IIT Ropar director Rajeev Ahuja receives National Systems Gold Medal

Rajeev Ahuja, director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar, has been awarded the National Systems Gold Medal, the highest honour instituted by the Systems Society of India (SSI). The medal was presented at the 49th (Inter) National Systems Conference held at Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra.

The conference was held from September 21 to 23, 2026, with the theme “Integrated Intelligent Systems for People and Planet”.

The National Systems Gold Medal is awarded to an eminent person for significant contributions to a branch of systems science and engineering. According to the information provided by IIT Ropar, the medal is presented during the National Systems Conference, the society's annual flagship event.

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Rajeev Ahuja thanks IIT Ropar community

Reacting to the recognition, Rajeev Ahuja said the honour was a recognition of the work of the entire IIT Ropar community.

Ahuja said, “I am humbled to receive the National Systems Gold Medal. This recognition belongs to the entire IIT Ropar family, our students, faculty, researchers and staff, whose work makes an institution what it is.”

Ahuja also thanked the Systems Society of India for the honour and said it would motivate him to continue working on problems relevant to people and the planet.

National Systems Gold Medal past recipients

The medal has previously been awarded to several prominent scientists and academic leaders, according to IIT Ropar.

Among the recipients are Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, who received the medal in 1997, and Dr K Sivan, former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), who received it in 2018.

IIT Ropar offers BTech, MTech, MSc and PhD programmes, along with joint and interdisciplinary degree programmes.

The institute conducts research in areas including artificial intelligence, clean energy, biomedical engineering, water and agriculture.