IIT Ropar Director Rajeev Ahuja Receives Army Chief's Commendation For Defence Research: Know The Educational Qualifications Of The 'Pookie Professor'

IIT Ropar Director Prof. Rajeev Ahuja has been honoured with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Commendation by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi for his significant contributions to defence research and innovation. The recognition highlights IIT Ropar's growing role in strengthening India's defence technology ecosystem and advancing the country's vision of self-reliance (Atmanirbharta) in defence.

Prof. Ahuja received the commendation from General Upendra Dwivedi during a meeting at the Army Chief's office on Saturday. According to an official release issued by IIT Ropar, the recognition is a direct acknowledgement of the institute's growing contributions to defence technology and research.

Expressing gratitude, Prof. Ahuja said: "I am thankful and greatly humbled by this honour bestowed on me by the chief. I owe this to the hard work put in by the team IIT Ropar to create a defence research and innovation ecosystem to help strengthen the security of the Nation. This recognition will give us renewed impetus to fulfill our pledge towards ensuring Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence."

The institute further stated that IIT Ropar, with support from the Army Technology Board, is currently working on frontier defence projects, including resilient habitats, autonomous armoured vehicles, and directed energy weapons.

Prof.Rajeev Ahuja Educational Qualifications

According to Prof. Rajeev Ahuja's official profile on the IIT Ropar website:

• Prof. Rajeev Ahuja is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee (formerly the University of Roorkee).

• He completed his M.Sc. in Physics from IIT Roorkee in 1986.

• He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from IIT Roorkee in 1991.

• After completing his doctoral studies, he joined Uppsala University, Sweden, where he served as a Professor of Computational Materials Science for more than 30 years.

• He took charge as the Director of IIT Ropar in April 2021.

Prof.Rajeev Ahuja Career

As per his IIT Ropar faculty profile:

• April 2021 – Present: Director, IIT Ropar.

• November 2023 – May 2024: Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati.

• For over three decades: Professor of Computational Materials Science at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Prof.Rajeev Ahuja Research Achievements

According to IIT Ropar's official facebook post, Prof. Ahuja is recognised as one of the world's most-cited researchers and ranks among the top five materials scientists in both Sweden and India. His notable achievements include:

• More than 995 scientific publications in leading international journals.

• H-index of 89, i10-index of 604, and over 35,500 citations.

• More than 100 research papers published in journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Physical Review Letters (PRL), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

• Supervision of more than 30 Ph.D. scholars and 35 postdoctoral researchers.

Fellowships and Awards

According to IIT Ropar's official facebook post, Prof. Ahuja has received several international honours, including:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

• Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).

• Advisory Board Member of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A and Materials Advances.

• Beller Lectureship by the American Physical Society.

• Wallmark Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy.

• Eder Lilly & Sven Thureus Prize.

• Benzelius Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

He has also served as a reviewer for major international funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation (USA), Department of Energy (USA), National Research Council (Canada), and the European Science Foundation (France).

Why Is Prof.Rajeev Ahuja Called the 'Pookie Professor'?

Prof. Rajeev Ahuja also made headlines in 2025 after his interaction with students during IIT Ropar's 14th Convocation Ceremony went viral.

According to The Times of India report, students affectionately nicknamed him the "Pookie Professor" after he enthusiastically joined them in fun Gen Z-style poses while they received their degrees. He wore sunglasses handed to him by a student, posed with graduates, and even participated in dabbing, Korean finger-heart gestures, and fist bumps, making the convocation a viral social media moment.

Speaking to Education Times, Prof. Ahuja said he wanted the convocation to be a celebration of students' years of hard work. Drawing from his experience at Uppsala University, Sweden, where graduation ceremonies are celebrated with great enthusiasm, he encouraged students to enjoy the occasion.

Reflecting on the event, he said that many convocations become routine formalities, but IIT Ropar chose "the road less travelled" by making the ceremony more engaging, memorable, and student-friendly.