The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has approved setting up two new departments in the fields of Design, Space Science and Astronomy, making the total tally to 20 academic departments.

The institute’s design programme that has been in existence since 2002 will be transformed into the Department of Design. The institute is also planning to launch a Bachelor of Design programme starting as early as 2023.

The Design Department will be headed by Professor Nachiketa Tiwari, the current Head of the Design Programme. It will have a design cell to address the needs of the industry in areas of new product conceptualization and development, product design, engineering design, branding, user experience, and packaging.

The Department of Space Science and Astronomy will be devoted to the broad field of space, planetary, astronomical sciences and engineering.

The institute claims it to be one of the first-of-its-kind departments in India to bring together engineers, astronomers, astrophysicists, and planetary scientists in order to meet the growing requirement of education, training and research in some vital areas of research, such as instrumentation for space missions and Astronomical observatories, Spacecraft design, and Space Mission planning, among others.

Both undergraduate and graduate degree programmes (Masters and PhDs) will be offered by the newly-established department.

Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said, “These two new departments in the fields of design, space science and astronomy will facilitate new research and innovation in these crucial sectors and would broaden up the ever-expanding horizon of research and learning practised at the institute.”