Prof. R. G. Narayanamurthi joined IIT Madras on 2 May 1960 as a Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Prof. Narayanamurthi was the fourth Director of IIT Madras and the first Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He contributed to the planning and establishment of various departments of the institute and also the establishment of the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). He served as Dean of the Industrial Consultancy Cell (ICC) and was closely associated with industries, in both private and joint sectors in the field of continuing education.

Krishnan Aditya Varman Pandalai was born in 1928 in Jamshedpur. His father, Shankunni Pandalai, was Chief Engineer at the Tata Steel Plant at Jamshedpur. Prof. Pandalai was the third Director of IIT Madras. Prof. Pandalai did his early education in Kerala, after which he got a B.Sc. degree in Mathematics and Physics from Loyola College, Madras University in 1947. He obtained his Masters in Aeronautical Engineering in 1950, and his doctorate in the same field in 1955, from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York.

Prof. A. Ramachandran was appointed as the second Director of IIT Madras in the year 1967, at the age of 44, and took over from the first Director of the Institute, Prof. B. Sengupto on 11th December that year. During his tenure, 1967-1973, he made immense contributions to the Institute. The current day research focus of the Institute can be rightly attributed to his vision at the time. He met the education aspects and the managerial aspects of his duties with utmost efficiency.

Prof. Bibhutibhushan Sengupto (1905 – 1983) was the founding Director of IIT Madras and joined the Institute in 1959. He played a pivotal role in the rapid growth that took place during the initial years of the Institute. He was the force within the establishment that spurred the development of infrastructure, administration and education, thereby laying the foundation of what the Institute is today. Prof. Sengupto’s active leadership and involvement in every aspect of the institute, led to IIT Madras rapidly becoming one of the best technical academic institutes. Prof.

Dr. Pawan Goenka (b. 1954) is an Indian businessman and the present Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Madras. Dr. Goenka obtained his B.Tech. in mechanical engineering from IIT Kanpur. He obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell University. Dr. Goenka was formerly the Managing Director of Mahindra and Mahindra Limited, Mumbai and the Chairman of SsangYong Motor Company, South Korea. He is also a national council member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Prof. M. M. Sharma (b. 1937) is an Indian chemical engineer who served as the twelfth Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Madras. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT, now the Institute of Chemical Technology). He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University. He returned to UDCT to work as a professor at UDCT for a period of 33 years, later becoming the Director of the institute. Prof.

Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram (b. 1936) is an Indian physicist who served as the Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Madras for three years, from 2008 to 2011. He completed his B.Sc. with honours in physics from Madras University in 1956. After completing his M.Sc. in physics from the same university, he went on to obtain his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1962. He is known for his significant role in India’s nuclear weapons programme. He also coordinated the test preparations for Pokhran-I (1975) and Pokhran-II (1998).

Dr. A. E. Muthunayagam (b. 1939) served as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Madras from 2005 to 2008.

Dr. Muthunayagam served as a leading space scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was the chief architect of rocket propulsion in the country. He was responsible for the creation of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (b. 1940) served as the ninth Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Madras from 9 February 2000 to 14 April 2005. He is an eminent Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1994 to 2003. After completing his Master of Science in Physics from the University of Mumbai, he obtained his doctoral degree in experimental high-energy astronomy in 1971, working at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. He also served as the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao served as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Madras from January 1997 to February 2000. He was an Indian space scientist and a former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He was also the Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram. Known as the “Satellite Man of India,” he played a major role in the launch of India’s first satellite, Aryabhatta, in 1975.