Prof. C N R Rao Distinguished Lecture Series

Prof. C. N. R. Rao Lecture Series was instituted to honor a distinguished IIT Kanpur faculty member each year who delivers a lecture to the Institute's academic community. Prof. C. N. R. Rao completed his M.Sc. from Banaras Hindu University in 1953 and his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1958. He began his academic career at IISc Bangalore in 1959 and joined the Department of Chemistry at IIT Kanpur in 1963. In 1976, he returned to IISc to establish the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit and later served as Director of IISc from 1984 to 1994. He also founded the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in 1989 and the International Centre for Materials Science in 2008. A renowned scientist, Prof. Rao has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Royal Medal of the Royal Society, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, and India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.




Past Speaker

Prof. Bishakh Bhattacharya

Prof. Bishakh Bhattacharya from the department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, spoke on the title "Smart Structure Unleashed: Innovating Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS)" He received his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. At IIT Kanpur, Prof. Bhattacharya has served in several key roles, including Head of the Design Programme and the Cognitive Science Programme. He currently coordinates the Space Technology Cell and the Imagineering Lab. His research interests include vibration control, structural health monitoring, robotics and automation, intelligent system design, and child-robot interaction. His work has significantly contributed to the advancement of smart structures and intelligent system design in India and internationally.



Prof. Sandeep Verma

Prof. Sandeep Verma spoke on 'Bioinspired Systems for Disease Modeling and Cellular Delivery of Therapeutics' on April 13, 2018 Prof. Sandeep Verma from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Kanpur, known for pioneering work at the interface of chemical biology, peptide-based materials, and medicinal chemistry. With a PhD from the University of Illinois Chicago and postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute, his contributions span biomolecular design, innovative therapeutic pathways, and interdisciplinary chemistry. His distinguished career has earned him India's top scientific honors, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, JC Bose National Fellowship, the DAE-SRC Outstanding Investigator Award, the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the National Prize for Research at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology.