There are about 20 faculty members in the department who are actively involved in various areas of Aerospace Engineering including Fundamental/ Experimental Aerodynamics (in particular, transition and turbulence), Computational Fluid Dynamics, Aircraft Structures, Flight Mechanics, and Propulsion and Combustion. In addition, the department is also active in research on Composite/ Smart Materials and Structures, Structural, Vibration and Control dynamics, Guidance of Atmospheric Flight Vehicles and Spacecrafts, Flight Testing and Helicopter dynamics.

The Aerospace program caters to students who intend to earn their “Wings.” It offers tremendous opportunity to learn more about aircraft and helicopters through research, analysis, observation and testing.

Aerospace Engineering is an ever evolving discipline tackling numerous challenges thereby keeping one excited and engaged forever. Facilities such as flight test and helicopter laboratories, National Wind Tunnel Facility, High performance Computing Laboratory and private airstrip (1000 m runway) supporting four powered aircraft and gliders each are unique to IIT Kanpur.

Aerospace Engineering Website

Established in 2001, this relatively new department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering (BSBE) provides a multidisciplinary research and teaching program in modern biology and bioengineering. The department offers undergraduate (B. Tech.) and postgraduate programmes (M. Tech. and PhD) with 13 Faculty members who work in diverse areas of basic and applied biology. The undergraduate curriculum in BSBE aims to expose students to exciting new fields in Biology while also providing opportunities for obtaining valuable hands-on research experience. The program provides a unique fusion of biology with other basic and engineering sciences. The M. Tech. program at BSBE meets a variety of career objectives in research and industry. The program is also supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India. PhD program in BSBE is intended for students interested in carrying out distinguished scholarly activities. Excellence in research apart, the program envisages comprehensive development of students for leadership in science and engineering in both industry and academia. BSBE@IITK has developed extensive research facilities and infrastructure for teaching and research. Up to date equipment like the Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope, Affymetrix Microarray Facility, Beckman Coulter automated DNA sequencer, Fluorescence Microscopy, SGI Fuel Workstation and many others help support such activities.

Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Website

One of the pioneer departments at IITK, ChE with 21 faculty members at present, has grown from strength to strength in the past five decades. It ushered in a new paradigm in undergraduate education that fosters the creative thinking process in a very open and vibrant academic environment. From an early emphasis on developing and perfecting the undergraduate curriculum to nurturing a fledgling post-graduate research program to contributing significantly to applied and fundamental ChE research.

Our highly motivated faculty members are earnestly involved in research in frontier areas of complex fluids, micro-reactors, nano–technology, adhesion, molecular simulation and biocomputation along with making wide forays into traditional areas of fluid dynamics, conventional/ new separation processes, catalysis, polymer engineering and process design and control.

ChE@IITK attracts some of the best student talent in the country so that our students are naturally highly sought after by industry (Private/ Government) and academia. The campus has a placement office for on-campus recruitment. Lucrative jobs in the core and finance sectors are the most sought after. Several students also go abroad on scholarship for higher studies. Our PhD students are highly sought after for postdoctoral research, industrial R & D and by academic institutes. A recent and welcome trend is some of our students opting for entrepreneurial ventures upon graduation.

Chemical Engineering Website

Comprehensive research program with 31 faculty members in the department helps lay “proper foundation” in Civil Engineering. The department houses seven major groups: Geosciences, Geoinformatics, Geotechnical, Environmental, Structural and Transportation Engineering, and Hydraulics. The members are very active in solving application oriented/real life problems in Civil Engineering via consultancy projects. Within these disciplines, in-depth investigations are performed in numerous sub-areas on foundation systems, geomaterials, railway geotechnology, mechanics of rivers, water management and treatment hydrology, environmental chemistry, atmospheric pollution, transportation, remote sensing, archaeology, urban mapping, flood and noise propagation, geomorphology and sedimentology, subsurface stratigraphy, tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology, petrology and geochemistry, structural mechanics/dynamics, earthquake engineering, concrete, masonry, and steel structures.

The Master's Programme in Environmental Engineering and Management, Center for Application of Science and Technology, Railway Technologies Cell, and Information Center on Earthquake Engineering are some special initiatives.

Civil Engineering Website

Cognitive science asks fundamental questions about the human mind and brain. These include questions about the nature of consciousness, the innateness or learned capabilities of mental faculties, and how different modalities work together as a unified mind. In addition to studying the neural and bodily mechanisms underlying mind. Cognitive Science also focuses on how to repair cognitive deficits and develop interventions for mental disorders. Cognitive science has critical applications that overlap with other science and engineering disciplines. Current trends in the development of more human-like intelligence in software systems, closer coordination between man and machine across sensory modalities, and the importance of predicting and anticipating behaviour at small and large scales will continue to accelerate. In addition, the questions posed in cognitive science have historically proved to be a fecund source of ideas across diverse disciplines like computer science and economics. In addition to offering high quality rigorous academic programs in Cognitive Science, our objectives include conducting research to understand and answer some fundamental questions humans face including the problem of consciousness, develop research and technology in areas with wide impact like: teaching-learning, algorithms for recommendation and search, man-machine interfaces, behaviour in the large and autonomous agents, and play a leading role in the development of Cognitive Science as a discipline to help humans solve the problems and challenges that they face and would continue to face with drastic changes to the environment and the world.

Cognitive Science website

This first Institute in India to introduce education in Computer Science in 1963 with an IBM 1620 system in a Computer classroom, the department continues its pursuit of excellence in research and teaching. About 25 members in the faculty work in varied fields including Databases and Data Streaming, Mobile/Wireless, Computer Networks, Computer Architecture and Embedded Computing, Security, Compilers and Programming Languages, Natural Language Processing, Theoretical Computer Science, Discovery, Learning and Cognition, Software Engineering, Algorithms, Graphics, VLSI Design and Testing, Graph Theory, Computational Geometry, Operating Systems, Grid and High Performance Computing, Biometrics and vision, and Internet and web Technologies.

The department maintains the state of the art facilities pertaining to Networks, Servers and Clients. The Hardware lab, used for UG education and research, is well equipped for embedded computing and provides several FPGA based stations for programmability. The Sun Grid has 20 workstations (Opteron, 64 bit AMD processors) available to all to explore High Performance Technical Computing.

IIT Kanpur also houses a Computer Center which assists the entire campus community round the clock with Email, Web, DNS, FTP, Internet access, and faculty members and students with various advanced and special purpose software. The operations are managed by about 6 Computer Engineers and 7 technical staff members.

Computer Science and Engineering Website

The Department of Earth Sciences at IIT Kanpur focuses on the study of the Earth, encompassing its evolution and internal dynamics, its surface processes, emphasizing natural and human-induced transformations of the terrestrial environment vis-a-vis sustainable development, given the biggest problem we face in terms of rapidly increasing population.

Apart from a modern teaching programme, students will be trained for high quality research that will allow thorough examination of issues related to the Earth Sciences, such as those concerned with natural resources (identification and exploration techniques) and their use to society, solid Earth geology, Quaternary geology and the understanding and mitigation of natural hazards. It would thus provide a sound, topical background in various aspects of Earth Sciences, which will form the foundation for further study and for a wide range of employment opportunities in the mineral, energy, water, environmental and space sectors.

Earth Science Website

The department has a rich tradition of teaching and research and is widely recognized as a pioneer in Electrical Engineering education in India. Research interests, pertain to fundamental research, sponsored and consultancy projects. Students, faculty members and engineers participate actively in research. The infrastructure is upgraded regularly through the support of institute and industries.

Within four major specialization of (i) Power and control, (ii) Signal Processing, Communications and Networks, (iii) RF, Microwaves and Photonics, and (iv) Microelectronics, VLSI and Display Technologies, the teaching and research focus on a wide range of sub-disciplines including wireless communication, computer networking, control systems, digital image processing, electronic instrumentation, high voltage engineering, HVDC transmission, microwaves, optical fibre communications, power systems, power electronics and organic electronics. The associated laboratory infrastructure is comprehensive and is modernized on a regular basis.

Electrical Engineering Website

The Environmental Engineering and Management (EEM) Programme at the Department of Civil Engineering is one of the oldest and well recognized academic programmes in environmental management in the country and abroad. In addition to academic activities, the EEM group provides major environmental services. As the environmental issues are becoming multi-disciplinary, the EEM group is supported by other departments like Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing (FEAT) etc.

It has produced environmental engineers who are now leading professionals in water treatment and pollution control. Over 250 masters and 30 doctoral students have graduated. Several sponsored and consulting projects in area like health-based air quality index, atmospheric dispersion of pollutants, air pollution monitoring and control, drinking water supply, heavy metal pollution, industrial waste treatment, biological processes, biosorption, virology, environmental systems modelling, and software have been completed.

Recognizing the challenges for environmentally sustainable economic development, the institute has now launched a new, unique and broad-based programme in Environmental Engineering and Management. This is primarily to meet the growing human resource requirements of high quality to provide leadership in various sectors. These sectors are: policy and planning, implementation and legal aspects, sustainable industrial development, environment-friendly infrastructure management, resource cleanup through remediation of land, water and air resources, over and above the traditional ‘end of pipe’ pollution control measures.

Environmental Engineering and Management Website

Set up in 1974, the Department of Industrial and Management Engineering (IME) was one of the first in the country to recognize the strength of combining the training of engineers with management. Today, this department is engaged in a diverse set of activities including teaching, industry consultancy, management development programs, academic research and public sector projects. The department currently offers M. Tech., PhD and MBA degrees with 22 Faculty members.

A 2-year MBA programme was commenced in July 2001. Open to engineering graduates of any branch, the programme consists of four semesters of course work with the intervening summer to be spent on a summer internship project in management in a host industry. Admission is through Common Admission Test (CAT) followed by personal interview/group discussion. Specialization offered in MBA include areas of Service and Manufacturing and Functional areas of Operations, Systems, Marketing, and Finance.

Aside from teaching, the faculty are engaged in wide research areas which include Operations Research and Management, Decision Support systems, Flexible and Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems, industrial Engineering, Organization Sciences, Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, Small Business Management, Quality Management, Manufacturing Strategy, Management of Technology, Strategic Management, Knowledge Management, Marketing and Consumer Behavior, e-Commerce, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation, Infrastructure Finance and Policy, and Intellectual Property Rights.

Industrial and Management Engineering Website

The Center Lasers and Photonics (CELP) is an interdisciplinary center of excellence that combines cutting-edge technology from engineering and theoretical advances in science to create new horizons in the field of photonics science and engineering. The faculty in CELP belong to six different parent departments (EE, ME, AE, PHY, CY, and CE) and pursue research in the fields of nanobiophotonics, ultrafast optics, quantum optics and related fields. The Center has research infrastructure worth several crores funded by agencies such as DST, DRDO, CSIR, MHRD etc.

PG programmes offered at CELP are M. Tech. and PhD in Photonics Science and Engineering Programme (PSEP). The aim of PSEP is to train engineers/scientists from diverse background in interdisciplinary activities in photonics and related areas. For details, please visit our admission webpage.

Some projects that are currently pursued by CELP students are: Vein imaging, cancerous cell detection, LiDar systems, semiconductor lasers, chaos in fibers, quantum cryptography, photonic crystals, fibre lasers, and particle imaging.

The department coordinates with the institute in placement activities for graduate students. Our alumni are working in prestigious organizations such as DRDO, BEL, Math Works etc. many alumni have chosen to pursue PhD in reputed international and national universities.

Center for Laser Technology

Activities of the department of Material Sciences and Engineering are coordinated by 21 Faculty members. Various laboratories on Physical Metallurgy, Materials Science, Material Testing, Engineering Metallurgy, and Extractive Metallurgy are modernized with equipments like Transmission Electron Microscope, 3-D printing, Scanning Electron Microscope, Spark Plasma Sintering, High Temperature DTA/ DSC/TGA, Microwave Sintering, Pulsed Laser Deposition, Sputtering Unit, Evaporation system, Spin coating, etc. with Electrical-, Dielectric and ferroelectric-, Optical-, Magnetic-Mechanical-, Biological-, Tribological, Phase-, and Microstructural-Characterization Facilities. The department is affiliated with many professional bodies, e.g.: Metallurgical Society, Indian Institute of Metals (Kanpur Chapter), and Material Advantage (IIT Kanpur Chapter).

HISTORY: The Department of Metallurgical Engineering, found in the year 1960, initially started functioning in the HBTI campus. Metallurgical Engineering department started professional teaching from 1963 when the institution shifted to the present premises. By 1980 a mature UG and PG program in the metallurgical engineering was in place at IIT Kanpur, wherein teaching and research in the following areas were pursued vigorously: Archaeometallurgy, Extractive metallurgy, Electronics materials, Corrosion and its prevention, Mineral processing, Modeling & simulation, Phase relations, Powder metallurgy, Steel making, Texture, and Zirconia ceramics.

RESEARCH AREAS: With the name change of department to Material Sciences and Engineering in 2010, the research and teaching in engineering areas of materials science engineering have been extensively pursued such as: Grain boundary engineering, Severe deformation processing, Phase transformation, Mechanical behavior of materials, Multi-component diffusion, Computational materials science, Diffusion, Thermodynamics, Physical metallurgy, Ceramic processing, Stereology, Crystallography, Transmission electron microscopy, Finite element method, Sintering, Powder metallurgy, Opto-electronic materials and devices, Semiconductor materials, Organic electronics, Steelmaking, Glassy alloys, Solid oxide fuel cells, Quasicrystals, Protein patterning, Biomaterials, etc.

Materials Science and Engineering, IIT Kanpur Website

Activities of the department of Material Sciences and Engineering are coordinated by 24 Faculty members. Various laboratories on Physical Metallurgy, Materials Science, Material Testing, Engineering Metallurgy, and Extractive Metallurgy are modernized with equipments like Transmission Electron Mmicroscope, Scanning Electron Microscope, Spark Plasma Sintering unit, DSC, DTA,TGA Microwave Sintering unit, Pulsed Laser Deposition system, Evaporation system, Spin coating systems, Electrical characterization, Dielectric and ferroelectric characterization, Optical characterization, and magnetic characterization facilities. The department is affiliated with many professional bodies, e.g. Metallurgical Society, Indian Institute of Metals (Kanpur Chapter), and Material Advantage (IIT Kanpur Chapter). The interdisciplinary Material Sciences Progranme was initiated in 1971.It helps provide a through study of existing materials. Tailor making of new functional materials is to be pursued with increasing vigour. Laboratories on Advanced Nano-engineering Materials, Optical Spectroscopy, and Photonic and Electronic Materials, Solid State Ionics, and Thin Films are rare in the country. Current research activities and focused on Phosphors for solid state Illumination, MgO based systems for plasma display panels, ZnO based transparent conducting oxides for photovoltaics and spintronic devices, Multi-elements perovskite-type oxides members for gas separation, Nature of metal-semiconductor interface/Schottky junctions, FIB fabrication of nano-devices, Fast ion conductors/superionic conductors, High energy batteries, high Tc superconductors, Carbon nanotubes, Nanostructured materials, Functionality graded materials, Materials for Fuel cell, Solar cell, and Li-battery polymers.

Materials Science Engineering and Programme , IIT Kanpur Website

The interdisciplinary Material Sciences Programme was initiated in 1971. Advances in material technology today are limited by the availability of newer materials with desired properties. Development of solar cell materials would make better use of solar energy feasible, ceramic materials would make automobile and other engines lighter and more fuel efficient, and optoelectronic materials would revolutionize the communication industry. Tailor making of new functional materials is to be pursued with increasing vigour. Laboratories on Advanced Nano-engineering Materials, Optical Spectroscopy, Photonic and Electronic Materials, Solid State Ionics, and Thin Films, which are in IIT Kanpur, are rare in the country. Current research activities in IITK are focused on Phosphors for solid state illumination, ZnO Based transparent conducting oxides for photovoltaics and spintronic devices, Multi-elementsperovskite- type oxides membranes for gas separation, Nature of metal-semiconductor interface/ Schottky junctions, and FIB fabrication of nano-devices, Fast ion conductors/superionic conductors, High energy batteries, High Tc superconductors, Carbon nanotubes, Nanostructured materials, Functionally graded materials, Materials for Fuel cell, Solar cell, and Li-battery Polymers.

Materials Science Programme Website

Since 1959, the department has striven to stay abreast of the best pedagogical practices and has pioneered the teaching of important niche courses in Mechanical Engineering. Through a rich curriculum developed over years, students get exposed to high end numerical and experimental techniques in solid and fluid mechanics, and manufacturing sciences.

The department has helped pioneer research on composite materials, blast loading of structures, theories of vibration and damping, mechanics of failure, and theoretical and experimental studies on chaos. Ultra high-speed imaging techniques exist to study fast deformations. High performance computational frameworks to study fluid and thermal problems and methods for design and analysis of refrigeration systems are being developed since the early 80s. Investigations on interaction between tools and work-pieces, development of robust techniques for fine finishing of complicated surfaces, and application of sophisticated numerical techniques to model plastic flow in forming processes are some areas that distinguish the department. These experiences have helped foray into micro and nano engineering of materials.

The department attracts numerous undergraduates, masters and research students and is served by about 40 faculty members with extensive professional and academic achievements. It houses state-of the-art experimental and computational infrastructure in almost all relevant areas. Cutting edge research is performed in mechanics of materials including metals, polymers, smart and biological materials. Research on turbulence, flow visualization, very large scale computational techniques and fuel cells is also contemporary. Nonlinear dynamics and vibrations remain a strong area of focus. Significant expertise in tomography, genetic algorithm and bio-diesel based research has been gained over the past years. Contributing richly to the atomic, space, defence, railways and automobile sectors, with its diversity in activities, strong inter-disciplinary approach and sound infrastructure, the department continues to chart, redefine and discover research trajectories that enrich and expand Mechanical Engineering..

Mechanical Engineering Website

NET is a unique programme of its kind not only in this country but also in the whole of South East Asia region. Besides offering M. Tech. and PhD degrees in the area of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, the programme provides research and development expertise in the Experimental and Theoretical studies of fusion and plasma physics, radio isotope applications in manufacturing engineering, computer aided tomography, reactor safety studies, heat transfer in nuclear sub-systems, and development of radiation detectors. This programme has worked with BHEL, Tata Consulting Engineers, Defence labs and several divisions of the Department of Atomic Energy.

Specific areas of research include Transport Theory, Image Reconstruction and Tomography, Simulation of Heat Exchanger and Two phase Flow Under Transient Conditions, Nuclear Reactor Dynamics, Thermal safety of Nuclear Reactors, Radiation Detectors Using, Amorphous silicon, Multi-Phase Flow Measurements, Non-destructive Testing, Economics of nuclear Power, Probabilistic Risk Analysis, and Homeland Security.

The facilities in the Nuclear Engineering programme are unique for an academic institution. Many other academic departments as well as industrial organizations are using them. The facilities include 2 MeV Vann de Graff accelerator with proton, neutron and alpha sources, 5 Curie Pu-Be Neutron for activation analysis, Radiation detection equipments and survey meters, Radio isotope gages for corrosion studies, level indication and moisture content evaluation.

Nuclear Engineering and Technology Website

Center for Lasers and Photonics

The Center Lasers and Photonics (CELP) is an interdisciplinary center of excellence that combines cutting-edge technology from engineering and theoretical advances in science to create new horizons in the field of photonics science and engineering. The faculty in CELP belong to five different parent departments (EE, ME, PHY, CHM, and CE) and pursue research in the fields of nanobiophotonics, ultrafast optics, quantum optics, fiber optics, imaging, optofluidics and related fields. The Center has research infrastructure worth several crores funded by agencies such as DST, SERB, DBT, DRDO, CSIR, MHRD etc.

PG programmes offered at CELP are M. Tech. and PhD in Photonics Science and Engineering Programme (PSEP). The aim of PSEP is to train engineers/scientists from diverse background in interdisciplinary activities in photonics and related areas. For details, please visit our admission webpage.

Some projects that are currently pursued by CELP students are: Vein imaging, cancerous cell detection, LiDar systems, semiconductor lasers, chaos in fibers, quantum cryptography, photonic crystals, fibre lasers, and particle imaging.

The department coordinates with the institute in placement activities for graduate students. Our alumni are working in prestigious organizations such as DRDO, BEL, Math Works, IIT etc. many alumni have chosen to pursue PhD in reputed international and national universities.

In the era when the Indian Institutes of Technology were founded as centers of excellence, IIT Kanpur took the lead in education in humanities and social sciences both, at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels by integrating these discourses into the engineering curriculum. The study of humanities and social sciences plays an important role in the education of scientists and engineering by making their education well rounded, going beyond specialized training in a particular area of technology and enabling them to think critically for themselves. Often, students are genuinely surprised to find that humanities and social sciences provide alternative modes of cognition and that not all problems of society have a technical solution. Technology is deployed in a milieu that has both socio-cultural and economic needs and constraints. The department has 31 faculty members who teach a range of courses in Economics, English and Linguistics, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology. In addition to teaching and thesis supervision, faculty members offer short-term courses to students and of other educational institutions through workshops and seminars. Research and consultancy projects are also taken up for government and non-governmental organizations. The rich outcome of these research endeavors can be seen in the large number of books and articles published by faculty and students in reputed national and international journals. With the exception of Fine Arts, Doctoral programmes are available in all other discipline of the department. The successful completion of around 200 doctoral theses testifies to the high academic standards that the department has set for itself. Currently, these are over 50 doctoral students registered in the doctoral programmes.

Humanities and Social Sciences Website

The Department of Chemistry is one of the premier departments in the country today. Its strength has been and continues to be excellence in research and teaching. The Department has 29 faculties, more than 350 students and about 25 technical and nontechnical staff. The students getting trained in the Integrated M. Sc. programme have a unique background of Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Technical Arts, and Electronics, in addition to Chemistry. They naturally excel in academics and industry roles. The 2-year M. Sc. programme trains top ranked graduates from all over the country. It imparts a modern orientation to the sound training they have already received. The Department also has a postgraduate programme leading to PhD degree.

The Chemical Society is an activity based group involving all the members of the Chemistry department. It arranges various seminars of general interest including a special seminar series titled Student Hosted Colloqium. The commitment to research is reflected in the large number of projects sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The Department has excellent laboratory facilities. They include EPR Instrument Facility, Micro-analytical facility, Analytical NMR (JEOL-60), High Field NMR photometers (ordinary and FT) HPLC and other chromatography, Electrochemical setup for cyclic voltametry, Mossbauer spectrometer, Nanosecond single photon counting fluorimeter, Spectrofluorimeter, Ultra-centrifuge, Magnetic susceptibility measurement instrument, Light scattering Photometer, CHNSO analyzer, Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction Measurement, and Facility for Environmental and Analytical Testing (FEAT).

Chemistry Website

TThe department has 34 faculty members who, apart from teaching various core and professional courses, are actively involved in research in some ever-expanding and challenging areas like, Analysis, Combinatorics and Graph Theory, Commutative Algebra, Computational Acoustics and Electromagnetics, Computational fluid Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, Numerical analysis and Scientific Computing, Optimization Theory, Rough Set Theory and model Logic, Topology and Geometry, Statistical Signal Processing, Stochastic Ordering, Ageing and Application, Ranking and Selection Problems, Entropy Estimation, Non-parametric and Robust Methods of Estimation, Life Test Modelling, Regression and Econometric Modelling, Data Mining in Finance, etc.

The department attracts young minds who think logically and symbolically about qualitative, spatial and abstract relationships; and display a keen awareness for the quantitative information in the world around them. The department curriculum helps them to perceive, visualize and generalize numeric and non-numeric patterns and signals present therein. It also prepares them to communicate and justify mathematical concepts in creative and intuitive ways so that they can transfer learning to novel and complex situations and probe challenging questions where they are required not only to apply but also to extend concepts.

Facilities of the department include a departmental library, a departmental and a core computing lab. Together these labs are equipped with over 80 PCs with the Windows and Linux operating systems. All the PCs have advanced configurations (Core i7 and Core 2 Quad processor) and possess some of the latest state-of-the-art software.

Mathematics and Statistics Website

The Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur may lay a fair claim to be India’s premier physics department. In the last five decades, it has produced a steady stream of brilliant scientists, who have gone on to win academic laurels in many fields of research. Perhaps more significantly, the Department has steadily been making important research contribution in various front-line areas of physics. Roughly half the faculties are studying the physics of Condensed Matter System, while the other Energy Physics, Laser & Quantum Optics, and Ion Beam and Nuclear Solid State Physics. With this highly desired combination of teaching and research, it is fair to say that the Department sets the standard for the discipline in the country.

The department has at present 34 faculty members and two Distinguished Honorary Professors. The faculty is assisted by a team of Senior Scientific Officers, Research Associates and Postdoctoral Fellows as part of the academic staff. Apart from research in the frontier areas of Physics, the Department has, over the years, produced physicists of the highest caliber who have made fundamental contributions to the subject. Specific Areas of Research include Low Temperature Physics, Low Dimensional Systems, Amorphous semiconductors, Solid State Ionics, Physics of Photonic and Electronic Materials Laser and Plasma Applications, Photonics and Biophotonics (BIOPSYL), Quantum and Nano- optics, Quantum Optics and Entanglement, Ion Beam Complex for Science, Engineering and Technology, Nuclear Solid State Physics, Waves and Beams, Condensed Matter Theory, High Energy Physics, Quantum Optics, and Computational Physics.

The Physics Workshop forms the backbone of experimental research in the Department. Most fabrication, modification and maintenance of the experimental apparati and accessories are performed by well trained personnel. The Physics Society IIT K promotes interactions between members of the Department-faculty, students and staff in both academic and non-academic fields. The society is run by the students under the guidance of faculty advisers.

Physics Website

Design Programme offers a well-structured course-template for students to synthesize technology and aesthetics in the service of human needs. The programme encourages creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and personal expression leading to evolution of products and services in the field of engineering design and visual communication. A number of project interspersed between the courses provide adequate opportunities for brain-storming yielding products and services to meet social, environmental and business needs. The state-of-the-art technology learning laboratories prepare the students for careers in industries and also, higher studies through hands-on-experience. Being an interdisciplinary programme, students take courses outside the design programme as well, from a broad-spectrum of courses that IITK provides. The family of students at Design programme is from varied backgrounds having unique talents. The diversity is threaded together by mutual understanding and cooperation. Creative minds come together with enthusiasm to find innovative ways of problem solving. Design programme is well equipped to support its students in their academic pursuits. With dedicated model making, materials exploration, fine art studios and classrooms, students are given unobstructed access to advanced equipment and computer facilities. Workshops are conducted by experts from the industry, academia and other disciplines from within the institute to nurture the budding students. These workshops help student understand various design processes and their execution within a time frame. USID Gurukul, being organized in partnership with design programme, is an inspiration from “Gurukul”, a school concept from ancient times in India. USID Gurukul brings together Shishyas (students) selected from India as well as other countries from the disciplines of Design, Technology, Management and Social Sciences. These shishyas attend Gurukul to learn under the mentorship of eminent academicians, researchers and experienced practitioners from 15+ institutions.

Students in research are encouraged to participate in a lot of user testing and field surveys. Importance is given to cognition, ergonomics, culture and sustainability.

Design Programme Website