The Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur is one of the premier teaching and research departments in the country. The Department started its journey in the early nineteen sixties under the leadership of Professor C.N.R. Rao, and maintained vigorous momentum under a galaxy of exceptionally gifted faculty members, students and several dedicated staff members over these years. Altogether, they propelled the department forward and put it firmly on the path of excellence in modern chemistry teaching and research. As of today (June 1, 2023), the department has 39 faculty members, 119 bachelors students, 93 masters students, 276 doctoral students, 31 post-doctoral researchers and 35 staff members. Over the years, the department has been able to maintain a steady growth by not only increasing visibility in academics, but also by leading in the chemical sciences research landscape in India. This has been made possible by the collective efforts of dedicated faculty members, motivated students and committed supporting staff. Since its inception, the department has attracted world class faculty, who are involved in research in all major areas of chemistry. Several of our faculty members are also engaged in interdisciplinary research spanning fields such as biology, physics and materials science. We offer a challenging environment for teaching and research in order to inculcate excellent working relationships with undergraduate and graduate students.

The department has several state-of-the-art instruments to support cutting-edge research activities. Moreover, we have access to the excellent facilities in other departments and centers across the Institute. The Institute also provides other infrastructural support in various forms, such as the central machine shop, glass-blowing section, central library and high-performance computing facility.

For several decades, the Department of Chemistry has been a role model for academic programs throughout the country reflecting the quality education imparted to the students and the student-teacher relations. The accomplishments of our alumni reflect the high quality training imparted during their sojourn here, as many of them occupy prominent positions in academia and industry all over the world.

As the world progresses, aspirations of the society as well as demands of the industry are undergoing significant changes. The Department is continuously evolving itself to be at the forefront of these changes through new areas of research and facilities.