Nitin Kaistha

Nitin Kaistha is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), where he has been serving as faculty since September 2002. His expertise lies in chemical process modeling, simulation, optimization, and economic plant-wide control systems.

• PhD, University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN, 1999
• Thesis Title: A Generic SPC Framework for the Characterization of Batch Profiles
• B.Tech, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 1996

Professor Kaistha's research focuses on economic plant wide control of complex chemical processes, reactive distillation modeling, simulation and control, and process intensification technologies. His work bridges theoretical control systems with practical industrial applications, particularly in optimizing chemical plant operations for economic efficiency. His research has significant implications for improving energy efficiency and reducing operational costs in chemical manufacturing.

His publications (2005-2013) demonstrate a consistent focus on economic plant-wide control systems, with particular emphasis on applications to specific chemical processes like cumene production, ethyl benzene processes, and reactive distillation systems. His work often involves collaboration with researchers from various institutions, indicating strong interdisciplinary connections in the field of process systems engineering.

• P.K. Kelkar Research Fellowship, IIT Kanpur (2009-2012)
• Erasmus Mundus Fellowship, NTNU, Norway (2009)
• Best Session Paper Award at CHEMCON 2004, Mumbai, India
• Outstanding Session Paper Award, June 2001 American Control Conference, Arlington VA
• Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Member (1997-1999)

Professor Kaistha has been actively involved in knowledge transfer to industry professionals through organizing industrial short courses on chemical process design, operation, and control. His proposed technique for slop-cut elimination in pipeline transfer of fuels to HPCL was acknowledged to save Rs 6 crore per annum per pipeline, demonstrating the practical impact of his research.

He teaches courses in Chemical Engineering Design, Process Dynamics and Control, Advanced Process Dynamics and Control, Thermodynamics, and Unit Operations and Controls Laboratory, contributing significantly to the education of chemical engineering students at IIT Kanpur.