Petro Tel Distinguished Lecture Series in Chemical Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur has been endowed by the generous donation from Dr. Anil K. Chopra (BT/CHE/1976). He earned his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, USA. He currently serves as the Founder, Chairman and CEO of PetroTel Energy. Dr. Chopra has over thirty years of work experience that includes holding key leadership and technology positions with industry majors BP. He has been instrumental in driving and designing major oil and gas projects that include oil and gas developments in the Middle-East, India, Indonesia, China, Venezuela, and the North Slope of Alaska. Mr. Chopra is the Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, a Distinguished SPE Lecture, recipient of ARCO's Highest Technical Achievement Award, and a Distinguished Alumnus Awardee of IIT Kanpur.
Mr. Rahul Gautam spoke on 'Helping India sleepwell- life story of an IIT Kanpur Chemical Engineer' in 2022. Mr. Rahul Gautam received his B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1975 following which he obtained a master's degree in the same subject from Polytechnic Institute of New York, USA. With over 50 years of experience in the Home Comfort Space and the PU Foam Industry, is the Chairman-Managing Director of Sheela Foam Ltd., India and its subsidiaries Joyce FoaM Pvt. Ltd. Australia and Interplasp S.L. Spain, EU. He holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering (1975) from IIT Kanpur and a master's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York, USA. He has been awarded with a Professional Doctorate in Global Leadership & Management from the European International University, Paris, France. He has established a chair at IITK in 2019.
