Chandigarh, May 18, 2025-A Panjab University delegation participated in the first-ever DCET Leadership Conference held today in Houston, Texas. The landmark event brought together more than 50 participants, including several noted PU alumni from across North America and Canada, senior academics, and distinguished guests, to celebrate their shared academic legacy and explore pathways for future collaboration.

The DCET Leadership Conference was graced by the President of the University of Houston, Prof. Renu Khator, as the Chief Guest. She was accompanied by her husband, Dr. Suresh Khator, a highly respected academician and administrator. U.S. Ambassador (Retd.) and Founding Executive Director of the Institute for Global Engagement, Michael Pelletier also graced the occasion and addressed the gathering.

In her inspiring keynote address, Prof. Renu Khator shared her remarkable journey of leadership and resilience, which transformed the University of Houston into one of the top universities in the United States. Drawing from her experience, she emphasised the importance of a strong and compelling vision, commitment, longevity, persistence, and responsiveness to stakeholder feedback as key drivers of transformational change. She also highlighted how strategic engagement with industry, alumni, the state government, and other stakeholders played a pivotal role in mobilising substantial funding and support for the university’s ascent in rankings and reputation.

PU Prof. Y.P. Verma; Chairperson of the Dr. S.S. Bhatnagar University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology (formerly known as DCET) Prof. Anupama Sharma ; and Director of the Central Instrumentation Laboratory (CIL) and a faculty member at Dr. SSBUICET Prof. Gaurav Verma represented PU in the conference. Faculty members from the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Houston including Dr. Triantafillos J. (Lakis) Mountziaris (Head of the Department), Dr. Michael Nikolaou, Dr. Vemuri Balakotaiah, Dr. Praveen Bollini, Dr. Sribala Gorugantu, and Dr. Navin Varadarajan also participated in the conference.

Earlier, the conference began with a welcome address by Sh. Ravi Goel, President of the DCET North America Alumni Association, followed by opening remarks from Dr. Arun Verma, a distinguished PU alumnus and a prominent figure in the global chemical engineering community.

Several senior alumni from the Class of 1966 also attended the event, whose distinguished careers and enduring commitment to the institute served as a source of inspiration for all. These included Prof. Paramjit Singh (Former Registrar, Panjab University), Sh. Alok Jain, Sh. Surinder Marriah, Sh. Kamlesh Jain, and Sh. Vinod Marwaha.

This pioneering conference marks a significant step in strengthening the global DCET alumni network, fostering collaborative academic and research ties, and igniting momentum for future leadership and innovation.