India's first private maths research institute comes up in Mumbai, Fields Medal winner Manjul Bhargava on advisory council

Indian Express

9 hours ago

India's first privately funded mathematics research institute, Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute (LMSI), was launched in Mumbai Sunday in the presence of world-renowned dignitaries from the field of mathematics, including Dr Manjul Bhargava, the first Indian-origin winner of the Fields Medal, the highest honour in mathematics.
Dr Bhargava, who serves on LMSI's advisory council, is also set to conduct the institute's inaugural course. Currently a professor at Princeton University, Dr Bhargava will lead a seminar-based course on arithmetic statistics and number theory. Scheduled to begin later this month and continue until mid-December, it marks the first of several intensive four- to six-month programmes to be hosted by LMSI and led by prominent experts from India and abroad.
With an advisory council composed of eminent mathematicians from around the world, LMSI aims to host many such intensive courses.
The institute is backed by the Lodha Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Lodha Group founded by Mangal Prabhat Lodha. The Foundation received an endowment of approximately Rs 20,000 crore from the Lodha family last year.
Abhishek Lodha, chief executive officer and managing director of Lodha Developers, said, 'It is very important for us as a company to make sure that our success contributes in a wholesome manner to India's development. In that context, the family decided last year to donate about one-fifth of the ownership of the company to the Lodha Foundation. We have realised that for any nation to become strong, we ought to have original thinking and promote innovation.'
The institute will be headed by Dr V Kumar Murty, a renowned mathematician, known for his significant contributions to number theory and arithmetic geometry. He said, 'We know that in the vast history of India, there have been many great mathematicians who contributed fundamental ideas that have shaped the world that we live in today. The LMSI aims to address fundamental problems that will help India become a developed nation and a global leader by 2047.'
Dr Murty, who holds a PhD from Harvard University, has served as director of the Fields Institute and professor at the University of Toronto. Dr Murty's research covers a range of topics, including analytic number theory, information security, and arithmetic algebraic geometry.
LMSI's advisory council features esteemed figures such as Dr Vikraman Balaji (Chennai Mathematical Institute), Dr Sourav Chatterjee, Dr Ravi Vakil, and Dr Yakov Eliashberg (all from Stanford University), Dr Alexander Lubotzky (Weizmann Institute of Science), and Dr Kavita Ramanan (Brown University), among others.
Beyond academics, LMSI seeks to apply advanced mathematical tools, such as data science, operations research, machine learning, and optimisation, to address critical challenges in infrastructure, healthcare, and economics. Faculty will be empowered to pursue research without administrative burdens. In the future, LMSI plans to launch the Indian Congress of Mathematics.
Ashish Kumar Singh, chief mentor at Lodha Foundation, said, 'The foundation of almost all technological progress today is mathematical, whether it be cryptography, cybersecurity, warfare, and definitely artificial intelligence (AI). At LMSI, we are aiming to get the brightest researchers to come together and pursue research in cutting-edge frontier mathematics.'