Dr. Purushottam Kashinath Kelakar (1909-1990) is best remembered as the founding director of IIT Kanpur, established in 1959. Born in Karnataka, he graduated in Physics from the Royal Institute of Science, Mumbai in 1931 and later obtained his Diploma in Electrical Engineering in 1934 from IISC, Bangalore. Pursuing his passion for studies, Dr. Kelakar earned his doctorate from the University of Liverpool under the guidance of Dr. J.C. Prescott. His association with IITs began in 1956 when he was appointed as the Planning Officer of IIT Bombay and later became its Deputy Director. In 1959 December, Dr. Kelkar was appointed as the first Director of IIT Kanpur. His vision was to establish an institute incorporating engineering curriculum based on science, humanities and social sciences, with faculty engaged in teaching and research. Dr. Kelkar was instrumental in forming a collaborative program between IITK and a consortium of nine American universities called the Kanpur Indo-American Program (KIAP) that played an important role in the development of the Institute. He was appointed as the Director of IIT Bombay in 1970 where he brought in many key changes that led to the growth and expansion of the Institute. To honor his immense contribution in the field of technical education, the Government of India honored him with Padma Bhushan in 1969.
Dr. Prakash Chandra Mondal is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry, IIT Kanpur, India. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Weizmann Institute of Science, (2013-2016), then moved to the University of Alberta, Canada. Before joining IIT Kanpur, he was an International Incoming Marie-Curie Post-doctoral Fellow (2017-2019) at the University of Valencia, Spain. His research areas include interfacial electrochemistry, molecular electronics, memory devices, molecular electrochromic, and spintronics. He has published more than 50 research articles, and filed three Patents, one has already been granted. He was an invited visiting Associate Professor at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland (May to June 2023) and has been a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC) since 2023, and a life member of the Materials Research Society of India (MRSI), Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI), and Indian Science Congress. He has been an Editorial Board member of Analyst (Royal Society of Chemistry) since April 2021. Dr. Chandra completed his graduation in Chemistry from Jadavpur University in 2006 and post graduation from IIT Kharagpur in 2008 respectively. Dr. Chandra holds a Ph.D. degree (2013) from the University of Delhi
Gratitude Video
Dr. Srinivas Dharavath is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at IIT Kanpur. He specializes in the field of Organic Chemistry, High Energy Density Materials and, Energetic Oxidizers, Energetic Cocrystals and Ionic Liquids, Iodine Rich Compounds and Medicinal Chemistry and his is research focuses on the design and synthesis of nitrogen-rich azoles, fused and strained ring-containing small molecules characterized by high density, thermal stability, and insensitivity to mechanical stimuli, with applications in various defense and civilian sectors as environmentally friendly high-energy materials (HEMs). Dr. Srinivas has published more than 50 in internationally reputed journals like ACS, RSC, Willey. He has received an award in his Ph.D. from Dr. K. V. Rao's scientific society in recognition of his research and is the Recipient of Dr. K. V. Rao Young Research Scientist Award in 2013. Dr. Srinivas completed his post-graduation from Osmania University in 2009 and PhD from the University of Hyderabad, Telangana in 2014.
Gratitude Video
