The IIT-Delhi alumni siblings have come together to be given a chair in their alma case in the name of their father, who was also a faculty at the institute.
Apoorva Jha Bansal, Dr. Aparna Jha Ahuja, Rajesh Jha, IIT Delhi alumnus BTech Mechanical, 1982 and Rakesh Jha IIT Delhi alumnus BTech Manufacturing 1994 in honor of their father Professor NK Jha to support research and training in Chemistry A chair is provided for Member of the Faculty of Chemistry at IIT Delhi.
Professor NK Jha was one of the earliest members of the Department of Chemistry starting as a lecturer in 1965 and retired as a Professor in 1997 serving as Head of the Department and Chairman of the Departmental Research Committee.
Professor Jha is best known for his work on the discovery of hitherto unknown noble gas compounds, which he did for his PhD with Neil Bartlett at the University of British Columbia.
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At IIT Delhi, he continued research in inorganic chemistry and supervised several postdoctoral fellows, over 20 PhD students and several postgraduates. He also made significant contribution to the institution community by serving as the Chairman, Student Welfare Board, Homeowner and Employees Welfare Scheme Secretary.
Teaching and pedagogy were important to Professor Jha and he was actively involved in curriculum development, curriculum setting, contributing to textbooks through participation in several NCERT, UGC, and University committees and workshops.
Prof Jha’s children said, “It is our privilege to establish the Professor NK Jha Chair in honor of our father. His amazing passion for research and teaching, which has not waned even today, has been an inspiration to us and to all who have met him. His lifelong learning, curiosity, openness to new ideas, joy in discovery and research, dedication to teaching and sharing of knowledge have been the best lessons for us. He spent nearly 35 years of his highly productive career in the Department of Chemistry, IIT Delhi. We hope that with the establishment of this Chair, research and teaching in the department will be further enhanced, which has always been dear to our fathers.
In addition to the PhD programme, the department offers two year programs leading to MSc and MTech degrees. Two hundred heterogeneous researchers conduct research on all major areas of chemistry and allied sciences. The department provides a vibrant environment to the students and faculty to nurture the spirit of scientific inquiry and to pursue cutting edge research in a highly encouraging environment.
Professor Narayanan Kurur, Head, Department of Chemistry, said, “It is a pleasure to establish the Professor NK Jha Chair in Chemistry. Professor Jha has been a distinguished faculty member and a renowned researcher in the field of inorganic chemistry from 1965-1997. We accept the pledge of Apoorva Jha Bansal, Aparna Jha Ahuja, Rajesh Jha and Rakesh Jha to make this possible. The trust of well-wishers in the department inspires us and their generosity propels us forward.”
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Professor V. Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi said, “We are hopeful that Professor Jha’s dedication towards teaching and research will inspire each and every person of this Chair to give their best to the Institute and the country. Legacy of Parents There can be no better way to honor this and we are grateful for such wonderful gesture from the children of Professor Jha.”
Prof Jha’s daughter Apoorva Jha Bansal is a graduate in Chemistry from the University of Delhi and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He has worked in various sectors including airlines, advertising, films and finance. Aparna Jha Ahuja did her MBBS, MD from University of Delhi and held a variety of roles in clinical practice, research and education. She was the Worldwide Vice President of Medical Affairs at Becton Dickinson and is now the Chief Medical Officer at T2 Biosystems, USA.
Rajesh Jha, an alumnus of IIT Delhi, worked as a Research Engineer at McMaster University, Canada after completing his BTech from the institute. For over 30 years he has been involved in software development for the Canadian defense industry, with the past 10 years serving as Director of Engineering.
Rakesh Jha (B.Tech, Manufacturing, 1994, IIT Delhi) completed his MBA from IIM Lucknow and has been in ICICI Bank since then, where he is currently the Group CFO.
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