Cheveron Corporation Chair
Mr. Jagjeet Singh Bindra (BT/CHE/1969) serves as a Director of Edison International, one of the largest electric utility companies based in California. He previously served as President of Chevron Global Manufacturing (2004-2009), concluding a distinguished 32-year career with Chevron Corporation, where he rose from research engineer to lead the company's global manufacturing operations, including 19 refineries worldwide.
He has served on the Boards of Larsen & Toubro Limited, Transfield Services Limited, and Sriya Innovations Inc., and currently chairs the Board of the IIT Kanpur Foundation. After earning his B.Tech. from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, he completed his Master's in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington in 1970. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of both institutions.
Mr. Bindra instituted the Chevron Corporation Chair, open to the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Current Occupant
Dr. Sri Sivakumar
(Sep. 2025 - Sep. 2028)
Prof. Sri Sivakumar, from the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Kanpur, also serves as Associate Faculty in the Materials Science Programme and as Coordinator of the Centre for Nanosciences and Advanced Imaging. His research focuses on the development and synthesis of functional nanomaterials for catalytic, chemical, and biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering.
He earned his B.Sc. (Tech) and M.Sc. (Tech) from the University Institute of Chemical Technology, a Ph.D. from the University of Victoria, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Melbourne. Prof. Sivakumar was awarded the Prof. CNR Award for Outstanding Research Contribution in 2014.
Former Occupant
Prof. Nishith Verma
(Apr. 2022 - Apr. 2025)
Prof. Nishith Verma , Department of Chemical Engineering, research interests are environmental remediation, nanomaterials, catalysts, and sensors. Prof Verma's research laboratory has played a pioneering role in the country to successfully integrate nanosciences with the development of novel materials as efficient and cost-effective adsorbents and catalysts in combating an array of contaminants in air and water. Prof. Verma is the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (2004) and Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2018). Prof. Verma has also been Raj and Neera Singh Chair professor in the Institute for the periods 2012-14 and 2015-18. He was the Head of Chemical Engineering Department, 2012-14 and Coordinator, Center for Environmental Science and Engineering, 2011 -14. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA in 1995.