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Date
18.07.2014
Our reference
Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
Industrial Ecology Programme
Your letter dated Your reference
Adress Org.no. 974 767 880 Location Phone Our contact
Email: IT-Bygget Sydfløy + 47 73 59 89 40 Helge Brattebø
NO-7491 Trondheim indecol@indecol.ntnu.no Sem Sælandsvei 7 Fax Phone
Norway http://www.ntnu.edu/indecol Gløshaugen + 47 73 59 89 43 +47 73 59 47 44
All correspondence that is part of the case being processed is to be addressed to the relevant unit at NTNU, not to
individuals. Please use our reference with all inquiries.
To whom it may concern,
LETTER OF CONFIRMATION AND RECOMMENDATION –
TEACHING AND TUTORING EXPERIENCE OF DR. VENKATESH G.
This letter is to confirm that Dr. Venkatesh G. has been one of my closest work associates during
several years at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Our collaboration started in
2006 when he began his PhD in Industrial Ecology studies at NTNU, under my supervision.
Together we developed the new concept of ‘metabolism modelling’ of urban water services, which
gave rise to numerous international scientific publications and presentations. This also formed a
theoretical core of a new EU7FP research project (TRUST – www.trust-i.net), from May 2011, to
which Dr. Venkatesh has made vital contributions as a post-doc fellow at NTNU, after he
successfully defended his PhD thesis in 2011.
As his post-doc fellow position soon is about to end, Dr. Venkatesh is now searching for other job
opportunities, internationally. My advice, and also his own preference, is that he finds a new job in
academia, where he can combine research, teaching, tutoring, dissemination and outreach, in a field
where he can contribute significantly on the basis of his present high competence in industrial
ecology and environmental engineering. Unfortunately, at the moment we do not have a vacancy for
such a position at NTNU, and he therefore needs to search for jobs elsewhere. Overall, I strongly
recommend Dr. Venkatesh for such a position, and I am convinced he will contribute in excellent
ways to the scientific community and the advancement of relevant high-level research groups of any
university.
I also have to emphasise his experience and abilities in teaching and tutoring at graduate and
postgraduate level. Parallel to his PhD-studies at NTNU he acted as one of my teaching assistants in
courses at NTNU’s globally recognized International MSc in Industrial Ecology programme, under
my supervision. Venkatesh in particular was, from 2006 to 2011, given responsibility for weekly
exercises and semester project assignments (developing questions, guide to solutions, tutoring, and
evaluation and grading), in classes of industrial ecology (IE) with focus on IE theory, environmental
systems analytical methods, and applications/implementation in different sectors (such as urban
water services). I also used Venkatesh for teaching (IE theory, MFA/LCA, Urban water systems)
and grading exam papers, and during these years he allocated a lot of time in co-supervising several
of my MSc-students for their thesis work. Venkatesh carried out all his teaching and tutoring work
to my full satisfaction, and his dedicated assistance was crucial for the success of our teaching
efforts in classes of up to 100 students per year. And students were happy as well; in their final
feedback students stated “Venky is Gold”, “Venky was always there for us”, “Venky gave
immediate and most helpful guidance response to our work”.
On this basis, I highly recommend Dr. Venkatesh for future academic positions!
Professor Helge Brattebø, NTNU’s Industrial Ecology Programme