The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has set up a new chair for research in chemistry. Apoorva Jha Bansal, Aparna Jha Ahuja, Rajesh Jha (IIT Delhi alumnus BTech Mechanical, 1982) and Rakesh Jha (IIT Delhi alumnus, BTech Manufacturing, 1994) have endowed a chair to support research and training in chemistry in honour of their father NK Jha, a former member of the chemistry faculty at IIT Delhi.
Professor NK Jha was amongst the earliest members of the chemistry department starting as a lecturer in 1965 and retiring as a professor in 1997 and serving as head of the department and chairman of the departmental research committee. Jha is well-known for his work on the discovery of hitherto unknown noble gas compounds that he did for his PhD with Neil Bartlett at the University of British Columbia.
At IIT Delhi, he continued research in Inorganic Chemistry and supervised many post-doctoral fellows, over 20 PhD students, and numerous postgraduates. He also contributed significantly to the Institute community serving as President, Board for Student Welfare, Housemaster and Staff Welfare Scheme Secretary.
He was actively involved in guiding curriculum development, setting syllabus, contributing to textbooks through participating in numerous NCERT, UGC, and university committees and workshops.
