After twice being nominated for the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, the third time was the charm for Ankur Gupta. On Nov. 5, Gupta, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, received a 2022 Graduates of Last Decade (GOLD) Award from his alma mater.
The award recognizes Gupta’s “outstanding contributions and achievements” in research and teaching.
“I am extremely surprised and somewhat in disbelief, that I received this highly competitive award from my undergraduate school,” Gupta said, adding that IIT Delhi only awards one to two alumni each year in the research category. “It’s special to be recognized by your alma mater, especially with a highly competitive award like GOLD.”
IIT Delhi instituted the GOLD award in 2020 “to recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements and contributions of young alumni of the Institute in academics, business, profession and public service.”
Gupta is the principal investigator of the Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinetics (LIFE). His research group blends applied mathematics with modern computing approaches to tackle fundamental problems in the areas of interfacial phenomena, complex fluids, multiphase flows and electrokinetics, with applications in energy storage, sustainable technologies and lab-on-a-chip devices.
“IIT Delhi instilled in me the importance of hard work and rigor,” Gupta said. “There I made lifelong friends who have given me support to pursue research and teaching. My mentors at IIT Delhi have been transformational and continue to give me advice about navigating academic life.”
A decade prior Gupta received IIT Delhi’s President's Gold Medal. He also received the institute’s Kalpana Chawla award for his contributions to research.