Kottayam: Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former Kerala Additional Chief Secretary P H Kurian passed away on Wednesday.

Born on January 20, 1959, in Pampady, Kottayam, Kurian obtained a master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Kerala. He then joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru for doctoral research. During his time at the institution, he cleared the civil services examination and joined the Indian Administrative Service.

Initially allocated to the Odisha cadre, Kurian moved to the Kerala cadre in 1993. He served as the District Collector of Kottayam and Idukki.

After being promoted to secretary-level positions, he headed several key departments, including Revenue, Industries, Information Technology, Public Works and Ports.

Kurian also served the Union Government as the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.