Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur

Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur

The Department of Electrical Engineering, also known as the BATTI department, has a rich history dating back to the university's inception in 1960. It was one of the first five departments at IIT Kanpur and is currently the largest multidisciplinary department on campus. The department covers practically almost all sub-disciplines in Electrical and Communication Engineering, including:

  • Power Systems
  • Power Electronics
  • Microwaves
  • RF techniques
  • Microelectronics
  • VLSI
  • Photonics
  • Control Systems
  • Robotics
  • Speech and Audio Processing
  • Computer Vision
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Wireless Communication
  • Computer Networks
  • Future wireless networks like 5G/6G
  • Wireless sensor networks
  • IoT networks

ACES

The Advanced Centre for Electronics Systems (ACES) was established in the early 1970s with a grant from the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. ACES was created to provide a platform for research and development related to electronics and defense. Its primary focus was developing new technologies and training the workforce for the defense sector. Over the years, ACES has become an integral part of our institution's Electrical Engineering (EE) department. The center houses most of the EE laboratories and facilities, and its expertise in electronics has contributed to the growth and development of the department.

Research & Development

The department has been involved in several sponsored projects in many subject areas with sizeable interdisciplinary content. It is one of the largest R&D fund generators for IIT Kanpur, and faculty from EE is involved in setting up several large research facilities like a Real-Time Digital Simulator, Smart Grid, and 5G Test Bed. Faculty from EE has also been largely involved in setting up the Samtelcentre for display technologies and the National flexible electronics center. Several faculty in EE is also involved in industrial consultancy projects with private industrial giants like Qualcomm, LG India, Samsung India, and GE India, apart from state and central government agencies like BSNL, Power Grid Corporation, and CPRI.

Job Domains

The Electrical Engineering department of IITK has produced some of the brightest minds in the world who have managed to excel in almost all fields including but not limited to:

  • Core and Academia
  • Software
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Government Services

Here we have inspiring examples of pioneers in these fields.

Core and Academia

Electrical engineering at IITK acts as the pioneer of electrical engineering industries and academia throughout the country. Considering the flexibility offered by IITK to specialize in the various sub-fields of electrical engineering like electronics, communications, power, etc., various IITK alumni have used this to their benefit and emerged as leading experts in these domains.

Many of our alumni have also emerged as leading researchers in the field of electronics and electrical engineering, while some have even used their skills and expertise to open startups of their own. Some of the prominent names in the field of academic research include:

  • Prof. Anurag Kumar, an expert in communication networks, the 20th Director of the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
  • Prof. Uday B. Desai best known for building up the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad from scratch
  • Prof. Vipul Arora working on machine learning for audio signal processing, time series analysis, etc.
  • Prof. Ritura working on Nanophotonics, Optoelectronic and Semiconductor devices, and Quantum optics.

Software

The Department of Electrical Engineering has produced several eminent Alumni in the field of software. They are a prominent part of the digital revolution we see today. Some of the prominent ones are

  • Anil Kumar Jain who has significantly contributed to pattern recognition, computer vision, and biometric recognition, which have revolutionized computer science and engineering. He has received many awards, including the prestigious W Wallace McDowell Award from the IEEE Computer Society (2007), Guggenheim Fellowship, the Humboldt Research Award and the IEEE ICDM Research Contribution Award.
  • Another prominent alumni is Ayush Varshney, who along with Sahil Baghla, also from IITK started Bluegape from their hostel rooms.

Entrepreneurship

Many IITK Electrical Engineering alumni have established successful startups and businesses, leveraging their technical expertise and entrepreneurial skills to create innovative products and services. Some prominent entrepreneurs include

  • Aloke Bajpai, founder of Ixigo
  • Narayan Murthy, founder of Infosys
  • Amit Gupta, founder of Yulu
  • Rahul Garg, founder of Moglix
  • Richa Pradhan, founder of Max Secure Software. These entrepreneurs have made a significant impact on the business world and continue to inspire the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.

Government Services

The Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur has produced many distinguished alumni who have contributed significantly to the government and civil services of India. These alumni have significantly contributed to their respective fields and helped shape the nation's progress in various ways. Some of the prominent ones include

  • Avanish K. Awasthi, a dynamic UP cadre IAS officer
  • Prof. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, the 17th Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) to the Government of India
  • Gaurav Gupta, who is currently the MD of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation
  • Mr. Saurabh Chandra, who served as a Public Interest Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited, and an Independent Director on the Boards of SBI Pension Funds Pvt Ltd., Vacmet India Limited, and J.K. Cements Limited.

Conclusion

Electrical engineers from IIT Kanpur are innovative and driven individuals who have become leaders in Electrical Engineering and other fields they set their mind to. The Department of Electrical Engineering at IITK provided them with immense knowledge and skills during their 4 years at IITK, which shaped their personalities and helped them become more resilient, hardworking, and confident, enabling them to achieve immense success.