IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal’s journey from student to academic leader reflects decades of learning, research and leadership at the institute. Manindra Agrawal IIT Kanpur Director has had a journey from student to the head of the institute. He entered IIT Kanpur in 1982 after securing a JEE rank, completed his PhD in computer science in 1991 and returned as faculty in 1996. His interests in mathematics and theoretical computer science shaped a research career, including the AKS primality test. He later served in administrative roles before becoming IIT Kanpur Director in 2024. Looking back, Agrawal says his student years were filled with freedom, friendships, debates and campus experiences. Today, he is focused on how artificial intelligence is changing education. He believes assignments have lost much of their value because students can use AI tools to solve them. However, he sees AI as a learning and innovation tool, encouraging institutions to adapt teaching methods while preserving curiosity, mathematics and research for the future.
IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal: An Inspiring Journey from Student to Director
