Late Prof. Sameer Khandekar

( MT/ME/2000)

Late Prof. Sameer Khandekar was a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kanpur, where he held the prestigious Sir M. Visvesvaraya Chair Professorship. His research contributions spanned two-phase heat transfer, heat pipes and thermosyphons, and energy systems.

Profile

Prof. Khandekar obtained his M.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Fluid-Thermal Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 2000. He went on to earn his doctoral degree from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 2004. Prior to his postgraduate studies, after completing his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Government Engineering College, Jabalpur (M.P.), he worked as a marine power plant engineer aboard sea-going merchant ships for four years (1994-1998).
He was a recipient of the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Chair Professorship at IIT Kanpur and was elected a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) in 2019. He had been a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) since 2016. His work was recognized through numerous prestigious fellowships and awards, including the P. K. Kelkar Research Fellowship from IIT Kanpur (2008), DAAD Fellowship (2011), Prof. K. N. Seetharamu Award from the Indian Society of Heat and Mass Transfer (2010), George Grover Medal from the International Heat Pipe Committee (2007), and the Young Scientist Award from the Department of Atomic Energy (2005).
Prof. Khandekar served as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Thermal Sciences and Interfacial Phenomena and Heat Transfer. He was also an active member of several professional bodies, including the International Heat Pipe Committee and the Indian Heat and Mass Transfer Society. Over the course of his career, he contributed extensively to the global academic community as an invited faculty member at universities across Germany, France, Brazil, Russia, and Thailand.
He authored over 85 research publications in international journals and more than 100 papers and presentations in international conferences, including several keynote lectures and invited talks. He also held eight patents and authored four books.
At IIT Kanpur, he served as Associate Dean (Innovation and Incubation) and Coordinator of the SIDBI Innovation and Incubation Centre from 2015 to 2017. He was also actively involved in social service and served as President of Shiksha Sopan, a voluntary organization dedicated to supporting underprivileged communities in and around IIT Kanpur.

Achievements and Honors

• Sir M. Visvesvaraya Chair Professorship, IIT Kanpur (2021-2024)
• Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), 2019
• Sir M. Visvesvaraya Chair Professorship (from May 2017)
• Fellow, Institution of Engineers (India), 2016
• P. K. Kelkar Research Fellowship, IIT Kanpur (2009-2012)
• DAAD Research Fellow, Technical University of Darmstadt (2011)
• K. N. Seetharamu Young Researcher Medal, IISHMT, 2010
• George Grover Young Scientist Medal, International Heat Pipe Committee, 2007
• Member, International Heat Pipe Committee (since 2007)
• Young Scientist Award, Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, 2005
• Doctoral dissertation awarded highest grade (Summa Cum Laude)
• First position in M.Tech. (Thermo-fluid Sciences)
• Five university gold medals, including first position in B.E. (Mechanical Engineering) at Government Engineering College, Jabalpur
• National Merit Scholarship throughout undergraduate education