A graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Anjan Ray received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania under the guidance of Nobel Laureate Prof. Alan MacDiarmid. He then moved to the chemical industry and worked for over 25 years across functions ranging from Quality Control, Technical Service, R&D and Marketing to General Management, Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy.

His professional interests have spanned fields as diverse as surfactants, oleochemicals, lubricants, coatings, adhesives, textiles, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, water treatment, energy efficiency, biofuels and renewable energy policy. Dr Ray is the eighth Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum. He held the additional charge of Head, Research, Project Planning and Business Development Directorate at the Headquarters of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi from June 2017 till August 2018. He also leads the Supply Chain vertical of the CSIR Strategy Group, constituted in March 2020 for developing CSIR’s concerted response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the transformations necessary in the post-COVID world.

Apart from his professional career in chemical technology, Dr Ray has had an active interest in media, education, heritage and environmental conservation for over three decades.