1967 batch alumnus Dr. Jai Narain Gupta has created the Jai Gupta Chair at the institute. The chair seeks to promote research in the area of Telecommunications.
Dr. Gupta is currently the Chairman of the Board at Centerline Biomedical. He is a global entrepreneur, outstanding technologist, decisive and charismatic leader, and above all, a humanitarian, who has earned a name for himself in the international community as a pioneer in inclusive innovation.
Dr. Gupta obtained the first commercial space launch license from the FAA and designed, developed, and launched a commercial space rocket. For decades, he has been on the cutting edge of novel technology. The companies under his leadership have combined state-of-the-art technology with professional services, continually demonstrated innovative solutions, and brought these to the mass market with excellent results. This included wide-area intrusion-detection systems and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems to support the U.S. intelligence community and Special Operations Forces. He counts among his career highlights the development of small launch vehicles and payload recovery systems, which benefited both the communications and pharmaceutical industries. He has been an active investor in several entities globally, including startups.
Dr. Gupta earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Purdue; his master’s degree from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario; and his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi, India. He is a distinguished alumnus of IIT Delhi and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He previously served as chairman of the International Society of Productivity Enhancement.