Prof Dr. Aniruddha Bhalchandra Pandit, Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, completed 65 years of his learned life on December 7, 2022. Dr. A B Pandit was a visionary and high-achieving persona in the field of science and technology. He had his primary education at Balmohan School, Dadar. His father Dr. Bhalchandra Pandit was a Professor & Principal at National College, Vandre. At his cultured home, he could read many books. He was admitted to the BHU, Varanasi, as a student of B Tech ( Chemical Engineering) under the guidance of his father.
He graduated in 1980 with distinction. He continued his P G studies at UDCT, Mumbai. As he scored more than 75% marks in MTech, he could do his research leading to Ph.D. Degree at the University Department of. Chemical Technology. The subject of his research was ‘ Design of Chemical Reactors ‘, under the guidance of Padmavibhushan Prof Jyeshtha raj Joshi & Padma Vibhushan Prof Manmohan Sharma. He went to the UK to do his post-doctoral research at Cambridge University in 1984. He got his D Litt Degree for his thesis on ‘ Loop Bubble Columns& Bubbles ‘, under the guidance of eminent Prof J F Davison. This essay was published in a famous science Journal.
Later he was an Instructor & an Asstt. Prof in Cambridge’s varsity from 1987 to 1990. He returned to India to join as a Scientist at his Alma Mater under a UG C scheme in 1990. He married the well-educated Dr. Anala during this period. He became popular soon among students as he understood their problems & tried to solve them. This imparting of learning continues even today. He has been either a Member or a guide in knowledge societies such as the University Grant Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), etc.
Prof Pandit continues to be a consultant to chemical industries. He is an acknowledged authority on ultrasonic sonication cavitation. Around 62 students have got their Ph.D. under his guidance, while his research papers have been published in more than 450 international journals. He is reckoned as the numero uno among chemical engineers in India & belongs to 1% of the global chemical engineering community. He has been awarded the following awards for his contribution to education & research: 1. FINAE, 2. FINS, 3. FINSA, 4. FNASI, 5. J C Bose Fellow, 6. TWAS, 7. FMASc. He could not get an SS Bhatnagar award as he was not 45 & was not a resident of India for 5 years, but he was a Member of the SS Bhatnagar Award Committee for 6 years. May Prof Dr. A B Pandit live a long & healthy life to guide at least one more generation of research scholars!
