The department of Specialty Chemicals Technology has recently built its new state-of-the art laboratory building with the courtesy of Colourtex Industries Pvt Ltd. The two storeyed facility with a total area of 8200 sq. ft. consists of the Research laboratory, Process Intensification Laboratory, Analytical laboratory and Instrumentation Laboratory, for undergraduate and postgraduate students; thus, building a strong sense of industrial working culture in them. The laboratory is equipped with all the modern instrumentation.

The Department is a unique centre of learning that offers an advanced curriculum in tune with the latest industrial and academic developments. Not only has it produced a new generation of talented technologists and bright researchers, it has also led to an effective industry-academia relationship. The B. Tech course in Dyestuff Technology emphasizes the chemistry, technology and engineering of organic intermediates and colorants. The student leaves the Institute equipped with a working knowledge of laboratory synthesis, scaling up skills, key manufacturing processes and analytical techniques. The faculty members are associated with prestigious national and international academies as Fellows.

Prof. K. Venkataraman did pioneering work in synthetic dyestuff chemistry, natural colorants, structural elucidation and spectral studies. His volumes on “The Chemistry of Synthetic Dyes” are still widely read and treated as the bible for dyestuff chemists and technologists worldwide. These have been translated into more than 14 languages. Prof. B. D. Tilak worked extensively in the field of anthraquinone and naphthaquinone vat dyes, and on azide chemistry. Prof. S. V. Sunthankar investigated the chemistry of steroids, pesticides and silicon compounds in addition to dyestuff chemistry. The contribution of Prof. S. Seshadri to the Vielsmeier-Haack reaction and coumarin chemistry is very well recognized. Prof. D. W. Rangnekar published widely in the area of heterocyclic chemistry and was instrumental in initiating BRNS-BARC sponsored projects on the synthesis of laser dyes and solid state lasers. These projects, which became vital for the country post Pokhran-II, were successfully executed and completed by Prof. V. R. Kanetkar.

The Department currently engages on niche areas of research like fluorescent dyes for sensing and sensitizers for DSSC besides the high-performance textile colorants and DFT computations, design and synthesis of graphene derivatives and their applications; energy storage materials, flame retardants, bio-probes, waste stream treatment, advanced catalysts, semiconductor materials, anticancer materials, sensors and surfactants, macro molecule synthesis, Green processes for intermediates, dyes, and specialty chemicals, fragrance molecules, agrochemical synthesis, bioactive molecules and functional colorants. The outstanding research work (reported over 1000 publications) carried out by these stalwarts has created a permanent impact on dyestuff and allied industries, globally and locally.