Rangan Banerjee to take charge as IIT Delhi Director today

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi outgoing Director V Ramgopal Rao will hand over the charge of the post to Rangan Banerjee today. He has stepped down as Director of IIT Delhi after six years in the office.

Rangan Banerjee, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, will take over the charge of the new director of the IIT Delhi today (February 15, 2022). Outgoing Director V Ramgopal Rao stepped down as Director of IIT Delhi after six years in the office. He was on extension with his five-year tenure having completed in April 2021.

IIT Delhi startup puts up surprise drone show for outgoing Director

Botlab Dynamics, an IIT Delhi startup, had put up a surprise drone show to bid him farewell. Touched by the students' gesture, Rao wrote on Twitter, “After 6 years as Director, IIT Delhi, I am handing over charge tomorrow to Prof. Rangan Banerjee. Today, @BotLabDynamics (#startup @iitdelhi which performed at the #Republic Day Beating Retreat ceremony) put up a surprise show on IIT Delhi playground. Touched by their gesture.” 

He further wrote, “I knew that they are performing, but didn’t realise that they were doing it on the occasion of my handling over charge tomorrow. It was very touching indeed to see myself in the sky.”

Rangan Banerjee holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay. He is a Forbes Marshall Chair Professor in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the institute. In September 2021, the search-cum-selection committee shortlisted three names for the top post at the IIT Delhi. Besides Banerjee, Jagadesh Kumar, who was recently appointed as the chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC), and Santosh Kapuria, a professor at IIT Delhi, were the other two contenders for the post. 

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