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Welcome to the Combustion and Propulsion Laboratory (CAPL) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. I am Ajay V. Singh, a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur, India.

Over the course of my academic career, I have had the privilege of working alongside exceptionally talented students, researchers, and faculty members on a wide range of challenging and exciting problems. One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been the opportunity to bring together fundamental science, engineering, and innovation to address problems that are both scientifically intriguing and technologically important.

My research is broadly centred on advanced combustion and propulsion technologies, with a particular focus on high-speed propulsion systems, including detonation-cycle engines and air-breathing propulsion technologies for hypersonic flight. In parallel, our research explores important challenges in fire science and fire dynamics, gas-turbine combustion, soot formation and oxidation, and the flame synthesis of functional nanomaterials for renewable-energy applications.

Over the past decade, my research has encompassed a broad spectrum of topics, including gas-turbine and supersonic combustion, detonations and explosions, boundary-layer combustion, flame spread and fire dynamics, soot formation and oxidation, experimental and computational fluid dynamics, combustion chemistry of conventional jet fuels and biofuels, and the flame synthesis of functional nanomaterials.

At the Combustion and Propulsion Laboratory, we combine fundamental scientific inquiry, advanced experimentation, computational modelling, and engineering innovation to understand complex reacting-flow phenomena and translate that understanding into new technologies. Our goal is to contribute to the development of the next generation of propulsion systems, energy technologies, and fire-safety solutions.

Ultimately, the Combustion and Propulsion Laboratory is a place where curiosity drives discovery, rigorous science enables understanding, and engineering transforms ideas into solutions.

I invite you to explore our research, meet our students and researchers, and learn more about the work we are doing at IIT Kanpur to advance the frontiers of combustion, propulsion, energy, and fire science.​​