IIT Kanpur is celebrating a significant achievement after Professor Sankar Prasad Rath, a faculty member in its Department of Chemistry, was selected for the National Awards to Teachers 2026. The recognition places him among 21 teachers and faculty members from higher education institutions and polytechnics who will be honoured by President Droupadi Murmu on Teachers’ Day, September 5, 2026.
Professor Rath has been selected in the Chemical Sciences category for his contributions as an educator and academic. IIT Kanpur congratulated him on the recognition, describing the award as a well-deserved acknowledgement of excellence in teaching and education.
The honour highlights not only Professor Rath’s individual contribution but also the broader role of higher education faculty in teaching, research, mentoring and strengthening India’s academic ecosystem.
Who Is Professor Sankar Prasad Rath?
Professor Sankar Prasad Rath is a senior faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at IIT Kanpur, where he has been a professor since 2014. He specialises in inorganic and bio-inorganic chemistry, with research interests covering areas such as multi-heme proteins, chemical biology, medicinal inorganic chemistry, molecular chirality and spectroscopy.
He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from the University of Calcutta before earning his PhD from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Kolkata in 1999. He subsequently carried out postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis, before joining IIT Kanpur in December 2004.
His long academic association with IIT Kanpur has included teaching, research and mentoring responsibilities, making the National Teachers Award an important recognition of a career that spans more than two decades at the institute.
National Teachers Award 2026: What We Know
The National Awards to Teachers 2026 will be presented on September 5 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to confer the awards on 21 teachers and faculty members from higher education institutions and polytechnics.
The 21 awardees include:
- 12 faculty members from central higher education institutions
- Five faculty members from state universities
- Four faculty members from polytechnics
Professor Rath is among the 12 selected from central higher education institutions. Other awardees include faculty members from IIT Roorkee, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Bhubaneswar, IISER Bhopal and other institutions.
The selection makes the honour particularly significant because it recognises teaching and academic contributions across a wide range of disciplines and institutions.
Why Professor Rath’s Recognition Matters
Teaching at a premier institution such as IIT Kanpur involves much more than classroom instruction. Faculty members are expected to contribute to research, mentor students, develop academic programmes and help create an environment where students can pursue advanced learning and innovation.
Professor Rath’s academic profile reflects this combination of teaching and research.
His research group works on bio-inorganic and biological systems, including the structure and function of heme proteins and multi-heme cytochromes. His work also involves sophisticated experimental and computational techniques to understand molecular structures and their functions.
Recognition through the National Teachers Award therefore brings attention to the connection between strong research and effective higher education.
A Career Built on Teaching and Research
Professor Rath joined IIT Kanpur as an assistant professor in 2004. He later became an associate professor in 2009 and a professor in 2014.
Over the years, he has also received several academic honours.
His previous recognitions include the C. N. R. Rao National Prize in Chemical Sciences, the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, the P. K. Kelkar Faculty Research Fellowship and a Chemical Research Society of India medal. He has also been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and the Indian Academy of Sciences.
IIT Kanpur’s Chemistry Department also recorded that Professor Rath received the CRSI Silver Medal for 2026, adding to a growing list of recognitions for his academic work.
His Contribution to Chemical Sciences
Professor Rath’s work is rooted in inorganic and bio-inorganic chemistry, fields that examine the role of metals and metal-containing molecules in biological and chemical systems.
One of his research areas involves multi-heme cytochromes, proteins that play important roles in electron transfer and enzymatic processes. Understanding how their structures influence their functions can contribute to broader knowledge in biological chemistry.
His group also studies molecular chirality, electron and energy transfer, and the behaviour of metal-containing molecular systems.
Such research requires an interdisciplinary approach, combining chemistry with biological sciences, spectroscopy, computational methods and structural analysis. This kind of work also provides opportunities for students and researchers to engage with advanced scientific techniques.
National Award Recognises More Than Research
The National Awards to Teachers are designed to recognise exemplary educators based on multiple aspects of their professional contributions.
For the 2026 awards, the assessment considers areas including teaching-learning effectiveness, outreach activities, research and innovation, and sponsored research, faculty development programmes or consultancy-related teaching.
This broader evaluation is important because higher education teaching cannot be measured simply by classroom performance.
A professor’s contribution can extend into student mentoring, research supervision, knowledge creation, outreach and the development of future researchers.
Professor Rath’s selection reflects this wider understanding of academic excellence.
How the 2026 Selection Process Worked
The selection process for the National Awards to Teachers 2026 began with online nominations through the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal.
The nomination system allowed self-nomination, institutional nomination and peer nomination, under the Jan Bhagidari approach. The nomination window was open from May 26 to July 20, 2026.
The selection involved two broad stages.
First, nominees were evaluated by a Preliminary Search-cum-Screening Committee for initial shortlisting. The shortlisted candidates were then considered by a Committee of Jury for the final selection.
This process was intended to identify educators whose work demonstrated excellence across the specified parameters.
Expansion of the Award to Higher Education
The recognition is also part of a relatively recent expansion of the National Awards to Teachers.
Until 2023, the awards primarily focused on school teachers. In 2023, separate categories for faculty members of higher education institutions and polytechnics were introduced under the National Awards to Teachers framework.
The expansion was aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasises building a culture of excellence in education and recognising contributions across the education ecosystem.
The inclusion of university and institute faculty gives higher education teachers greater national visibility for their contributions to teaching, research and academic development.
IIT Kanpur Celebrates the Achievement
For IIT Kanpur, Professor Rath’s selection is another recognition of the institute’s academic contribution.
The institute has a long tradition of recognising faculty members for excellence in teaching and research. IIT Kanpur itself maintains a Distinguished Teacher Award programme, through which faculty members from different departments have been recognised for teaching excellence.
Professor Rath’s National Teachers Award adds a national-level distinction to that culture of academic recognition.
The achievement is also significant for the Department of Chemistry, where faculty members contribute to fundamental research while teaching students at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.
What the Award Means for Students
For students, recognition of a professor at the national level can reinforce the importance of mentorship and academic engagement.
Professors at research-intensive institutes often work closely with students on research projects, laboratory studies, dissertations and doctoral programmes. Such interactions can influence students’ career paths and introduce them to scientific research.
Professor Rath’s areas of research provide students with exposure to specialised fields of chemistry that connect fundamental science with biological and medicinal applications.
The National Teachers Award consequently represents not only an individual achievement but also recognition of the academic environment created through teaching and mentorship.
A Recognition of Excellence in Higher Education
The award also sends a broader message about what constitutes excellence in India’s higher education system.
Universities and institutes are increasingly expected to balance teaching with research, innovation, industry engagement and social outreach. Recognising faculty members who perform strongly across these areas can encourage institutions to create systems that support both educators and researchers.
The 2026 awards, with representation from central institutions, state universities and polytechnics, reflect this broader approach.
What Happens on Teachers’ Day?
Professor Sankar Prasad Rath and the other selected faculty members are scheduled to receive the National Awards to Teachers from President Droupadi Murmu on September 5, 2026, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
Teachers’ Day is observed in India every year on September 5, and the national awards provide an opportunity to publicly recognise educators whose work has made a notable contribution to the education system.
For Professor Rath, the ceremony will mark a significant milestone in his academic career.
Conclusion
The selection of IIT Kanpur Professor Sankar Prasad Rath for the National Teachers Award 2026 is a notable recognition of excellence in higher education. A professor in the Department of Chemistry, Rath has built a career combining teaching, research and academic mentorship, with specialised work in inorganic and bio-inorganic chemistry.
His selection is part of a national effort to recognise outstanding faculty members from higher education institutions and polytechnics. With 21 educators chosen this year and the awards scheduled to be presented by President Droupadi Murmu on September 5, the honour highlights the growing importance of recognising excellence beyond school education.
For IIT Kanpur, the achievement is a proud moment for the institute and its Chemistry Department. For Professor Rath, it represents national recognition for years of teaching, scientific research and contribution to the academic community. Most importantly, the honour underscores a simple principle: strong education depends not only on institutions and infrastructure, but also on teachers who inspire students, create knowledge and help shape the next generation of researchers and professionals.
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