Roorkee : IIT Roorkee announced its Distinguished Alumnus Awards today. Each year the award is presented to alumni of IIT Roorkee (or its predecessor, the University of Roorkee) to recognize their outstanding contributions in their chosen careers.

Over the years, the students graduating from the institute have achieved excellence and stature in the industry, business, government, academic and research institutions, as successful entrepreneurs or in their service to society.

Since the inception of the awards in 2005, total of 71 alumni have been awarded till 2019 including 3 in the Distinguished Young Alumnus (DYAA) category which was started last year.

The DAA awardees of 2020 (http://awards.iitr.ac.in/alumni/daa-2020.php) are:

1. a) Academic or Research Excellence
2. Prof. Ajay Agrawal (1980 – BE – Mechanical), Robert F. Barfield Endowed Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alabama, USA
3. Prof. Pankaj Agarwal (1982 – BE – E&C), Chair and RJR Nabisco Professor of Computer Science, Duke University, USA
4. b) Excellence in Engineering or Technology Innovation
5. Mr. Raja Ram Singh Yadav (1975 – BE – Mechanical), Former Director of Reactor Projects Group (RPG) and Engineering Services Group (ESG), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
6. c) Managerial Excellence in Private, Public or Government Sector
7. Mr. Prakash Kumar Singh (1979 – BE – Metallurgical), Former Chairman, Steel Authority of India Ltd.
8. Mr. R. Mukundan (1988 – BE – Electrical); MD & CEO, Tata Chemicals Limited
9. d) Entrepreneurial Excellence
10. Mr. Naveen Jain (1979 – BE – Industrial), Founder and CEO, Viome Inc.
11. e) Excellence in Service to the Society
12. Prof. S. C. Handa (1966 – ME – Civil), Founder of Roorkee School for the Deaf, now known as Anushruti Academy for the Deaf (AAD), and Former Professor, Civil Engg. Dept., IITR

DYAA awardees of 2020 (http://awards.iitr.ac.in/alumni/dyaa-2020.php) are:

1. Ms. Aarti Gill (2008 – B.Tech. – ECE), Co-founder, OZiva
2. Mr. Rahul Sharma (2012 – BTech – Electrical), Co-founder, Zetwerk
3. Mr. Sachin Gupta (2012 – B.Tech. – CSE), CEO and Co-founder, HackerEarth

The Director Prof Ajit K. Chaturvedi said “The alumni of the institute have been excelling as academics, business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and as outstanding citizens of the world. Their achievements make us proud. This award is our token of appreciation for their success and for the glory which they bring to their alma mater.”

Distinguished Alumnus Awards (DAA) and Distinguished Young Alumnus Awards (DYAA) of IIT Roorkee.

Nominations for the award are invited from all over the world. Under DAA, at most two awards in each category i.e. a maximum of 10 awards can be given each year. Whereas, up to five DYAAs can be given each year. The nominations are processed by the office of the Dean of Resources and Alumni Affairs. The awardees are selected by a five-member committee chaired by the Director.