Prof. Kanwar Singh Nalwa, Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering, passed away at the very young age of 39 due to an unexpected cardiac arrest while travelling near Pangong Lake in Ladakh on June 12th, 2024. He is survived by his wife Jaspreet, daughter Tia, a son, parents and a younger sister.

 

Prof. Nalwa, a brilliant researcher and passionate teacher, was very popular among his students and colleagues. He was working on battery technology with great zeal to develop low-cost and high-performance Na-ion batteries and was leading a few major projects in solar energy and batteries.

 

Earlier, Prof. Nalwa obtained his undergraduate degree in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 2007 with the best BTech project award. Subsequently, he obtained his PhD from Iowa State University in 2011, working on organic solar cells. Afterwards, he worked at Intel (USA) for nearly 9 years before moving back to India to join IIT Kanpur as a faculty member in Materials Science and Engineering in 2019. In 2021, he transitioned to the newly incubated department of Sustainable Energy Engineering and had been playing a vital role in its development.

 

To those of us who had the good fortune to know him personally, Prof. Nalwa brought a whole hearted fullness to all the proceedings of which he was a part. His ever-smiling visage, a keen sense-of-humor and wit as well as a cheerful, helpful and friendly nature, endeared him deeply to all in his personal and professional circle. He lived life to the fullest and was passionate about travelling and motorcycling.

 

The entire community at the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering and IIT Kanpur deeply mourns Prof Nalwa's untimely departure to his heavenly abode. We pray the Almighty grants Eternal Peace to the departed Soul and gives strength to all the loved ones left behind to bear the loss and to grieve and heal with all his cherished memories etched in our hearts.