Get to Know the Faculty: Abhijit Bhattacharyya
08/28/2019
Our new dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science comes to A-State with an excitement for starting change and a world view to make it happen. Let’s meet Abhijit.
Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya
Place of birth?
Sindri, India
Family?
Sudeepa (wife), Trisha (older daughter), Isha (younger daughter), Bean (a black labradane)
Why did you choose A-State?
Because of the opportunities offered by it and attracted by its entrepreneurial spirit.
Your philosophy on education in seven words:
Learn to think outside the box.
What makes a good professor?
Availability to students and ability to put oneself in the student’s “shoes”
I wish I could...
travel around the world and had six months to do it.
Who was your favorite teacher (and why)?
I have several top choices but I will go with my high school English teacher, Mr.Burman, who taught us how to write well.
What makes for a good student?
A curious, focused and tenacious student is a good student.
What’s the value of a university education?
University education offers so many learning opportunities – inside and outside the classroom as well as in labs and other creative activity spaces.
If you could teach another field, which one and why?
International relations. Growing up, there was a time when I contemplated seeking a career in the Indian Foreign Service.
Before you retire I want to...
write a textbook.
What music is playing in your car?
I usually do not but if I did, it would be “Dire Straits”
My favorite motion picture is...
Godfather Part I.
The television series I must TiVo...
Not much into TV these days. Back in the day, if TiVo existed, I would pick Frasier/Cheers/Friends….
The last book I read for fun was...
The Residence: Inside the private world of the White House.
My favorite trip was...
to Bilbao, Spain.
If I could travel anywhere it would be...
Bhutan … a small landlocked country sandwiched between north eastern India and China. Bhutan is the land of the concept “Gross National Happiness”.
What is your favorite podcast?
I was not into podcasts until very recently. I was introduced to that world by A-State Connections…so it has got to be that.
The best advice I ever received was...
from my 12-yr old daughter who said “smile a lot”.
What is one thing you always have on you...
my sense of humor... and I do not care if anybody disagrees.
My hobby is...
traveling and learning about different places/people.
My favorite thing in my office is...
my Keurig coffee machine.
My pet peeve is...
stop complaining and get on with the program.
The one thing I will not eat is...
check back with me from time to time... I will let you know when I come across that food item.
A perfect day is...
sitting in the library and working on a journal paper.
What I like about Jonesboro is...
that it is a college town.
Cats or dogs?
Dogs
E-book or hardback?
Hardback.
Beach or mountains?
Mountain by a beach.
Dinner or supper?
I have always been puzzled as to what the difference actually is. So I will go with Dipper.
The one thing I’d take to a desert island (and a boat is not an answer)...
several books and a fliptop phone.
