Building the Future Through Enduring Support
Chemical Engineering Annex
The proposed Janice and Jagjeet Bindra Chemical Engineering Annex will add advanced laboratories, smart classrooms and interdisciplinary research spaces.
Through a USD 1.15 million commitment from distinguished alumnus Jagjeet “Jeet” Singh Bindra, IIT Kanpur will establish the Janice and Jagjeet Bindra Chemical Engineering Annex—a new 4,000-square-metre facility designed to expand the department’s capacity for teaching, research and collaboration.
When a Founding Department Needs Room to Grow
Chemical Engineering was among IIT Kanpur’s first five departments, established in 1959.
Since then, the field has expanded far beyond traditional industrial processing. Chemical engineers now work across clean energy, biotechnology, advanced materials, computational catalysis, decarbonisation and more sustainable industrial systems.
The proposed annex will create the space required for these ambitions to grow. It will include advanced laboratories, smart classrooms, faculty offices, collaborative research areas and facilities supporting interdisciplinary and industry-linked work.
It will not simply add physical capacity. It will help shape the teaching, research and partnerships the department can pursue in the decades ahead.
A Gift Rooted in Where the Journey Began
Jeet Bindra graduated from IIT Kanpur with a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering in 1969. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of Washington and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California.
Beginning as a research engineer at Chevron, he built a career spanning more than three decades and ultimately served as President of Chevron Global Manufacturing, overseeing operations across more than 19 refineries worldwide.
IIT Kanpur provided the academic foundation for that journey. Through the annex, Mr. Bindra is helping create a stronger foundation for the engineers and researchers who will follow.
A Sustained Relationship With IIT Kanpur
The annex is the latest chapter in Mr. Bindra’s long-standing engagement with the Institute.
Over more than three decades, he has supported teaching laboratories, faculty chairs and fellowships, research facilities, student travel and academic initiatives. These contributions include the Jeet Bindra Unit Operations and Innovation Laboratory.
The new building therefore represents not an isolated gift, but an enduring commitment to strengthening the department’s ability to educate, discover and grow.
Infrastructure Designed Around Future Capability
The annex is expected to support work in sustainable technologies, biotechnology, advanced materials, computational catalysis and related emerging areas.
Its collaborative spaces will be as important as its laboratories. They can bring together chemical engineers, materials scientists, computational researchers, students and industry partners around shared problems.
Modern laboratories and smart classrooms will also help connect theory with experimentation, allowing students to understand how engineering systems behave under real conditions.
A Shared Legacy for the Future
Named for Janice and Jagjeet Bindra, the annex will carry a family legacy into the daily life of the department. Its deeper value will lie not in its area or construction alone, but in what IIT Kanpur becomes capable of doing because it exists: enabling new experiments, supporting faculty growth, strengthening teaching and creating more pathways from research to application.
The education that began Jeet Bindra’s journey will now help support journeys that have not yet begun.
