RGIPT Welcomes Prof. Harish Hirani as New Director

Prof. Harish Hirani assumed charge on April 16, 2025, as the Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), Jais, Amethi. His appointment was made by Prof. Aniruddh B. Pandit, President of the RGIPT Board, with the approval of the Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, for a tenure of five years.

Recognized as an Institution of National Importance under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, RGIPT offers B.Tech. programs in key engineering disciplines, as well as M.Tech., MBA, and Doctoral programs in Engineering, Sciences, Management Studies, and Humanities. The Institute is dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering leadership in the petroleum and energy sectors.

Prior to joining RGIPT, Prof. Hirani served as Professor (HAG) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. With over two decades of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership, he has held several strategic roles at IIT Delhi and served as Director of CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, for six years. A distinguished Mechanical Engineer, Prof. Hirani’s research spans the fields of design, tribology, and system-level innovation. He holds six patents across diverse technological domains.

During his inaugural interaction with senior faculty members and administrative officers, Prof. Hirani articulated a forward-looking vision for RGIPT. He emphasized the Institute’s potential to emerge as a global leader in energy education and innovation. He highlighted the critical need to embed experiential learning into the curriculum—through hands-on laboratory work, industry internships, and real-world projects—to prepare students for rapidly evolving industrial challenges.

Prof. Hirani underscored the growing role of computer simulation and machine learning in modern engineering design, operations optimization, and predictive maintenance, stating that these tools must be seamlessly integrated into academic and research activities. Additionally, he stressed the importance of energy management as a core theme across all academic programs, considering the global imperative for sustainable and efficient energy systems.

He expressed his commitment to strengthening RGIPT’s interdisciplinary research ecosystem and expanding collaborations with leading industries and research institutions. Under his leadership, the Institute will strive for excellence in teaching, research, and innovation to become a world-class centre of learning, aligned with national energy goals and international standards.