’s curriculum has evolved to reflect new technologies and research areas. As part of the applied physics department, this branch introduced MTech in Optical Engineering in the 1960s, followed by BTech and MTech in Applied Optics and Laser Technology in the 1970s, and MTech in Optics and Optoelectronics in the 1980s. The BTech programme was launched in 2016.

“Because of the small class sizes, students share a close relationship with teachers. They can discuss academic or even personal issues freely,” said Chakraborty. However, he admits that the workload is heavy and growing.

“With only three full-time teachers, soon to be two, the teaching load is huge. Guest faculty handle allied subjects like computer science and electronics, but it’s difficult to find experts in optics and photonics. That affects our research too,” he explained. Chakraborty, who guides six PhD scholars in nanophotonics research, added that his own research progress has slowed because of teaching pressures.

Success against the odds

Despite the challenges, the department has prospered.

Its highly-specialised BTech in Optics and Optoelectronics draws students from far and wide. “Our students come from across the country, which makes this a truly national programme,” said Chakraborty. The programme combines core science subjects in the first year with specialised training in photonics over the next three years.

Graduates have done well in industry and research.

According to Kanik Palodhi, assistant professor in the department, demand for graduates, researchers and scientists in the photonics industry has risen significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“From 2023 onwards, there has been a shift toward design-based work, or optical design, because hardware-based or experimental activities are limited in India,” Palodhi said, adding, “Earlier, many students preferred going abroad for research or academic positions at institutions like Harvard or Oxford. But recent policy changes in countries such as the US and UK have encouraged more students to stay in India, where industry opportunities are now expanding rapidly. Awareness about optical design as a subject and a career is growing, and we expect increasing demand in this field.”

“Lighting plays a vital role in architecture, stadiums, and roadways,” he continued. “Many of our students are learning lighting design through new software tools introduced in the curriculum.”

The lighting industry, teachers say, offers flexible work options, as much of the design can be done remotely. Beyond the state, there is high demand across India for experts in optical design, optical instrumentation, photonic instrumentation, and also biomedical imaging.

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Companies such as TCS, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS) and others are increasingly hiring postgraduates and PhD holders in these areas.

CU department graduates in demand, globally

The department continues to nurture students who excel globally. Many participate in outreach activities in rural areas, inspiring others to pursue higher education. That outreach is bearing fruit.

“From 2016 onwards, we’ve seen students from very remote Bengali-medium schools going abroad through Erasmus Mundus scholarships ,” says Palodhi. “One of our students from Dhulagarh, a village that during his study days didn’t have electricity, is now a scientist at the University of Southampton .” End blurb

The department plans to introduce short-term courses in the near future, but faculty shortage remains a hurdle. Another challenge, Palodhi says, is that the subject “Optics and Optoelectronics” often doesn’t appear in dropdown menus on online job applications, making it difficult for graduates to apply.

“Earlier, when everything was on paper, such problems never existed,” Chakraborti said.

Admissions: JEE Main, WBJEE, GATE, NET

Admission to the BTech programme is through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) and West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) . However, Chakraborty observes that many students who score high in entrance exams struggle to maintain the same performance in university examinations. “These students know how to score in competitive exams because they learn the tricks to score well in entrance exams but often lack in-depth subject understanding,” he said.

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Admission to the postgraduate and research programmes are via the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and the National Eligibility Test (NET), respectively.

As for the integrated programmes, admission is again through GATE or NET and the students receive scholarships from the collaborating institutes, said Chakraborty, adding “Students complete two years of study in Kolkata before moving to Bengaluru or Nainital for their PhD research.”