Professor & Director at Amrita University @AMRITAedu's @MindBrainCenter, a place where we talk Tech, Sciences, Philosophy, Compassion, Happiness and Culture.

Amritapuri, Kollam, Kerala
Joined February 2009
🌱 A landmark partnership for rural resilience! In the presence of Dr. Shaji Krishnan, Chairman, NABARD, and Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita and NABARD signed an MoU to advance: ✅ Climate & Disaster Resilience ✅ Circular Economy ✅ Rural Entrepreneurship Building sustainable futures, together. #Amrita #NABARD #ClimateAction #RuralDevelopment #Sustainability
2
2
139
A rainy October day @AMRITAedu – at Karunagapalli, India
6
236
📷A Diagnosis That Sparked Hope Across the World Congratulations to Dr. Sheela Nampoothiri, Professor, Amrita School of Medicine, and Head of Paediatric Genetics, @AmritaHospitals, Kochi, whose expertise helped launch a journey leading to a groundbreaking therapeutic advance for a rare genetic disorder. When a family affected by one of the world's rarest genetic disorders was searching for answers, Dr. Nampoothiri's expertise helped identify the condition, setting in motion an international scientific journey that would eventually lead to a pioneering therapeutic breakthrough. Jansen's Metaphyseal Chondrodysplasia (JMC) is one of the world's rarest genetic disorders, affecting bone growth and calcium metabolism, and causing significant skeletal challenges for those living with the condition. Her role exemplifies the power of medicine, where world-class clinical expertise, research, and compassionate care come together to transform lives. Read the story on @TheWeek: theweek.in/magazine/health/c… Read on the @nytimes: nytimes.com/2020/07/07/healt… #AmritaSchoolOfMedicine #DrSheelaNampoothiri #RareDiseaseResearch #MedicalBreakthrough #Genetics #HealthcareInnovation #AmritaImpact #AcademicMedicine
3
4
291
🏆 Global Recognition for Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction 🌍 On the @UN International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, themed "Resilience Starts at Home," we celebrate an inspiring achievement by Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh. Congratulations to Dr. @ManeeshaSudheer on being named a finalist for the 2026 WIN DRR Excellence Award. Selected from nearly 200 nominations across 23 countries in Asia and the Pacific, this recognition highlights her outstanding leadership and contributions to disaster risk reduction. As Pro Vice Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, she has championed innovative, technology-driven approaches to disaster preparedness, including the world's first AI-integrated IoT-based real-time landslide early warning system, helping translate cutting-edge research into solutions that protect lives and strengthen communities. We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and her continued commitment to building a safer, more resilient future. #AmritaVishwaVidyapeetham #WINDRRAwards2026 #DisasterRiskReduction #WomenInDRR #EarlyWarningSystems #Resilience #Leadership #InnovationForImpact
1
5
10
388
🚨👩‍🎓 Keralam Police x Amrita University: Safeguarding Students, Building Safer Communities 👩‍🎓🚨 As part of efforts to make anti-substance abuse initiatives more scientific and effective, a special training programme, Operation Toofan, was organised for Keralam Police officers at our #Kochi campus. The programme was attended by Keralam’s Hon. Minister for Home and Vigilance, Shri Ramesh Chennithala, and the Vice Chairman of Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri. In a landmark initiative to combat drug abuse and strengthen child safety, the Kerala Police, in collaboration with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, officially launched the innovative ‘Kuttippetti’ (Children’s Complaint Box) and ‘Police-Bro’ helpline. 📌 The ceremonial handover was performed by Dr. K.P. Girish Kumar, Principal of Amrita School of Medicine, who presented the prototype box to Kerala State Police Chief R.A. Chandrashekhar IPS during the Operation Toofan training conclave at Amrita Hospital, Kochi. ✨ Under this initiative, complaint boxes will be installed across schools from primary to Class 12, supervised directly by Kerala Police and academically guided by Amrita University experts. Students can confidentially report: 🚫 Drug trafficking & substance abuse 🏠 Domestic struggles linked to addiction 🛡️ Child abuse cases 🌍 Civic & environmental concerns 💡 Complaints will be collected weekly by local police, reviewed bi‑weekly by District Police Chiefs, and evaluated monthly at the state level—ensuring swift, confidential action, with provision for direct intervention by the DGP in emergencies. This collaboration embraces our constant actions and commitment to social transformation, empowering children to voice concerns, share ideas, and shape a safer, more responsible society. #AmritaUniversity #Police #ChildSafety #DrugFreeCampus #OperationToofan #YouthEmpowerment #SocialTransformation #OperationToofan #AmritaHospital #RameshChennithala #AntiDrug #SafeKerala
1
5
6
373
📢 Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham launches the Equipment Consultancy Portal! 🔬 Browse research equipment 📑 Submit requests 📊 Track status 💳 Pay online Streamlining access to research infrastructure across campuses. 👉 research.amrita.edu/equipmen… #Amrita #ResearchInnovation #HigherEd #EquipmentConsultancy
1
2
1
222
Shyam Diwakar retweeted
BREAKING NEWS The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2026 #NobelPeacePrize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. #NobelPrize
2,469
7,298
1,840
20,191
2,221,004
Shyam Diwakar retweeted
BREAKING NEWS The 2026 #NobelPrize in Literature is awarded to the Canadian author Anne Carson, “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”
349
11,511
2,910
24,890
2,335,340
Highlights from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's participation in the @timeshighered World Academic Summit 2026, held in Cape Town from 29 September to 1 October, 2026. This year's Times Higher Education World Academic Summit, themed "Knowledge, justice and futures: Universities in the age of intelligence", Amrita University joined top Universities to understand how our joint actions harness intelligence – human, artificial and collective – to shape fairer, more sustainable and future-ready societies. At the summit, Dr. Maneesha V Ramesh, Pro Vice-Chancellor, spoke as a panelists, on rethinking universities in the age of AI. She covered helping students question information, recognise bias and think critically; rethinking assessment through dialogue, debate and questioning; and connecting learning with community needs, guided by compassion-driven research. On the sidelines of the summit, the Amrita delegation met leaders from Durban University of Technology, Tampere University, the University of Barcelona, SOAS University of London, IMT Atlantique, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Aalborg University and the University of Bath. The Amrita delegation: Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Pro Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Raghu Raman, Dean, School of Business; Ms. Sindhu Manoj, Associate Director, Centre for International Programs; Mr. Nitin Kumar M., Scientific Officer-II (Disaster Risk Reduction), Center for Wireless Networks and Applications; and alumnus Dr. Douglas Marowa. Read more: amrita.edu/news/amrita-share… #AmritaUniversity #AmritaVishwaVidyapeetham #THEWorldAcademicSummit #HigherEducation
4
5
254
Shyam Diwakar retweeted
To understand how the brain forms memories, feelings and behaviours has long been a dream for researchers. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries leading to optogenetics, which makes it possible to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain. This method is now being used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain’s mysteries.
61
1,042
121
2,731
232,698
Amrita University at THE World Academic Summit 2026 | Cape Town From critical thinking in classrooms to community‑based learning in villages, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham shared how higher education can thrive in the age of #AI. Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Pro Vice‑Chancellor, spoke on how South Asia’s universities can remain rooted in culture while becoming globally competitive. Drawing on Amrita's Live-in-Labs® programme, in which students live in communities, understand their challenges and co-create sustainable solutions with residents, Dr. Maneesha described a new tension in the classroom: faculty expect human-centred design, and students increasingly return with AI-generated models and designs. The answer, she said, is not to reject such work but to use AI itself for feedback and then take the ideas back to the community. "When they come up with a solution, you don't throw it away because it's from an AI model. You send them back to the community to work on the ideas. There, collective and human intelligence play a bigger role than AI alone," she said. The Amrita delegation also included: 📷 Dr. Raghu Raman, Dean, School of Business 📷 Ms. Sindhu Manoj, Centre for International Programs 📷 Mr. Nitin Kumar M., Disaster Risk Reduction 📷 Dr. Douglas Marowa, alumnus from Zimbabwe They engaged with leaders from Durban University of Technology, Tampere University, University of Barcelona, SOAS University of London, IMT Atlantique, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities, including: 📷 Prof. Thandwa Mthembu, Durban University of Technology 📷 Prof. Keijo Hämäläinen, Tampere University 📷 Prof. Joan Guàrdia Olmos, University of Barcelona 📷 Prof. Adam Habib, @SOAS University of London 📷 Prof. Christophe Lerouge, @IMTAtlantique 📷 Dr. Phil Baty, @timeshighered #AmritaUniversity #THEWorldAcademicSummit #AIinEducation #GlobalImpact #EducationForLife
2
7
347
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham at THE World Academic Summit 2026 @AMRITAedu participated in the @timeshighered World Academic Summit 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, joining university leaders from across the world. The summit marked the announcement of the THE World University Rankings 2027, in which Amrita recorded improvements across several indicators, particularly Research Quality. The Amrita delegation comprised Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Dr. Raghu Raman, Ms. Sindhu Manoj, Nitin Kumar M. and Dr. Douglas, an Amrita alumnus from Zimbabwe. Speaking at a panel on higher education in the age of artificial intelligence, Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh highlighted critical thinking, community-based learning and our Chancellor Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma)’s vision of compassion-driven research. “It is very important that we provide education for life, not education for living alone,” she said, emphasising the responsibility of universities to nurture thoughtful and responsible citizens. The delegation also interacted with leaders from Durban University of Technology, Tampere University, the University of Barcelona, SOAS University of London, IMT Atlantique and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. #Amrita #THE #TimesHigherEducation #Rankings #SouthAfrica #CapeTown #compassion #research #WorldUniversityRankings #WorldRankings #University #AmritaUniversity #AmritaVishwaVidyapeetham
7
17
586
Shyam Diwakar retweeted
BREAKING NEWS The 2026 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”
435
9,124
1,614
24,124
3,954,640
"How long is the night, brother, And how long is the day? Oh, the day's too short for a happy task, And the day's too short for play; And the night's too short for the bliss of love, For look, how the edge of the sky grows gray," - Henry Van Dyke (Day and Night) @AMRITAedu – at Kayamkulam, India
2
117
It was a privilege to meet Nobel Laureate Prof. Roger D. Kornberg during his visit to meet Amma, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, our University's Chancellor. The interaction was truly a profound learning experience. – at Karunagapalli, India
Nobel Laureate Prof. Roger D. Kornberg visits Amritapuri Nobel Laureate, Prof. Roger D. Kornberg visited Amritapuri with his wife, Dr. Yahli Lorch, and met Chancellor @Amritanandamayi. The couple spent an hour in conversation with Amma. A professor at Stanford University, Prof. Kornberg received the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for revealing how cells read their genetic code — the process of transcription, by which DNA is copied into RNA. His atomic-level images of RNA polymerase II, the enzyme that drives this process, transformed our understanding of gene expression and opened new paths in medicine and biotechnology. He also met Vice-Chancellor Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, deans and department heads, and spoke with students of the School of Biotechnology on emerging opportunities in research, commending the university's scientific progress.
3
212
The Hon. @VPIndia visited Amrita Chancellor, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) on September 27, 2026 for the Vishwa Seva Dinam. Amma Dedicates More Than $5.6M (₹54 Crore) to Humanitarian Work on Her 73rd Birthday. The Hon. Vice President of India, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, praised Amma’s global humanitarian efforts, saying they are an example for all: “Amma reminds us that while material poverty must be addressed, the poverty of love and compassion must also be overcome, so that no one feels abandoned. As India advances in technology, innovation, and economic growth, development must have a human face and human touch. We must ensure that modernity progresses together with our civilisational values.” Read: amma.org/news/vishwa-seva-di… #VicePresident #Amma #Amritanandamayi #AmritaUniversity
Vice President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan participated in the Vishwa Seva Dinam celebrations at Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Amritapuri, today, on the occasion of the 73rd birthday of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. He paid his respects to Mata Amritanandamayi Devi and appreciated her lifelong commitment to love, compassion and selfless service.
2
10
370
🌍 Amrita at UNESCO Global Forum on Ethics of AI, Riyadh. Dean Dr. @bhavani_rrao spotlighted the Women for Ethical AI South Asia Chapter—@UNESCO’s most vibrant regional chapter. Sessions: 👩‍💻 Gender lens in AI governance 🤖 Ethical robotics & accountability @AMRITAedu brought the Global South voice to the global stage. #EthicalAI #UNESCO #AmritaUniversity #SouthAsiaChapter #AIforGood
2
2
5
336
🌸 Vishwa Seva Dinam 🌸 A day of love, compassion & service ❤️🙏 Inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah on September 26. On September 27, we had Hon. @VPIndia C.P. Radhakrishnan, @KeralaGovernor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, and Hon. @CMOkeralam V.D. Satheesan. Highlights: 🏥 ₹20 crore free healthcare (incl. Kerala’s 1st uterus transplant) 🌊 ₹2 crore relief for Nepal & Assam 👩‍👩‍👧 15,000 women’s SHGs, 2,800 villages uplifted 🏠 30 yrs of Amrita Kuteeram – 48,000 homes built @Amritanandamayi : “Love is a mahā‑mantra… expressed through action.” Read more 👉 lnkd.in/g8KYx3ev #Amritavarsham73 #VishwaSevaDinam #Amma #CompassionInAction
5
9
444
A lone eegret watching passers as we cross over the Amritasetu bridge over the backwaters @AMRITAedu @Amritapuri.
2
109
Our days volunteering: Sept 26 and 27 this year was also special as the team had setup an exhibition stall showcasing works related to #neuroscience, brain and behavior! #VishwaSevaDinam #Amritapuri – at Karunagapalli, India
Amrita Mind Brain Center showcased its work in neuroscience, #brain health, #computational #neuroscience, neurotechnology and #gait analysis at Vishwa Seva Dinam 2026. #Students, #staff & #faculties volunteered to support the #exhibition and special invitees at the venue.
1
148