Sir M. Visvesvaraya Chair
To honor the renowned engineer and Bharat Ratna awardee, Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has instituted the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Chair. The Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water Resources) is responsible for formulating policies and programs for the development and regulation of India's water resources. It oversees planning, coordination, and policy guidance in the sector, and provides technical support, evaluation, clearance, and monitoring of major and medium irrigation, flood control, and multi-purpose water projects. The objective of this chair is to advance research in water resources, with a special focus on assessing the impact of climate change and developing adaptation strategies for the planning, design, and management of water resource systems, particularly in the Ganga basin.
Current Occupant
Prof. Sachchida Nand Tripathi
(Jun. 2024 - Jun. 2027)
Prof. Sachchida Nand Tripathi is the inaugural Dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability at IIT Kanpur and a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering. His research interests include aerosol science and technology, low-cost sensors for air quality monitoring, near-real-time identification of air pollution sources, aerosol-land use-rainfall-climate coupling, and large-scale chamber aerosol experiments for reactor safety. He has received several prestigious honours, including the J.C. Bose Fellowship, Infosys Prize, UP Ratna Award, and fellowships of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam. Prof. Tripathi earned his B.Tech. in Civil Engineering from IIT (BHU) and his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics from the University of Reading, UK.
Former Occupant
Prof. Sameer Khandekar
(Feb. 2021 - Jan. 2024)
Prof. Sameer Khandekar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, specializes in the area of Thermal Fluid Engineering Sciences. He has authored the book Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship: Case Studies from IIT Kanpur (2017, Springer). Prof. Khandekar is the recipient of the prestigious P. K. Kelkar Research Fellowship from IIT Kanpur (October 2009 - September 2012); Prof. K. N. Seetharamu Young Researcher Medal and Prize from the Indian Heat and Mass Transfer Society (2010); George Grover Young Scientist Medal from International Heat Pipe Committee (2007); Young Scientist Award by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India (2005).