Prof. Ram Nagarajan

Prof. Ram Nagarajan obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Yale University in 1986 and B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras in 1981. He has joined FLAME University as an as an Adjunct Faculty. Following a post-doctoral stint at Yale, He joined West Virginia University as Research Assistant Professor, coordinating projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and Navy. In 1988, he joined IBM’s Storage Systems Division in San Jose, where he worked on eliminating ozone-depleting chemicals and pioneered surface cleaning and contamination-control technologies that improved hard disk drive quality and reliability. He later rose to Senior Technical Staff Member, establishing himself as a global leader in his field.

In August 2003, Dr. Nagarajan returned to Chennai and joined AC College of Technology, Anna University, as GS Laddha Chair Professor. In February 2004, he joined IIT Madras as Professor of Chemical Engineering, focusing on teaching, research, and consulting projects. In 2009, he became Advisor, Office of Alumni Affairs, where he spent the next decade strengthening the alumni community and establishing a robust fundraising process, increasing annual gifts from $200K in 2009 to $12M in 2019.

In October 2012, the Offices of Alumni Affairs and International Relations were merged, and Dr. Nagarajan became the first Dean of International & Alumni Relations, serving until 2018. He helped establish the Development Office and IITM Foundation in the U.S., formalized 19 joint Ph.D. programs with leading foreign universities, and strengthened international research collaborations. In 2018, he was named “Alumni Community Chair” and received the “Distinguished Service to Alumni” award from the IIT Madras Alumni Association. He also endowed several student awards, including the WAC (Wodehouse-Asimov-Christie) Prize for Fiction Writing.

At the end of his second term as Dean in October 2018, Dr. Nagarajan became Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, serving a three-year term. He strengthened industry engagement through a Department Advisory Board, expanded international faculty recruitment, guided the Department through the pandemic, and supported Centre proposals under the IoE scheme. In 2022, he undertook a seven-month sabbatical at Purdue University as the Robert T. Henson Distinguished Visiting Scholar, promoting international academic partnerships and joint graduate and undergraduate programs.

Upon his return from sabbatical, Dr. Nagarajan, in his role as faculty-in-charge of IITM Heritage Centre,

oversaw its “re-imagination” and re-inauguration in November 2022 by Hon’ble Finance Minister, Smt.

Nirmala Sitharaman. He also helped establish the ’81 Theatre and contributed to the IITM Archive, preserving the Institute’s history. His latest initiative is the design and publication of an Amar Chitra Katha comic book on IIT Madras.

Dr. Nagarajan’s involvement in social entrepreneurship began with L-RAMP and continued through the Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CSIE). He contributed to IIT Madras’ 2011–20 and 2021–27 Strategic Plans, particularly in Alumni & International Relations, and co-drafted the proposal that led to IITM being designated an Institution of Eminence in 2019. He has also supported initiatives aimed at enhancing IIT Madras’ global rankings.

Apart from his administrative roles, Dr. Nagarajan remained deeply involved in teaching and research. He introduced courses such as Building Towards a Career in Chemical Industry and Introduction to Chemical Engineering, and recorded four NPTEL courses. Over 20 years, he guided 14 Ph.D. scholars, 3 M.S. students, 9 Post-Doctoral Fellows, and supervised projects of over 100 B.Tech., Dual-Degree and M.Tech students. He has authored two books, contributed to 10 others, published over 80 journal papers, and holds 3 patents. In 2018, he received the Eminent Engineer Award from the Institution of Engineers (India).