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Meet Dr. Azizuddin Khan: IIT Prof Recommended for J.C. Bose Fellowship

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Mahinpura (Bahraich District) UTTAR PRADESH / Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

An Inspiring Journey of IIT Bombay Professor Dr. Azizuddin Khan from a Small Town in Bahraich to Global Recognition in Science and Research

In a landmark achievement for Indian Science and Research, Prof. Dr. Azizuddin Khan, eminent Psychologist, Neuroscientist and Psychophysiologist at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), has been recommended for the prestigious J.C. Bose Fellowship (ANRF J.C. Bose Grant).

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) recommended the honour in recognition of Dr. Azizuddin Khan’s outstanding scientific research, innovation and contributions aimed at improving human well-being in August 2026. 

The J.C. Bose Fellowship is one of India’s prestigious recognitions for active senior scientists and engineers who have made outstanding contributions to science, engineering, medicine and related fields. The fellowship provides research support to enable distinguished scientists to continue advanced research and mentor the next generation of researchers.

From a Small Town to IIT

Prof. Dr. Azizuddin Khan hails from Mahinpurwa, a small town in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. After completing his early education at a local inter college, he chose psychology as his field of study despite family expectations.

He secured first position in his undergraduate studies at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) & subsequently completed his M.A. in Clinical Psychology. He later earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from IIT Kanpur, which laid the foundation for his distinguished research career.

Distinguished Research at IIT Bombay

Prof. Khan has been associated with IIT Bombay for nearly two decades and currently serves as an India Value Chair Professor. He is among the leading researchers associated with the Psychophysiology Laboratory.

He is also associated with important research initiatives including the Sunita Sanghi Centre for Ageing & Neurodegenerative Diseases (SCAN), Koita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH) and the IIT Bombay-FedEx ALFA Centre.

He has played an important role in developing an advanced Psychophysiology Laboratory at IIT Bombay, where researchers use technologies such as EEG, Eye Tracking, Event-Related Potentials (ERP), Neurofeedback and other modern neuroscientific techniques to study the human brain, cognition and behaviour.

Diverse and Human-Centred Research

Prof. Khan’s research is closely connected with real-life human challenges. His major areas of research include:

  • Dyslexia and Reading Disorders
  • Autism and ADHD
  • Memory and Prospective Memory
  • Attention, cognition and brain processes
  • Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
  • Psychological stress and depression
  • Brain activity during Urdu, Hindi and bilingual reading
  • Urdu script and its processing in the human brain
  • Artificial Intelligence and mental health
  • Human psychology under extreme environmental conditions

Through his multidisciplinary research, he has contributed significantly to the fields of psychology, psychophysiology and neuroscience. 

Technology-Based Research for Dyslexia

One of the most significant areas of Prof. Khan’s research is dyslexia. He has contributed to the development of ‘Brainu’, a screening application designed to facilitate the early identification of children who may have reading difficulties.

The application uses engaging, game-based activities to assess certain reading-related abilities and help identify children who may require further assessment or support.

He has also worked on innovative Haptic Belt/Bracelet technology, which uses specific vibrations to help children recognise and experience the correct sounds associated with letters and words.

Such technology has the potential to support children learning Urdu, Hindi, Marathi, Arabic and English, particularly those experiencing difficulties in reading and phonological processing.

Pioneering Research on the Urdu Script

Another distinctive area of Prof. Khan’s research is the neural processing of the Urdu script. His research examines how the human brain processes Urdu text written from right to left while simultaneously dealing with numbers written from left to right.

Using Eye Tracking and EEG technologies, he has investigated the cognitive and neural processes involved in Urdu and bilingual reading. His work has contributed to the scientific understanding of how multilingual readers process different writing systems. 

Research in Antarctica

Prof. Khan has also participated in India’s Antarctic research programme, where he studied human psychology under extremely cold and isolated environmental conditions.

His research examined aspects such as memory, mental health, emotional well-being and behavioural changes among people living and working in extreme environments. He has also undertaken research related to self-awareness in penguins, attracting attention within the scientific community.

Representing India on the Global Research Platform

Prof. Khan has represented India at numerous international academic and scientific forums. He has presented his research in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Finland, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Turkey, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries.

His academic contribution includes more than 200 research publications, several international book chapters, patents and research projects. He has also guided numerous Ph.D. scholars, many of whom are today working as professors and researchers at leading IITs, NITs and universities in India and abroad.

An Inspiring Message for Young Students

According to Prof. Dr. Azizuddin Khan, success depends not merely on intelligence but on hard work, curiosity, perseverance, patience and a continuous desire to learn. 

His own journey demonstrates that a student from a small town can achieve global recognition through education, determination and sustained research.

A Matter of Pride for the Nation

The recommendation of Prof. Dr. Azizuddin Khan for the J.C. Bose Fellowship is not only a personal achievement but also a matter of pride for the Indian scientific community, IIT Bombay, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and the residents of Bahraich.

His continuing work in psychology, neuroscience, education, mental health and artificial intelligence is expected to open new avenues of research and contribute to improving the lives of children, students and society at large.

[The writer, Akhlaq Shaikh, is a Career Counsellor, Mumbai. He alsow writes for Urdu Daily Inquilab.]

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Education & Career / by Akhlaque (Akhlaq) Shaikh / August 18th, 2026

Meet Ariba Khan, who is helping people fight mental health issues with an AI-based ‘safe space’

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Gurgaon, HARYANA / NEW DELHI :

Ariba Khan of Jumping Minds
Ariba Khan is the founder of Jumping Minds, which promotes mental well-being. Image courtesy: Ariba Khan

Technology and human emotions may seem a mismatch, but at Ariba Khan has fused them for a mental health platform.

As a young, spirited and ambitious 30-year-old, Ariba Khan can relate to mental health challenges that people her age are fighting. The lack of a safe space where such people could open up about their thoughts anonymously is what spurred her business idea – an artificial intelligence-based deep tech mental health app.

With Jumping Minds, this IIT-Rourkee and IIM-Bengaluru alumnus, along with co-founder Piyush Gupta, built a space where people could chat with individuals in a similar situation without exposing their identity.

“All of us require a safe space where you can talk about the challenges you may be facing. It doesn’t have to be clinical stress, but all of us are facing one stress or another – a bad breakup, difficult time at work, adjusting with the family. So, we thought of creating a digital space where you connect to people who may have gone through similar stressors, share your experiences, and release emotions,” Khan tells Health Shots.

Mental health matters

In the past few years, global celebrities have broken their silence on facing mental health issues. Somewhere, destigmatization has happened, but there’s a long way to go. It is because of the continued stigma around mental health that Khan chose to make Jumping Minds an anonymous space.

“Otherwise, there’s always a judgment factor,” says the Delhi dweller, adding that even though her platform is all about tech, at the heart of lies human interaction through technology.

“It helps people to release emotions, clear their head and find solutions,” asserts Khan.

Just five years ago, talking about stress and feeling burnt out at work would have been unimaginable. But the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed people into taking their mental health more seriously.

“The Gen-Z, especially, is more unapologetic about their mental health. They have an aspirational lifestyle, they want to live a well-balanced, happy life. And so, I would say the younger generation is leading the change in mindset and the positive shift towards wellness. Still, there’s a stigma around mental health and limited safe spaces where people don’t feel ashamed or guilty about sharing their story. Instead, people should feel empowered that there are so many other people going through the same,” Khan says.

Jumping Minds founder Ariba Khan
“It’s okay to not be okay,” believes Ariba Khan. Image courtesy: Ariba Khan

Mental health issues of the young generation

As someone who believes in the adage that “it’s okay to not be okay”, Khan outlines the most common health problems that youngsters in the 20-30 age group are going through these days.

1. Relationship troubles:

Whether you are stressed at work or family life, it directly impacts your interpersonal relationships. People are getting increasingly stressed about how to maintain relationships.

2. Anxiety

This is why people need a digital detox from time to time! “Anxiety is the after-effect of social media. The need to be perfect, with filters on all the time,” explains Khan, stressing on how social anxiety and social comparison are turning out to be spoilers.

“People tend to think, ‘Maybe I am not enough’, ‘I am working so much, but I am not upto that level.’ And that social anxiety has become very prominent in the post-Covid era,” she explains.

3. Sexual wellness:

This is the age when early professionals and college students explore their body and preferences. So, people have a lot of questions around sexual wellness.

4. Career:

The desire to reach career milestones leads to undue pressure and stress on people. They overthink things like, ‘Are we in the right job? Are we working with the right people?’ But talking about these things, instead of keeping the thoughts to yourself, will give you a feeling of validation.

Jumping Minds for mental health

3 happiness hacks for women, suggested by Ariba Khan

Khan has three simple suggestions for women to follow for the sake of their mental peace.

1. Find peaceful breaks in a day

“I know we are women of the 21st century, always leading the way – whether it is in personal life or professional life. But it is very important to have time in a day when you are by yourself, living in the moment,” she suggests.

Khan assures that doing so even for a few minutes every day will help people become more productive and more appreciative of the positive results of the everyday hustle.

2. It’s okay, to err is human

Even research says women tend to have higher stress levels than men ! “The society has made women accustomed to keeping everyone around them happy – be it colleagues, friends, family.

But it is okay to sometimes make mistakes, feel bad or low. We may think we are superwomen, but we are humans after all! We should’t expect ourselves to be perfect all the time, because there’s true beauty in being imperfect,” she adds.

3. Talk it out

Don’t keep your thoughts to yourself. If you are stressed, talk about it. “Don’t feel ashamed about it, and who knows, it may give courage to others to talk about their journey. Once you start releasing the monster from your head, it becomes smaller. And if you do it in a community, you will see magic!”

source: http://www.healthshots.com / Health Shots / Home> She Says> by Radhika Bhirani / August 02nd, 2022