In a historic move, Prof. Rintu Banerjee was appointed Deputy Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, becoming the first woman to hold this prestigious position. This appointment marks a significant milestone in the institute’s history and highlights Prof. Banerjee’s outstanding contributions to biotechnology.
Prof. Banerjee has had a distinguished career, serving in various pivotal roles at IIT Kharagpur. She is the founding head and current chairperson of the P K Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables. Additionally, she has led the Centre for Rural Development, Innovative and Sustainable Technology and served as the Head of the Department of Agricultural & Food Engineering for three years.
Her extensive portfolio at IIT Kharagpur includes serving as the Chairperson of the Centre of Excellence in Precision Agriculture & Food Nutrition, the nodal coordinator for Australia and New Zealand for the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), and the Coordinator for the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG).
Prof. Banerjee’s academic journey began with a PhD in Microbial Biotechnology from the Chemical Engineering Department at IIT Kharagpur. Her career has been marked by a strong focus on industry-academia collaborative research, which has resulted in the transfer of numerous technologies to various industries and the earning of several national and international patents.
Her notable achievements include the successful commercialization of her 1G & 2G Ethanol technology. Prof. Banerjee has also contributed significantly to academic literature, publishing two books on environmental biotechnology and OMICS-based approaches in plant biotechnology. Her research has been supported by various government and private funding bodies, including the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), among others.
With her appointment as Deputy Director, Prof. Banerjee is expected to continue her trailblazing work and inspire a new generation of scholars and researchers. IIT Kharagpur looks forward to her leadership in driving innovation and excellence at the institute.
