Okhil Kumar Medhi | |
|---|---|
 Okhil Kumar Medhi during his early years at the Department of Chemistry, Gauhati University | |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | Gauhati University,North-Eastern Hill University,Tata Institute of Fundamental Research |
Okhil Kumar Medhi was an Indian chemist and academic.[1] He is best known for his time as the Vice-chancellor ofGauhati University inGuwahati,Assam, where he was also a professor ofinorganic chemistry and former Head of Department in the university’s chemistry department.[2] After completing a Ph.D. at theIndian Institute of TechnologyKanpur, Medhi undertook research at both theTata Institute of Fundamental Research (as a visiting fellow) andNorth-Eastern Hill University (as a lecturer), but spent much of his academic career atGauhati University.[1][2] His scientific work has been varied but has included contributions to the fields ofinorganic chemistry[3] andcarbonnanoparticles.[4]
During his time as Vice-chancellor, Medhi made notable contributions to the development ofGauhati University, including overseeing the creation of the university’s Institute of Science and Technology (GUIST).[2] He additionally advocated for holistic and skill-based education especially in the university, and extending support to colleges across the state ofAssam.[5][6][7]
Okhil Kumar Medhi completed his early years of education atDon Bosco High School, a private education institute.[1][7] Showing a particular interest in chemistry, Medhi attendedCotton College, and thereafter he studied for a Master's degree in Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) inKanpur, Uttar Pradesh.[1] His doctoral thesis was on theelectron paramagnetic resonance of heavytransition metals and was supervised by Professor UC Agarwal atIIT Kanpur.[2]
Medhi’s first research position following his doctoral studies was as a visiting fellow at theTata Institute of Fundamental Research[1] inMumbai,India. This was followed by an academic appointment as lecturer atNorth-Eastern Hill University inShillong.[1][2] In 1983, Medhi was appointed as a Reader of Chemistry atGauhati University where he spent the majority of his career.[2] He took a brief sabbatical from this position to undertake a visiting position as a Commonwealth Fellow at theUniversity of Essex in theUnited Kingdom.[3]
Upon his return toGauhati University, Medhi was promoted to a full professorship and eventually became the Head of Department between 2000 and 2003.[2] During his tenure as Head of Department, Medhi secured funding from theGovernment of India’sDepartment of Science and Technology to help the department modernise itself.[2]
Later in his career, Medhi was elected as the Vice-Chancellor ofGauhati University.[1] During his time as Vice-Chancellor, Medhi advocated for significant change in the Assamese education system, including promoting the teaching of science.[5][8] His notable contribution includes leading the creation of the Gauhati University Institute of Science and Technology.[2]
Aside from his academic profile, Medhi’s scientific research focussed predominantly onbioinorganic chemistry[citation needed] andnanoparticles.[9] He contributed to several academic papers and is a co-author of Inorganic Chemistry – Principles of Structure and Reactivity,[10] a reference textbook for chemistry students. He was also an advisor to several doctoral students during his career.[2]
Medhi resided for most of his life in north-east India, mostly inGuwahati, the capital city of the state ofAssam.[2] He married Chitrani Medhi, also a chemistry professor, with whom he had two daughters.[2]