IIT Kanpur Profs Appointed as Directors of IIT Kanpur and IIT Goa

Prof. Manindra Agrawal will head IIT Kanpur and Dr. Dhirendra Katti has been tasked with the stewardship of IIT Goa as its Director.

Two of the senior faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) have been appointed as Directors of IIT Kanpur and IIT Goa. Prof. Manindra Agrawal will head IIT Kanpur and Dr. Dhirendra Katti has been tasked with the stewardship of IIT Goa as its Director.

Prof. Manindra Agrawal, currently holding the esteemed N. Rama Rao Chair Professorship in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur, has been entrusted with the helm of IIT Kanpur as its new Director.

Secretary Department of Science and Technology, Government of India who is also former Director of IIT Kanpur, Abhay Karandikar, extending heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Agrawal. Karandikar expressed his confidence in Prof. Agrawal's leadership, citing their past collaboration during Prof. Agrawal's tenure as Deputy Director from 2018 to 2020.

Prof. Agrawal's journey, from a bright student to a revered faculty member, epitomizes the spirit of academic excellence and innovation that defines IIT Kanpur. He completed his B.Tech. and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the institute in 1986 and 1991, respectively. Prof. Agrawal's illustrious career, marked by groundbreaking contributions to computational theory, including the pioneering AKS primality test, positions him as a beacon of academic prowess and leadership.

In 1996, he joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur. In 2003, he was appointed as the N. Rama Rao Chair Professor. From 2003-2004, he was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study.

In parallel, Dr. Dhirendra Katti, a senior faculty member at IIT Kanpur, has been tasked with the stewardship of IIT Goa as its Director. Dr. Katti's scholarly pursuits in the realms of bio materials and tissue engineering with nano dimensions have earned him global recognition and acclaim.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Mumbai and underwent post-doctoral training at Drexel University, USA. Dr. Katti then served as Assistant Professor (Research Track) at Drexel University and as Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) at the University of Virginia before joining the BSBE Department at IIT Kanpur in April 2004. His appointment underscores a strategic imperative to leverage expertise in niche domains, propelling IIT Goa towards becoming a hub of innovation and excellence in its own right.