IIT Delhi crowdsourced money from alumni to establish Chair in the Institute

The will be established in the name of the distinguished faculty members. IIT Delhi on Thursday announced to set up a Chair in the name of distinguished faculty member Prof Anshul Kumar

In its initiative to establish Chairs from the money donated by the alumni of the institute, the IIT Delhi on Thursday announced to set up a Chair in the name of distinguished faculty member Prof Anshul Kumar. The funds for the Chair were crowdsourced from the alumni of the institute. 

In recognition of Prof. Anshul Kumar's distinguished service to IIT Delhi, over 50 alumni donors came together in 2018-19 to fund the Prof. Anshul Kumar Chair in the areas of Computer Architecture and Electronic Design Automation.

Prof. Anshul Kumar, who retired on 31st July 2018 after serving the Institute for 44+ years, joined IIT Delhi as an undergraduate in 1969. After his B. Tech (1974, President’s Gold Medal) he joined IIT Delhi as a Project Scientist while simultaneously working for his PhD. Later, in 1983 he joined IIT Delhi as a faculty member. 

Speaking about the Prof. Anshul Kumar Chair, Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi said, “The establishment of this chair is a tribute to Prof Anshul Kumar's long and dedicated service to the students of IIT Delhi and to the institution. I am glad that our alumni have come together to ensure that the legacy of one of their great teachers goes on to inspire faculty into the future."

Prof. Anshul Kumar has played a key role in the establishment and growth of the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department in IIT Delhi as well as in the growth of VLSI Design/EDA in India. He is currently a Professor Emeritus in the CSE department and continues to play an active role in research and teaching. Prof. M. Balakrishnan (CSE dept., IITD), a close collaborator of Prof. Anshul Kumar, was instrumental in organizing the crowdsourcing effort. “Our alumni have a lot of affection and respect for their teachers. They acknowledge the role of the faculty in helping them achieve their career goals. Besides, the success of our fundraising efforts shows that IIT Delhi alumni are keen to become active stakeholders in the development of the institution into a world-leader,” Prof Balakrishnan said.  

(With inputs from IIT Delhi)