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JEE Topper Returns from US PhD to Research Mosquito Brains at IIT Kanpur.
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News18•27-09-2026, 19:31
JEE Topper Returns from US PhD to Research Mosquito Brains at IIT Kanpur.
- •Nitin Gupta, JEE 2000 topper, completed his B.Tech from IIT Kanpur and a PhD in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology from the University of California, San Diego.
- •Instead of working in the US, he returned to India in 2014, becoming an Associate Professor at IIT Kanpur, his alma mater.
- •Inspired by the film "Swades," Nitin Gupta is now shaping engineering students at IIT Kanpur while researching mosquito brains to understand how they function without formal learning.
- •He has received numerous fellowships and awards, including the Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (2015) and the S. Ramachandran National Bioscience Award (2023).
- •Transitioning from a computer science background, Gupta is now a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at IIT Kanpur, focusing on neuroscience and brain studies.
Key Questions Answered
Professor Nitin Gupta is studying mosquito brains at IIT Kanpur to understand how the brain intuitively recognizes what to do and what not to do without learning lessons.
Nitin Gupta was inspired to return to India by the film "Swades", experiencing a real-life moment similar to the movie that motivated him to come back.
Nitin Gupta secured the number-1 rank in JEE 2000, completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Kanpur, and earned a PhD in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology from the University of California, San Diego.
