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

CMD, Sheela Foam Ltd.

PetroTel Distinguished Lecture (2022)
Talk Title : Helping India Sleepwell – Life Story of an IIT Kanpur Chemical Engineer

Abstract of the talk
Two-thirds of India sleeps on some sort of Cotton Mattress/Durry/Chatai. Even the balance one-third has very little idea of what “A Good Night’s Sleep is all about” and the impact that it has on the individual’s performance and the contribution to Nation Building. Flexible Polyurethane Foam, the main product of Sheela Foam, with all its versatility is an ideal product for creating a good mattress. This lecture will dwell on the Innovations in Process and Products to improve the Affordability, Availability & Sustainability of such a mattress.[Poster]

About the Speaker
Rahul Gautam, 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 Pty Ltd., Australia & Interplasp S.L., Spain, EU. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering (1975) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York, USA. He has been awarded a Professional Doctorate in Global Leadership & Management from The European International University, Paris, France. He has established a Chair at IIT, Kanpur in 2008 and also has been conferred with the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT, Kanpur in 2019. He is the Founder & the Chairman Emeritus of the Indian Polyurethane Association (IPUA) and has been recognized for his contribution to the PU industry with a Life Time Achievement Award. He is also a Founder Member of the Global PU Group. Under his aegis, the CSR activities are done through The Sleepwell Foundation, wherein an All Women’s ITI in Delhi has been adopted and a Skill Development Center & an Armed Forces Training Center are being run at Khurja, U.P.

Past Speakers

Date

Speaker

Topic

Feb 27, 2013

Dr. K. Vijayraghavan
Secretary
DBT, Govt. of India

Neural Stem cells in the making of the brain
Detail Information

Feb 17, 2012

Dr. T. Ramasami
Secretary
DST, Govt. of India

Combining Relevance with Excellence: A Scientist's Delight

Feb 10, 2011

Dr. B. D. Kulkarni
NCL, Pune

Geometry of Nature

Feb 16, 2010

Prof. M. S. Ananth
Director
Indian Institute of Technology Madras

The Changing Environment of Higher Education and Some India-Centric Concerns
Detail Information Photographs

September 21, 2007

Dr. S. Sivaram
Director
NCL, Pune

Materials and Energy Derived from Carbohydrates:
Opportunities, Challenges and Sustainability Assessment
Detail Information [HTML] [PDF] Photographs

April 12, 2006

Professor J. B. Joshi
Director
UICT, Mumbai

Institution - Industry Partnership at UICT
Detail Information [HTML] Download Presentation (18.9 MB, ZIP)

Feb 8, 2005

Professor K. S. Gandhi
Department of Chemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Modeling as a Vocation: A Personal Account
Detail Information

Feb 7, 2004

Professor M. M. Sharma, FRS
UICT, Mumbai

Emerging Scenarios of Chemical Engineering
Detail Information