Dr. Mihir Kumar Purkait is a Professor (HAG) in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG). Presently he is holding Professor Chair of National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Min. of Jal Shakti (Govt. of India). He is energetically involved in frontier areas of Chemical Engineering with his major research interest in the field of advanced separation processes and material science.

Prof. Purkait has completed his B.Tech from University of Calcutta (1999), M Tech (2001) and PhD (2004) from  IIT Kharagpur in Chemical Engineering. He joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati in 2004 as faculty and served as the Dean of Alumni and External Relations (2021-2024)), the Head of the Centre for the Environment (2018-2021), Wardens (2008-2010) and Associate wardens (2005-2008) of IITG Hostel. 

Prof. Purkait has a portfolio of multifarious innovations and inventions in both fundamental and applied research. He has made an outstanding contribution to develop the fundamental concept and mechanism of smart and intelligent responsive materials (thermo-responsive, pH-responsive, dual / multi stimuli-responsive, and piezoelectric) for a wide range of separation applications. He has the credit for commercializing various technologies for up and downstream operation of water purification, many water treatment technologies for contaminated drinking water and industrial wastewater, bio-separation, value-added product separation from plant and agricultural resources, and electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to several liquid fuels. His major research areas and output in terms of the number of publications are shown below.

Prof. Purkait has done outstanding contribution in translational and applied research on two major sustainable development goals, SDGs (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 9: Industry and Innovation; SDG 12: Production). Quality and quantity of his research is reflected in terms of large number of publications, patents, technology transfer, start-ups, projects, consultancies and involvement with various national and international scientific committees. His work has remarkable relevance in societal as well as industrial sectors.

He has more than 23 years of experience in research & academics. With his research team he has published more than 350 high quality International journal papers with h-index of 82 (Citation > 20,000), i-10 index: 222, 15 granted patents and made 3 technology transfer. He has authored 22 books, completed 42 sponsored projects/consultancies funded by various Govt agencies and industries. Prof. Purkait has supervised 27 PhD students and >56 M Tech students on fundamental and applied research.

For his scientific and societal contribution, he has been awarded several national level prestigious award from INAE, NASI, INSA, DST etc. He has worked as visiting professor of 3 foreign universities and involved in various international scientific/funding organizations as ECC/PAC expert member like European Science Foundation (ESF, France), Fund for Scientific Research; FWO Flanders, Brussel (Belgium) etc.

Prof. Purkait is also actively involved in different capacity like ECC / EC / PAC / selection committee member / advisor / consultant etc in various Govt (state & central) bodies including DST, SERB, DBT, AICTE, BIS, IITs, NITs, Universities, Waste to Wealth (W2W) mission and National Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) of Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Govt of India and public sector companies.