Honoring Mentors, Investing in the Future: Abhijit Chaudhury Establishes Faculty Research Award and Chair Professorship at IIT Kharagpur
Abhijit Choudhury (2nd from left) and friends @ Nehru Hall around 1972.
IIT Kharagpur alumnus Abhijit Chaudhury (B.Tech/ME/1972; M.Tech/IE/1974) has reaffirmed his commitment to the Institute by creating two significant academic endowments that will strengthen research and faculty excellence for years to come.
A distinguished academic and educator, Chaudhury's professional journey has taken him from Larsen & Toubro in India to leadership roles in multinational organizations across the Middle East, followed by a Ph.D. in Management from Purdue University. He has served on the faculties of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Massachusetts Boston and is currently a Professor of Information Systems and Analytics at Bryant University in Rhode Island.
Recognizing the transformative role that faculty mentors played in his own career, Chaudhury has established the "Best Faculty Research Award in Memory of Prof. N. P. Rao and Prof. K. C. Sahu." The award honors two distinguished IIT Kharagpur professors whose contributions helped shape generations of engineers and researchers. Focused on the field of Advanced Manufacturing Systems, the award will recognize outstanding faculty research and provide recipients with a three-year honorarium, encouraging continued innovation and scholarly excellence.
In addition, Abhijit and his wife Banani Chaudhury have created the "Chaudhury Family (Bishnu Pada, Pratima, Biswa Nath, and Madhuri) Chair Professorship in Autonomous Systems Design. Named in honor of their parents and family elders, the Chair will support education and research in one of the most rapidly evolving areas of technology. The professorship is intended to attract and retain exceptional faculty while advancing IIT Kharagpur's leadership in autonomous systems and intelligent engineering.
Banani & Abhijit Choudhury w Family incl Grandchildren (and one more on the way)
Together, these initiatives reflect a powerful vision: honoring the educators and family members who shaped one generation while empowering the next generation of scholars and innovators. Through these gifts, Abhijit Chaudhury is helping ensure that IIT Kharagpur continues to nurture world-class research, faculty excellence, and technological leadership for decades to come.
As IIT Kharagpur approaches its Platinum Jubilee, philanthropic leadership from alumni such as Abhijit Chaudhury demonstrates how individual giving can create lasting institutional impact—strengthening the faculty, advancing research, and preserving the values of mentorship and excellence that define the Institute.
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The IITKGP Foundation