Education and career
Sankar K. Pal studied at the University of Calcutta for his BSc in physics (1969), and BTech (1972) and MTech (1974) in radio physics and electronics. He received a PhD in radio physics and electronics from the Rajabazar Science College campus of University of Calcutta in 1979 as a student of Indian Statistical Institute, and another PhD in electrical engineering along with Diploma of the Imperial College from Imperial College, University of London, in 1982. The first PhD was in the area of pattern recognition while the other was in image processing. After completing PhD at Imperial College, London as a Commonwealth Scholar, he did post-doctoral research there during 1982 to 1983 as a UK Medical Research Council Fellow. Subsequently, he worked at the University of California, Berkeley and University of Maryland, College Park from 1986 to 1987 as a Fulbright Fellow; at the NASA Johnson Space Center from 1990 to 1992 & in 1994 as a US National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council Senior Resident Research Associate; and at the US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. in 2004 as a visiting scientist. Besides, he had been a Distinguished Visitor of IEEE Computer Society (USA) for Asia-Pacific Region since 1997, and held several visiting positions in Australia, Poland, Italy, France, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong universities. He established sustained research collaborations with many foreign universities, particularly in Europe such as the Warsaw University, Poland (1997-2017), Naples University, Italy (2004-2020) and INSEAD, France (2001-2013) under joint agreements between Nations or Institutes, and Hong Kong Poly University, Hong Kong, China (1999-2008).
Pal joined the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, as a CSIR Senior Research Fellow in 1975, and eventually entered into full professor position in 1987. He then became a distinguished scientist in 1998, the director in 2005, and the president in 2022. He retired as a distinguished scientist at the Indian Statistical Institute in 2015. He was the first computer scientist as well as someone outside statistics and mathematics to become the director of ISI in its 75-year history. He is also the first ex-employee of ISI being elected to hold the honorable chair of President of ISI since its inception in 1931. [3] [4]
His areas of research interests include pattern recognition, machine intelligence, image processing, data mining, granular computing, fuzzy sets and uncertainty analysis, artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, rough sets, and soft computing with applications ranging from speech recognition, medical imaging, remote sensing image analysis to bioinformatics, video analytics, online social network analysis, and cognitive mind development. He has pioneered hybrid intelligent systems like neuro fuzzy and rough fuzzy hybridization. The generic families of such hybrid intelligent models (networks) developed (in early 1990s) not only provide enhanced learning, understandability, knowledge mining and uncertainty management in decision-making, but also can explain the network decision in natural language. Rough-fuzzy hybridization further enables mining linguistic, categorical and relational data. The neural models, capable of accepting linguistic input, constitute the basic modules that laid the foundation of neuro-fuzzy computing and later, soft computing. Augmentation of the original definition of soft computing by introducing rough sets as its fifth constituent is another contribution of his research. This enhances greatly the computational intelligence of soft computing methodologies. All these have led to significant synergistic technological developments in modern AI (including explainable AI) and data science. His image processing research in 1970s is perhaps the first investigation (other pioneer being A. Rosenfeld, UMD, College Park, USA) that brings out the root relation between the abstract concept of fuzzy sets and image processing basic tasks like image enhancement, edge detection, primitive extraction and segmentation, and the associated uncertainties involved. Subsequently, definitions for image entropy (mid 1980s) and generalized rough-fuzzy entropy (mid 2000s) based on logarithmic and exponential gain functions are provided for modelling the uncertainty. These measures are unique. This fundamental work laid the foundation of fuzzy (soft) image processing and computer vision research. His other highly cited original research include: i) Unsupervised dimensionality reduction algorithm (in early 2000s) producing maximally independent features, that results in fast and superior performance and is suitable for Big data, ii) Granular computing concept and decision-making models (introduced since early 2000s) particularly when samples are indiscernible, where computations are performed using information granules rather than individual samples; thereby providing gain in both performance and computation time in mining tasks including deep learning, and iii) Z*-number, developed in mid 2010s, for machine subjectivity representation in machine-mind development by encapsulating the objective and subjective time, context, and affect components in natural language of thoughts, speech, and texts.
Pal is widely recognized across the world for his pioneering and exemplary contributions in machine intelligence, fuzzy neural network, soft computing and pattern recognition. This has made India a big leader in these disciplines in international scenario.
He is a co-author of twenty-one books, eighteen conference proceedings, about five hundred research publications, and two US patents. He has served/serving as editor in most of the well-known scientific journals in computer science and engineering (~25 international journals). [5] He visited more than forty countries as a Keynote/ Invited speaker or academic visitor. He has co-authored with researchers from 48 foreign and 16 Indian institutes.
His book "Fuzzy Mathematical Approach to Pattern Recognition", John Wiley and Sons (Halsted Press), N.Y., 1986 had been translated into Indonesian Bahasa and Chinese Languages.
According to Google Scholar, Pal's work had been cited more than 37,500 times with h-index of 85. One of his articles based on the work done in India is cited 5900+ times; which is noteworthy.
SK Pal is the scientist who introduced the Soft Computing concept and research in India.
For his outstanding contributions, the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, established under his leadership the Center for Soft Computing Research (CSCR), first in Asia, in 2004 at ISI, Kolkata. Subsequently, CSCR is declared by the Governing Body of ISI as an Associate Institute of ISI in 2010. Apart from acting as a strong base for nationwide research and training with linkage to industries and premier institutes in India and abroad, CSCR had special provision for funding and mentoring less endowed institutions, including those in North-East regions of India.
Machine Intelligence Unit (MIU) founded by him in 1993 at ISI, Kolkata has now turned out to be an internationally recognized leading research school producing many science leaders. These demonstrate his visionary leadership.
It is during Pal's directorship of ISI (2005-2010), when the birthday of Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis, the founder of ISI, was declared by the Prime Minister of India on 24 Dec 2006, as the “National Statistics Day” to be celebrated every year over the country. Further, establishing the ISI-Chennai Center, approving the ISI-North Eastern Center, and replacing UGC-pay scales by higher IISc-pay scales for faculty at ISI, are some other major achievements under his visionary leadership as Director of ISI.
Pal is the founder president of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Kolkata Chapter. [5] Biennial International Conference on Pattern Recognition and Machine Intelligence (PReMI), started in 2005, is his another brainchild. This facilitates regular interaction among Indian researchers with international experts in AI, ML and related areas for advancing science & technology.
All these activities, including foundation of MIU & CSCR and visionary leadership as ISI-Director, have long lasting educational and societal impact.
SK Pal has graduated officially 22 PhD students, so far, in India and abroad. It is not the number, but the quality which was his only concern. Many of his PhDs are now internationally known leading scientists with recognitions like Fellows of IEEE, TWAS, IFSA, INSA, INAE, J.C. Bose National Fellow, Padma Shri, S.S. Bhatnagar awardee, P.C. Mahalanobis National Award of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI), Govt. of India, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transaction, Vice-President of Multinational IT Company, and Directors of premier national Institutes.
Philanthropic activities - Donations to Alma-maters and Instituting Medals/Fellowships to benefit the Science & Society: Besides his academic and research contributions, Pal has instituted the following awards through donations to his alma-maters, starting from school education. These philanthropic activities are aimed at nurturing the talent and scientific spirit as well as to help the students from less privileged community, which in turn benefits the society: i) Two Merit-cum-Means Scholarships in 2013 for supporting two economically backward students of Classes IX and X every year in his alma-mater, Ariadaha Kalachand High School, Kolkata 700057, India. This facilitates them to complete their secondary school education. ii) A Gold Medal Award at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, Kolkata 700118, India in 2024 for the Best Graduating BSc(Hons) Student across all science disciplines (currently seven) to nurture bright science-minds for higher studies as well as for the service of mankind, the motto of RK Mission. iii) A Gold Medal Award at Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata 700108 in 2003 for the Best M.Tech.(Computer Science) Dissertation to encourage and promote research excellence. iv) Besides, he has been donating frequently to the Student Assistance Fund of Imperial College of Science & Technology, London, UK, his another Alma-mater, to help students from the developing world who face hardship to complete their study.
Patriotism: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA, desired to offer him a "Green card" in 1991 requesting to stay permanently in the USA when he was working there as a National Research Council (US National Academy of Sciences) Guest Investigator (Resident Research Associate). But he turned down the offer and returned back to India to serve his country for ever.
Persons to acknowledge among others: Prof. Dwijesh Dutta Majumder (PhD supervisor at ISI Calcutta), Dr. Robert A. King (PhD supervisor at Imperial College, London), Dr. Robert N. Lea (advisor at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston), Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh (Founder of fuzzy logic at University of California, Berkeley), Prof. Azriel Rosenfeld (advisor at University of Maryland, College Park), Prof. Jayanta K. Ghosh (Ex-Director, ISI), Prof. Suhash Chandra Dutta Roy (IIT Delhi), Prof. B.L. Deekshatulu (Ex-Director, National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad), Prof. Ram Chandra Bhattacharyya (Government college teacher in West Bengal and his brother-in-law), Prof. Andrzej Skowron (collaborator at University of Warsaw, Poland), Prof. Alfredo Petrosino (collaborator at University of Naples Parthenope, Italy), Prof. M.G.K. Menon, FRS (Ex-President, ISI), and above all his beloved family members starting from his parents.
Family: Sunity Kumar Pal (father), Parul Bala Pal (mother), Dr. Amita Pal (wife), Dr. Dhiman Sankar Pal & Dr. Anshuman Sankar Pal (sons). Born on 13 September 1950, he the second of five siblings with brother: Samir, and sisters: Anuradha, Anurupa and Sutapa. He came from a very ordinary and honest family of many members and modest means. He therefore knows the kind of hurdles and hardship one has to face to complete the higher studies and reach the position where he is today.
Message: "It is not the only height at which one is flying, but from how much lower altitude one had taken off to reach that height also should be of concern while evaluating one's performance."
