The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is pleased to announce the Mrs. Sarla Doshi Memorial Lecture Series, to be delivered by Mr. Anubhav Saxena, a Chief R&D Officer, Pidilite Industries Limited.
Title of Lecture: From Idea to Impact: Design Thinking Approach
Date: 1st April 2026
Time: 2:30 PM
Venue: LC-102, Lecture Complex Building (1st Floor)
- This session will delve into how design thinking can be leveraged to translate ideas into impactful solutions, drawing from industry insights and real-world applications.
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-XRcuRVxMSz9iInQuuJ7KX0K--LQh9qk/view?usp=drive_link
Abstract:
Innovation often stalls between the laboratory and the marketplace, where promising ideas struggle to scale into impactful solutions. This talk explores how Design Thinking can serve as a structured yet flexible approach to navigate the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), bridging the gap between research and commercialization. By placing human-centered design at the core, researchers and innovators can better align technical feasibility with user desirability and market viability. The session will demonstrate how reframing challenges, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing accelerate the transition from concept to deployment which will provide practical insights into simplifying complex R&D pathways, fostering collaboration across academia and industry, and building innovation ecosystems that deliver measurable societal and economic impact.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Saxena is an industrial R&D leader with 20+ years of diverse experience in building high performance R&D teams in global and Indian MNCs. As an innovation specialist, he believes in unleashing the potential of people, ideas, and science to create value. All through his career, he has been recognized for insightful problem-solving abilities, and delivering impactful, future-oriented results. He owns 55+ patents and authored 40+ articles, reviews, highlights, book chapters. Currently, Dr Saxena is a Chief R&D Officer at Pidilite group of companies. Dr. Saxena is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and on the Advisory Board of American Chemical Society’s flagship magazine CE&N, ACS Omega, Research Direction- Bioelectronics. He is an executive member of Society of Polymer Science India and Council of the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI). He has been a part of some important national level committees as expert advisory board member (e.g. National mission on Nanoscience & Technology – Advanced Polymers, NAAC - Curriculum and Faculty Resources etc ). Dr Saxena is a member of Steering Committee on Industry Mentorship for IIT Kharagpur, board of studies at Somaiya University and is also a Professor of Practice at Doon University since last year.
Faculty members, students, and staff are cordially invited to attend the lecture.