The Prof. Santosh K. Gupta Distinguished Lecture Series is instituted in the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, through the generous support of the family, friends and students of Prof. S. K. Gupta. The lecture series aims to invite eminent speakers who exemplify excellence in pedagogy, research, and thought leadership, reflecting the values and legacy of Prof. Santosh K. Gupta. Through these lectures, the series promotes meaningful academic engagement and seeks to inspire students, faculty, and researchers by highlighting distinguished contributions across disciplines.
Prof. Shantosh K. Gupta is a distinguished chemical engineer known for his contributions to process optimization and polymer reaction engineering. His research interests include bio-mimetic approaches using genetic algorithms and simulated annealing, multi-objective optimization of industrial processes, on-line optimizing control of polymerization reactors, and modeling of complex polymerization systems. He completed his B.Tech. from IIT Kanpur in 1968 and went on to earn his M.S. (1970) and Ph.D. (1972) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Prof. Gupta has held several prestigious academic positions, including Professor at IIT Bombay and L&T Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Notre Dame, National University of Singapore, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Indian Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences, India, he has received numerous honors, including the Herdillia Award of IIChE for Excellence in Basic Research. His contributions have also been recognized through special sessions and a Festschrift issue dedicated to his work.