Interview with Prof. Peter Lindstedt, Imperial College London

During the recent GREAT Britain campaign in Indore (January 15-16, 2014), Prof. Peter Lindstedt from the Imperial College London delivered a couple of interesting talks on automotive engineering to academic and industry audiences. In the middle of a bustling networking session, I was able to find a quiet corner to chat up with Prof. Lindstedt about his visit to Indore, and future plans to engage with Indian stakeholders.

This is your first time in Indore. How was your overall experience?
It’s been very good; probably because it was arranged very professionally and all arrangements were remarkable. I also had the opportunity to visit the neighbouring areas around Indore, which gave me a very favourable impression of the area. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what to expect because I hadn’t visited central India before; it has been a very pleasant experience.

What do you look for in a potential research collaborator?
More than anything else, I look for enthusiasm. For a research collaboration to succeed, there has to be passion. It is often neglected as a motivator. In the absence of passion, collaborations tend to fall by the wayside over a period of time. Firstly, for a long lasting collaboration, there has to be reciprocating commitment by the other side. Secondly, technical ability, honesty, and information sharing are essential. Broadly speaking, successful research collaboration is based on ability and trust.

Do you have any ongoing research collaborations with Indian organisations?
We are exploring interactions with several Indian organisations. Over the years, many of my colleagues from Imperial have visited Indian institutions, particularly the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which has resulted in scholarships for IIT students at Imperial. I would like to take a step further and explore active collaborations with the IITs and other Indian stakeholders. My visit to Indore is an effort to explore such collaborations. The real challenge is to find a financial model to sustain such partnerships; with support from the British and Indian governments, and other stakeholders, we can hopefully make the necessary resources available.

Why should Indian students aspire to come to Imperial?
I think there is something unique about UK-India collaboration, which goes back a long time. From a personal point of view, I have always found that Indian students coming to Imperial seem to enjoy themselves; being in London and working there. A person who is happy is also the one who produces better work. The personal satisfaction of being in an environment, which is different but friendly and recognisable, also plays a big role. Of course, the overriding offering at Imperial is the technical excellence and facilities. This package is an attractive option for students to come to Imperial to study.

Based on your visit to Indore, would you like to share any thoughts on the potential for academic research partnerships with India in the automotive sector?
I really didn’t know what to expect. However, I was pleased and possibly even surprised by the fact that several areas being pursued at IIT-Indore resonated rather well with what we do at Imperial. I am very hopeful that with support from the UK Science and Innovation Network within the British High Commission, we will be able to hold workshops in the future to explore potential research collaborations.