Dr. Gurmukh D. Mehta & Veena M. Mehta Chair
Dr. Gurumukh D. Mehta and his wife, Mrs. Veena Mehta instituted Gurumukh D. Mehta & Veena M. Mehta Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kanpur. Dr. Gurumukh D. Mehta (MT/ME/1969) is a Senior Scientist and Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), where he has served for over 25 years. SAIC is the largest employee-owned research and engineering company in the United States, providing information technology, systems integration, and e-solutions to both commercial and government clients. Dr. Mehta has supported the U.S. Navy for over two decades in the development, upgrading, testing, and simulation of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and has served as International Executive Advisor and past Chairman of the ASME Washington D.C. Section.
He earned his B.E. from Punjab University in 1967, M.Tech. from IIT Kanpur in 1969, and Ph.D. from Brown University in 1974.
Current Occupant
Prof. Niraj Sinha
(Sep. 2025 - Sep. 2028)
Prof. Niraj Sinha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, has research interests in additive manufacturing, biomaterials, biomedical engineering, prosthetic devices, and nanotechnology. He received his M.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, Canada.
Former Occupant
Prof. Shantanu Bhattacharya
(Apr. 2022 - Apr. 2025)
Prof. Shantanu Bhattacharya, Department of Mechanical Engineering, research interests include Micro-system design and fabrication, Bio Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, Nano Technology, and Lab on Chip. Prof. Bhattacharya heads the Design Programme at IITK since 2017. The Programme offers training for students to synthesize technology and aesthetics in the service of human-needs. The programme encourages creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and personal expression leading to evolution of products and services in the field of engineering design and visual communications. He also heads the Microsystems Fabrication Lab at the Mechanical Engineering Department. Prof. Bhattacharya has eight patents to his name and is the recipient of many awards and honours - NASI Reliance Platinum Jubilee Award - 2019; Er. M.P. Baya National Award from IEI for 2019; Senior Member, IEEE, 2019; Fellow of the International Society of Energy , Environment and Sustainability (ISEES), 2018 to name a few. Prof. Bhattacharya earned his doctorate from the University of Missouri, Columbia.