Instituted through the generous contributions of the IITK alumni community, this Chair honors Prof. T. R. Viswanathan, one of the founding faculty members of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, who joined in the 1960s when the Institute was in its formative stages as a greenfield campus. Prof. Viswanathan served as Professor of Electrical Engineering, Head of the Computer Centre, and Dean of R&D at IIT Kanpur. He taught courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering and supervised numerous graduate theses in the area of Analog Integrated Circuit Design.
Prof. Viswanathan spent 15 years in industry, contributing to research and development, product design, manufacturing, and management. He retired as Director of Research and Development from Texas Instruments and later became a Partner at Artiman Ventures. He earned his B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Madras in 1956 and was awarded the prestigious Jagirdar of Arni Gold Medal for being the best Physics student of the year. He is currently Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he also held the Silicon Laboratories Endowed Chair in Electrical Engineering for thirteen years prior to retirement.
This Chair recognizes faculty members who have distinguished themselves in undergraduate teaching and encourages innovation in pedagogy. It enables the Institute to reward and honor outstanding faculty who have made a significant impact on their students' careers through years of dedicated teaching and mentorship.