IIT Bombay to establish three Chair Professorships

The INOX Group will set up the “INOX Chair in Cryogenics”.

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is in the process of establishing three Chair Professorships with donations from its alumni.

The three chairs will be funded by IIT Bombay alumni Pankaj Jagtap, Deepak Kotwal, and from the INOX Group. Jagtap (1995 batch) completed his B.Tech. degree from the Department of Civil Engineering and his generous donation will help set up the “Anantrao Jagtap Chair for Construction Management”.

Kotwal (1970 batch) completed his B.Tech degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and his generous donation will help set up the “Sumati and Atmaram Kotwal Sanskrit Acharya Chair”.

The ‘Chair Professor’ - also known as endowed professorships - is one of the highest honours awarded to professors in academia for excellence in teaching and research. Faculty members at IIT Bombay who pursue high-impact, innovative and cutting-edge research and teaching are awarded these prestigious Chair Professorships. The Chair Professorship also allows the Institute to retain the best of faculty and attract the crème de la crème of students to the Institute. The selection procedure at IIT Bombay is rigorous and is in accordance with the selection procedures laid down by the Board of Governors of the Institute.

Anantrao Jagtap Chair for Construction Management

On October 27, 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between IIT Bombay, IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation (a US-based non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to promote education and research among students of IIT Bombay) and Mr. Pankaj Jagtap, SVP, Professional Services at HighRadius Corporation, for the creation of a Chair Professorship in the Department of Civil Engineering.

The Chair Professorship will identify and support faculty with exceptional understanding of research, and pedagogy in the area of indigenous accurate, low-cost and efficient construction management.

The primary objective of the Chair Professorship is to attract young and talented faculty members from all over the world. This initiative will provide them with a platform and financial support to build a world-class programme in Construction Management with the eventual goal of making the Construction Management program at IIT Bombay pre-eminent in the country and internationally.

Sumati and Atmaram Kotwal Sanskrit Acharya Chair

On November 4, 2021, an MoU was signed between IIT Bombay, IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation (IITBHF) and Mr. Deepak Kotwal for the creation of a Chair Professorship to support the Cell for Indian Science and Technology in Sanskrit.

This Chair Professorship will promote the pursuit of education pertaining to Science and Technology in Sanskrit. The Chair Professorship will be granted to an eminent faculty member at IIT Bombay who has an excellent track record of research in the scientific and technological traditions of India in Sanskrit.

The Chair Professorship will support the selected faculty member to conduct extensive research and translational work in the area of Indian knowledge systems and practices ingrained in ancient texts (most of which are in Sanskrit); conduct scholarly studies in knowledge systems pertaining to exact and applied sciences; disseminate authentic knowledge among academicians as well as the public at large and make them aware of the rich scientific heritage of India.

INOX Chair in Cryogenics

On December 04, 2021, an MoU was signed between IIT Bombay and the INOX Group for the creation of a Chair Professorship to conduct research in the field of Cryogenics at IIT Bombay. The Chair Professorship will be granted to an eminent professor from the Institute with an excellent track record of research in Cryogenics.

The Chair Professorship aims to facilitate advanced research and encourage IIT Bombay to take up challenging projects related to Cryogenics so that it emerges as a global leader in the field. The initiative will also leverage the existing knowledge base on the same and provide a platform for further innovation.

Speaking about the establishment of the Chair Professorships at the Institute, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay said, “IIT Bombay’s vision is to be amongst the top 50 universities in the world. This is only possible when experienced and high-calibre individuals are encouraged to impart their wisdom and carry forward various academic fields and facilitate learning. I thank Mr. Jagtap, Mr. Kotwal and the INOX Group for their generous contributions to set up the Chair Professorships at IIT Bombay. These initiatives will bring IIT Bombay one step closer towards fulfilling its vision and mission”.

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