Prof. Chandra Venkataraman
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of Academics and Research.
Award Year: 2024 | Degree Year: 1985
Prof. Chandra Venkataraman received a BTech (1985) from IIT Delhi and a PhD (1992) from the University of California, Los Angeles, both in Chemical Engineering, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. She is the Shobha Dixit Chair Professor in Chemical Engineering and Climate Studies at IIT Bombay.
Prof. Chandra applies her expertise in aerosol science to research at the intersection of technology and emissions, climate science, and air quality. Her research uncovered fundamental links between the optical and radiative properties of pollution particles and atmospheric processes, leading to monsoon rainfall suppression and heat wave intensification in India. Her work shifts the perspective on air pollution to center on non-urban geographies, contributions from informal sectors, and the complex interplay between localized and regional pollution sources. She has authored over 150 widely cited publications, a book, and four patents.
Prof. Chandra has built academic and research programs to further climate and air quality studies. She was the Founding Convener of the Interdisciplinary Programme in Climate Studies at IIT Bombay and National Coordinator for the multi-institutional COALESCE network of the MoEFCC. She plays an advisory role to international networks including the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, UNEP, the Global Burden of Disease working group, and Indian scientific agencies.
Prof. Chandra is a committed mentor whose students hold positions in academic institutions, national laboratories, and industrial R&D, both nationally and worldwide. She has mentored women STEM faculty and worked to address institutional systems to support their advancement. She is a fellow of all the Indian National Academies of Science and the Academy of Engineering and a recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru fellowship and the PRL Vikram Sarabhai award.
In honouring Prof. Chandra Venkataraman, IIT Delhi recognizes the outstanding contributions she has made to the field of academics and research.
