Professor of Chemistry from IIT-Madras G. Ranga Rao on Saturday spoke about the critical role of water and energy and urged students and researchers to leverage advancing technologies for development of sustainable materials, and to contribute to India’s scientific self-reliance and global competitiveness through innovations. 

He was addressing the inaugural session of a three-day international conference on Sustainable Materials for Water and Energy Solutions (SuWatE+ 2026), organised by the Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences (SAS) at VIT-AP University.

M. G. Sethuraman from Gandhigram Rural Institute said the focus of the conference was on advancing scientific knowledge and translating research into industrial applications, besides encouraging young scholars to explore alternative energy solutions and integrate technical expertise with ethical and problem-solving approaches for sustainable development.

Vice-Chancellor Arulmozhivarman and Registrar Jagadish Mudiganti said the conference deliberations will advance sustainability and energy-efficient campus initiatives with national and international impacts, and extended their best wishes for its success.

Dean of Academic Research M. Venkata Rajanikanth, Head of the Department of Chemistry Ramaknath Illa and others were present.