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Award-winning prof Dr Suman Chakraborty takes over as IIT-KGP Director
Professor Suman Chakraborty, a nationally awarded scientist and eminent academic, officially took over as the Director of IIT Kharagpur on Monday.
An internationally recognised expert in mechanical engineering, Prof Chakraborty has been a faculty member at the institute since 2002. Over the years, he has received several prestigious honours — both national and international — for his contributions in fluid mechanics, biomedical engineering, and their applications in technology for social impact.
A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University (1996), Prof Chakraborty pursued his Master's at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where he was the faculty topper and earned a gold medal along with a Senate Commendation. He went on to complete his PhD from IISc in 2002, with his research on solid-liquid phase transitions in thermal processing earning him the institute's Best Thesis Award and the 'Best International CFD Thesis Award' in computational fluid dynamics.
He began his teaching career at Jadavpur University before joining IIT-Kharagpur as an Assistant Professor. He became a Senior Professor in 2008.
Prof Chakraborty has held several key administrative roles at the institute. He was Dean of Research and Development and of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (2019–2022), and Associate Dean prior to that (2017–2019). He also served as Head of the School of Medical Science and Technology (2015–2019).
Among his key scientific leadership roles, he was Principal Investigator for the ICMR Centre of Excellence on Healthcare, and led the CRTDI (Common Research and Technology Development Hub) on Affordable Health, funded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India.
In recognition of his research in micro- and nanoscale fluid flows, which have driven affordable diagnostics and improved access to healthcare in underserved communities, Prof Chakraborty was recently named recipient of the 2026 TWAS Award in Engineering and Computer Sciences by UNESCO.
He currently holds the Institute Chair Professorship in Mechanical Engineering and is a Sir J.C. Bose National Fellow, a distinction conferred by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
