Satya and Rao Remala Foundation Chair
Mr. R.V. Rao (MT/CSE/1974) is a former software developer, now an accomplished angel investor and philanthropist. In 1981, he became the first Indian to join Microsoft and was among the lead developers of the inaugural version of Microsoft Windows. He established the Satya & Rao Remala Foundation Chair in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at IIT Kanpur. Instituted under the Satya & Rao Remala Foundation, USA, the Chair is dedicated to advancing research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in the health technology sector.
Current Occupant
Prof. Piyush Rai
(Sep. 2025-Sep. 2028)
Prof. Piyush Rai is a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, jointly affiliated with the Department of Intelligent Systems at the Wadhwani School of AI & Intelligent Systems, IIT Kanpur. His research focuses on developing novel machine learning algorithms to uncover latent structures in large and complex real-world data, enabling the construction of computationally efficient predictive and generative models. These data-driven approaches are applied to address challenges in domains such as environmental science, e-governance, education, and healthcare. He earned his Ph.D. from the School of Computing at the University of Utah and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin.