Research that Makes a Difference

P. Anandan is the managing director of Microsoft Research Outreach. Previously, he was the managing director of Microsoft Research India. He was awarded the title of Distinguished Scientist in 2010 in recognition of his contributions to Microsoft and the research community.

Since June 1997, before being named managing director of Microsoft Research India, Anandan was a senior researcher at Microsoft Research headquarters in Redmond, Wash., where he built one of the world's strongest research teams in computer vision and video processing.

During that time, he also served as an ambassador for the Microsoft Research University Relations program in India. Through repeat visits to India's leading institutions of higher learning, Anandan helped develop strong relationships between Indian universities and Microsoft Research. He has also represented Microsoft in meetings with the government of India to emphasize the company's commitment to research and development. He was part of the working group constituted by the 12th Planning Commission to make recommendations on India's Higher Education Policy. Anandan continues Microsoft Research's ongoing relationships with the government and academic communities in his new role.

Before joining Microsoft, Anandan was an assistant professor of computer science for four years at Yale University, where he founded the computer vision group. Following this, he was a research manager at Sarnoff Corp. His group developed state-of-the-art video stabilization technology and systems for ground and airborne video surveillance. Over two decades, his research work has resulted in numerous patents, academic papers and recognition in the form of several awards in computer vision. During a research career that has spanned two decades, Anandan has done pioneering research in video motion analysis and is recognized for his fundamental contributions in the area of optical flow, motion estimation, video mosaicking and 3-D scene analysis.

Anandan holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which presented him with a Distinguished Alumni award in 2006. He also attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where he received his master of science in computer science, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, where he earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. He received the Distinguished Alumni award from IIT Madras in 2010, and was also inducted into the "hall of Computing" by the University of Nebraska in 2010. Anandan is currently on the Board of Governors of IIIT Delhi and IIT Madras.

Anandan is a native of Chennai, India. His interests outside work include the study of philosophy, especially philosophy of the mind.