IIT Gandhinagar prides itself on its broad-based engagement of students. The Convocation at IITGN marks the culmination of student engagement in the institute and serves as the starting point for their future journey. The occasion celebrates the achievement of each student and recognizes the central goal of the institute, namely student engagement, enlightenment and excellence. The event mirrors the institute’s culture of caring for and inspiring its members. IITGN lives through its students and the Convocation at IITGN serves to portray this ethos.

Chief Guest: Dr. Krishnaswamy VijayRaghavan, Former Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India

Dr. Krishnaswamy VijayRaghavan is a distinguished professor and former director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, and former Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India. His research interests are in the fields of developmental biology, genetics and neurogenetics, and on the important principles and mechanisms that control the nervous system and muscles during development and how these neuromuscular systems direct specific locomotor behaviours. In 2012, Dr VijayRaghavan was elected a fellow of The Royal Society and was conferred up on the Padma Shri in 2013 by the Government of India.

Dr VijayRaghavan graduated with a BTech degree in 1975 and a master's in 1977 in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. He completed his doctoral research from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)in 1983 in the field of molecular biology. During his postdoctoral work from 1984 to 1985, he was a research fellow and then, from 1986 to 1988, a senior research fellow at the California Institute of Technology. Prof VijayRaghavan is a member of the board of governors of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, and a senior editor of the journal eLife. He also served as the secretary of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India. Dr VijayRaghavan was conferred upon Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2003 by IIT Kanpur.