IIT Kanpur alumnus Rajeev Gautam donates $250,000 to alma mater
Rajeev Gautam, a former senior executive at US conglomerate Honeywell, has contributed $250,000, or about Rs 2 crore, to his alma mater Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) to establish three endowed programmes in the department of chemical engineering.
The contribution is part of a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between IITK, IIT Kanpur Foundation, and Gautam.
The sum would be utilised towards the institution of an endowed faculty chair, a faculty fellowship and a travel grant programme for students, the institute said.
The initiatives will facilitate more robust research efforts and provide global exposure opportunities to students besides strengthening the academic and research activities at the chemical engineering department, IITK director S Ganesh said in a statement.
Graduating in chemical engineering from IITK in 1974, Gautam went on to make a mark in the field while pioneering creative solutions to meet industry demands. He played a key role in the creation and introduction of various catalytic and separations applications for the refining, petrochemical, and gas processing sectors. After a four-decade-long stint with Honeywell, Gautam retired as president emeritus, Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies. Recognizing his extensive work in the field, IIT Kanpur honoured Gautam with the distinguished alumnus award in 2020.
“It brings me immense pride to be able to give back to my alma mater in whichever possible ways to promote research and academic excellence,”
