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A Million-Dollar Gift for Innovation: Alumni Leader Fuels Next-Gen MRI at IITKGP
In an inspiring gesture of gratitude and vision, alumnus Jyoti Chatterjee (B.Tech Mech Eng, 1977) has pledged a USD 1 million seed fund (approximately Rs 8.5 crores) to IITKGP, aimed at developing India’s first indigenous ultra-low-field bedside MRI system.
Chatterjee, who now lives and works in California, dedicated this contribution to his parents: His father, Biswanath Chatterjee, was a faculty member in IITKGP’s metallurgical engineering department and his mother is Nilima Chatterjee. Chatterjee shared:
“Though I was born in Kolkata, I spent the first six months on the IIT Kharagpur campus. … It gives me immense satisfaction to be back in IIT Kharagpur and foster this collaboration as a tribute to my parents.”
His generous donation is already powering a collaboration between IITKGP and the California-based deep-tech company xImaging Inc., led by Chatterjee himself. The goal is to design a portable, AI-enabled MRI system that brings advanced medical imaging into rural clinics and under-served healthcare settings. IITKGP Director Suman Chakraborty said the initiative “embodies our mission to democratise advanced healthcare," moving imaging technology from high-end labs into the hands of those who need it most.
An 1977 Mechanical Enginerring alumnus of IITKGP, Chatterjee has more than four decades of engineering and entrepreneurial experience. He was awarded the Henry M. Chance Research Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and a National Science Foundation Fellowship in the U.S. He co-founded Research Engineers Inc. in Orange County, California, which he led through IPO; he later served as President & CEO of the Asian division of Holtec International, a major player in nuclear power plant design. The Times of India
In his own words:
“The main aim is to strengthen and transform the MedTech ecosystem with solutions that are integrated with AI. The AI-enabled low-field bedside MRI system is a first-of-its-kind product that will make advanced medical imaging more accessible, affordable, and portable…” he said, adding he is grateful to his wife and sons for their support, and is ready to contribute further funds if needed.
For the IITKGP community—students, faculty, and alumni alike this gift signals a powerful message: when alumni give back, they not only honour their roots, they also build bridges to future-facing breakthroughs. As we enter the season of gratitude this November, Chatterjee’s gift reminds us that meaningful generosity ripples far beyond the moment of giving.
Sources: Times of India and IITKGP
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The IITKGP Foundation