"Prof. N. Sathyamurthy Endowment Lecture Series" has been established at the Department of Chemistry, IIT Kanpur in 2024 through an endowment fund created through generous contributions by the students, collaborators, family, friends and well-wishers of Professor N. Sathyamurthy. With this endowment lecture series, this group of people wish to celebrate his sustained contributions to the advancement of theoretical and computational chemistry in India, while acknowledging the pioneering role of IIT Kanpur in the development of that vision.

Professor N. Sathyamurthy completed his M.Sc. from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India (1972) and his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University, USA (1975). Later, he joined the research group of Professor John C. Polanyi (Nobel Laureate, 1986), in the University of Toronto, Canada as a postdoctoral fellow (1975-78). Professor Sathyamurthy joined the Department of Chemistry, IIT Kanpur as a Lecturer in 1978, and rose to the rank of a Professor in 1985. He was made the Institute Chair Professor in 2007 and Institute Fellow in 2013. His tenure at IIT Kanpur was marked by aseries of notable achievements. He served the Institute in various capacities, including as the Head, Department of Chemistry and as the Dean of Faculty Affairs. To establish the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, he assumed charge as its Founder Director in 2007, and successfully completed the tenure for two consecutive terms. His tenure as Director at IISER Mohali saw its rise as one of the Institutes of Academic Excellence in India.