Bhattacharyya studied at Hijli High School, situated inside IIT Kharagpur campus & then studied Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, successfully sought honours and titles, taking his Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in 1960.[1] The following year, he moved to Britain, where he worked for six years as a graduate apprentice at Lucas Industries, a large British manufacturing company.[8] During this time, he studied at the University of Birmingham, where he was awarded a Master of Science (MSc) degree in engineering production and management, followed by a PhD in engineering production in 1970.[9] While completing his PhD at Birmingham, he was appointed as a lecturer and began the process of establishing a manufacturing education programme for industry there.[8]
Career and research
In 1980, he moved to the University of Warwick and, with the support of Vice-Chancellor Jack Butterworth, he founded WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) of which he served as chairman until his death. WMG is now one of the largest academic departments of the university and is known for its collaborative research and education programmes with industry.[10] During this time, he was instrumental in brokering significant partnerships for UK manufacturing including the takeover of Jaguar Land Rover by Indian firm Tata Motors[11][12] in 2008 and the investment in the National Automotive Innovation Centre at the University of Warwick.[13]
Lord Bhattacharyya's contribution to innovation in academia and industry led to several prime ministerial visits to WMG. Margaret Thatcher called Bhattacharyya "a true pioneer" in a 1990 speech opening WMG's Advanced Technology Centre.[14] A decade later, Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair said WMG was "an outstanding example of combining academic excellence with industrial relevance."[15] In a 2007 speech, Blair's successor, Gordon Brown, said that WMG "provides a prime example of how the knowledge created in our universities can be transferred to make a difference in the real world".[16]
In 2016, Prime Minister Theresa May visited WMG with Chancellor Philip Hammond as part of her government's development of a UK Industrial Strategy.[17]
Kumar Bhattacharyya sat on the Labour benches in the House of Lords. His focus was on policy areas such as business and industry, economy and finance, education, international affairs and science and technology. Throughout his career, he was a passionate advocate for engineering innovation and the revival of British industry.[26]Lord Baker paid tribute to his enormous contribution to technical education in the UK as "quite remarkable".[27]
Books
In 2002, Andrew Lorenz wrote a book about Bhattacharyya's career and the growth of WMG, entitled Kumar Bhattacharyya: The Unsung Guru.[28]
1998: Mensforth International Gold Medal for outstanding international contribution to manufacturing engineering and management – Institution of Electrical Engineers.[29]
1999: Sir Robert Lawrence Award for Services to Logistics – Institute for Logistics and Transport.[30]
2002: Padma Bhushan awarded by President of India for services to Science and Technology.[31]
2004: Life Peer as Baron Bhattacharyya, of Moseley in the County of West Midlands; Honorary D.Eng. awarded by University of Birmingham.[32]
2005: The Duncan Davies Medal for outstanding contribution to research and development in the UK – The Research and Development Society.[33]
2008: Honorary Doctorate of Science (DSc) from IIT Kharagpur.
2011: Honorary Membership – Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) given for ability and stature, plus contribution of substantial skills and talent to accomplish the goals of the society.[34]
2014: Coventry Award of Merit for outstanding personal achievement in raising the status of UK engineering and manufacturing and for his service to the promotion of the University of Warwick and the City of Coventry.
2017: Received the Great Wall Friendship Award,[39] described as "Beijing's highest award for foreign experts"[40] from Beijing Acting Mayor Mr. Chen Jining on behalf of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality.
"Kumar Bhattacharyya is the founder and leader of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) whose mission is to improve the competitiveness of industry through innovative collaborative research, educational and knowledge transfer programmes WMG employs over 300 staff with a similar number seconded from industry. It has a global reputation in automotive research, the built environment, digital technology and healthcare systems. Kumar Bhattacharyya was the primary architect of the Integrated Graduate Development Scheme, now considered best practice in CPD by many Universities, and was the first to run the Eng Doc programme on similar principles. In 30 years, the Education programmes have involved over 25,000 individuals and over 500 UK companies. Bhattacharyya has received many international honours, awards and honorary doctorates."[21]
Named after Lord Bhattacharyya
In November 2018, Coventry City Council deputy leader Abdul Khan announced that the council had asked the University of Warwick to rename part of University Road as Lord Bhattacharyya Way. The university agreed, and additionally announced that the UK's National Automotive Innovation Centre building, which will be sited on Lord Bhattacharyya Way, would be named The Lord Bhattacharyya building.[48]
Personal life
Bhattacharyya and his Irish wife, Bridget, had three daughters, Anita, Tina and Malini.[1] As well as Bengali and English, he either spoke or understood Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.[49] He wrote a regular opinion column for the Birmingham Post.[50][51]
Death
Professor Lord Bhattacharyya died on 1 March 2019 following a short illness.[52]
^"No. 57391". The London Gazette. 24 August 2004. p. 10694.
^"No. 57312". The London Gazette. 9 June 2004. p. 7176.
^ ab"Kumar Bhattacharyya". Royal Society. 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2018. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where:
