Prof. R. N. Biswas was born in 1939 and obtained his BSc degree with Physics Honours in 1957 from Presidency College, University of Calcutta. Thereafter he joined the Institute of Radio physics and Electronics and was awarded the MSc. (Tech) degree by the University of Calcutta in 1960. Professor Biswas then proceeded to University of California at Berkeley and completed his PhD degree in 1966 on Electronic Circuits.
After a one-year stint at the renowned RCA Laboratories in the States, Professor Biswas joined llT Kanpur in November 1967 as Assistant Professor and was elevated to the rank of Professor in 1977. Dr. R. N Biswas is an Institute Fellow, the topmost Honour given by the institute to anyone. He was actively teaching at the institute until 1993 and then went on deputation as Director of CEERI Pilani. On his return in 1998 he taught for a semester and then retired in 1999 on reaching 60 years of age. Subsequently, for next 22 years, he worked with private Universities, the last two being IIIT Delhi and Shiv Nadar University. At SNU he worked from 2014 to 2021 and finally retired on 31st May 2021.
Professor R. N. Biswas is known for his exemplary teaching both in and outside the classroom. He has more than 40 years of teaching and research experience in Electronic circuits, Telecommunication systems, Communication Networks, and Microprocessor Architecture and Systems. He believed in total learning, which resulted in the establishment of several student laboratories in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Some of the Alumni members of IIT Kanpur have enthusiastically come together and have decided to contribute towards setting up an Endowment Fund at their alma mater in the name of their beloved Professor Dr. R. N. Biswas. Prof. Biswas is one of the most respectable, distinguished, and renowned teachers of IIT Kanpur. He is one among the best teachers that IIT Kanpur ever had, and his students have come together and decided that it will be appropriate to name & establish an Endowment Fund for Teaching Excellence in the honour of their idol teacher. This fund will support a Faculty Chair and a Young Faculty Fellowship to motivate young faculty to become good teachers. The faculty reward and recognition system are such that better research brings better rewards and promotions to the faculty, better teaching does not, so most young faculty who are building up their career, allocate most of their time to research. By setting up this endowment for teaching excellence to reward great teachers, we will fill a gap at the institute and will motivate young faculty to invest their time in teaching and developing new pedagogy. Great professors not only mould minds: they establish strong connections and communicate with students of the most diverse personalities.
The Faculty Chair & Fellowships are proposed to be awarded to faculty who distinguish themselves in teaching undergraduate students and to encourage them to innovate in pedagogy. IIT Kanpur owes an everlasting debt to generations of dedicated faculty who have worked with students and alumni to create and sustain IIT Kanpur's unique combination of intellectual community now draws top students from the entire country and attracts promising young teachers who seek out our stimulating and supportive atmosphere.
The Chair will appropriately enable the Institute to reward and recognize the distinguished and outstanding faculty who have created immense impact on the career of their students through years of dedicated teaching and mentoring.
The Fellowship will acknowledge young and enthusiastic faculty under 40 years who are excellent teachers at an early age and will promote their efforts in creating new methods and pedagogical approaches.
It is proposed that on the forthcoming Teacher’s Day, 5th September 2021, a formal announcement will be done regarding the establishment of Prof. R.N. Biswas Endowment Fund for Teaching Excellence.
Total Endowment: Rs 2.5 crores
Heartfelt Gratitude