SRMAP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean - Academic Affairs
Dr B Siva Kumar is a seasoned academician with over two decades of experience working at reputed Institutions and Universities in India. With a post-graduate degree in Organic Chemistry, Dr B Siva Kumar went on to obtain a doctoral degree from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, India. He worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Photo-Nano Materials, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Dr Siva Kumar commenced his academic career as a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, Sri Venkateswara Post-Graduation College, Kadapa, India, in 2001. His association with SRM Group originated in June 2012 when he decided to be a part of the Department of Chemistry at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. His ties became stronger with his appointment at SRM University-AP in June 2017. His efforts in developing the University since its inception are commendable.
Dr Siva Kumar's contribution to SRM Educational Institutions is diverse. He undertook various positions in academics and management and proved his mettle in every role entrusted to him. Presently, the young and energetic academic is serving SRM University-AP as the Associate Dean-Academic Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean - SEAS ( Academic Operations and Graduate Outcome )
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean - Quality Assurance and Rankings
Dr Karthik Rajendran is a highly regarded academic with a wealth of experience in teaching, research, and institutional building. As the Associate Dean of Quality Assurance and Rankings at SRM University-AP, Dr Rajendran is responsible for ensuring the highest possible standards in all university areas, with a particular focus on improving its reputation and visibility in the world of academia.
With a background that includes experience in the US and Europe, Dr Rajendran brings a wealth of international perspectives and best practices to SRM University-AP. His research interests are highly interdisciplinary and span the fields of energy, profitability, and sustainability. According to research from Stanford University, he ranks among the top 2% of highly cited scientists in his field.
In addition to his leadership role at SRM University-AP, Dr Rajendran also oversees the Department of Environmental Science. He has published 80+ articles and book chapters and has a strong record of accomplishing innovative and impactful research. With his multifaceted approach to academic work, Dr Rajendran is poised to make a significant impact in the years to come.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean - Academia - Industry Relations and Professional Internships
Job Titles:
- Chancellor, University of California, San Diego, US
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Registrar
- Registrar, SRM University - AP, Andhra Pradesh
Dr R Premkumar is professionally qualified and holds Dual Master's in Commerce and Human Resource Management and a Ph.D. in Strategic HRD.
Spanning across three decades of rich experience, Dr R Premkumar has handled diverse areas of senior academic administration of - Academics, Legal and General Administration, apart from vast industry experience. Dr R Premkumar has held different senior leadership positions as Registrar - IIT Mumbai, NITIE Mumbai, Defence Institute of Advance Technology Pune and various senior administrative positions in Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped Mumbai, Damodar Valley Corporation, Kolkata, before joining as Registrar, SRM University-AP.
As part of his role, Dr R Premkumar will be reporting to the Vice Chancellor and responsible for leading the various administration activities of - Registry, and other Offices/Departments, ensure compliances of various statutory bodies, and liaising with Government Departments. Dr R Premkumar will be leading various Directorates in functional areas of Human Resources (HR), Student Affairs, Campus Life & Maintenance (CLM) Administration, Medical facilities, Liaison, Media, and Public Relations, to support the growth of the university and build a high-performance driven organisation.
Job Titles:
- Dean ( I / C ) - Paari School of Business
Dr S V Ramana Rao is an accomplished academician and an inspiring thought leader with numerous achievements to his credit. With over 30 years of experience in teaching, his dedication to excellence has propelled him from a faculty member to the Head of the Department at Business Studies at Shinas College of Technology, Oman, to a Director at Siva Sivani Institute of Management and presently to being an Associate Dean at Paari School of Business. His journey is nothing short of extraordinary.
Dr Ramana Rao's scholarly contributions include 21 national and 05 internationally published papers. He has also presented research papers at prestigious institutes both in India, such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore and Lucknow and the Indian School of Business(ISB) in Hyderabad, and abroad. His international engagement has taken him to Oman where he worked and delivered impactful lectures that resonate with a global audience. He has also travelled to countries like UK, Thailand, Vietnam, Dubai, Malaysia etc.
As a thinker, leader and achiever, Dr Rao has consistently demonstrated exceptional calibre achieving success in all fields. He has been a source of inspiration to many students and faculty members around him. Apart from being an educationist par excellence, Dr Rao has also authored the notable case study - AN EXPERIENCE OF A SALESMAN among many others.
In addition to teaching and research, Dr Rao serves on the academic advisory boards of various institutions like P B Siddhartha College, Bhavan's Vivekananda College and Krishnaveni Degree college etc. He has also been invited as a moderator and panel member by various associations and forums. His visionary leadership and commitment to excellence have earned him the recognition of Best Business School Director from Competition Success Review (CSR) for the year 2024, Best B-School Director at the 32nd AIMS Annual Management Education Convention in August 2021 and the AMP Academic Excellence Award in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Central Research Facility I - STEM / Co - Ordinator
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director - Alumni Relations / Major General Gurdeep Singh Narang
Job Titles:
- Associate Director - Faculty Affairs
- Distinguished Member of the Institute of Engineers
- Senior Member
Dr Tousif Khan N (Senior Member, IEEE) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at SRM University-AP, who previously served as Head of the Department from 2017 to 2024. During his tenure as the Head of the Department, he was pivotal in curriculum development, establishing state-of-the-art laboratories, and research advancements. Dr Khan N has received his B.E. degree from Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, India, in 2008; M.Tech. Degree from the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, India, 2010; and was awarded a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, India, in 2017.
With over eight years of academic experience, his research focuses on adaptive and robust control techniques for DC-DC converters and drives, SIDO Converters, solar MPPT techniques, and optimization strategies. Dr Khan holds two granted Indian patents based on his research work. He has played a leadership role within the Automatic Control and Dynamical Optimisation Society as Joint & General Secretary (2020-2024). Under his mentorship, two Ph.D. scholars have completed their programmes and will be awarded their degrees. He has delivered invited talks in numerous faculty development programmes and workshops across various institutions in India, sharing his research expertise.
Dr Khan is a distinguished member of the Institute of Engineers and the Automatic Control and Dynamical Optimisation Society. His notable accolades include the Young Researcher Award (2022), APJ Abdul Kalam Travel Award (2020), and the Best Paper Presentation Award at ACODS 2024. He was also honoured with the International Travel Grant Award by DST, Govt. of India, in 2017 and 2024 for academic visits to the USA and France, respectively. An accomplished researcher, he has authored over 50 publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and international conference papers of repute. He serves as the Editor of Scientific Reports (Nature Publications) and is an active reviewer for more than 20 esteemed journals.
Job Titles:
- Dean
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Dean - Academic Affairs
- Member of the Organising Committee
Dr Vinayak Kalluri, Dean- Academic Affairs of SRM University-AP, is a multifaceted personality with an ambitious track record in academics and leadership. As the Dean of Academic Affairs, he shall be responsible to establish and maintain a collegial work climate, cooperatively leading the academic units towards improved productivity and relevancy. He shall also ensure the academic integrity and curricular coherence of all programs to support the growth of the University and build a high-performance driven organisation.
He has held several prodigious positions such as Member of University Planning and Coordination, Associate Professor- Mechanical Engineering, Associate Dean- Academic Affairs & Operations in School of Engineering & Technology etc., in the erstwhile institution- BML Munjal University, Gurgaon. Pursuing an enterprising and challenging career as a training industry professional and academician in his previous places of work, Dr Kalluri has designed and delivered various undergraduate, postgraduate, and online courses throughout his career.
He is known for his association in the development of a manufacturing centre involving a mix of conventional facilities and advanced equipment like CNC turning, CNC Milling, EDM, Wirecut EDM, Injection Moulding Machine, Micromachining centre, cutting force Dynamometers, Energy Meters, Thermal Image camera etc. He has also been closely involved in the development of other mechanical engineering labs like Material Testing, Fluid mechanics and Thermal Engineering Labs. He promotes indigenous design and customization of lab infrastructure to foster hands-on learning. Having obtained his PhD from BITS-Pilani in Product Design in 2014, he was in constant exploration of the possibilities of lab development that cater to the requirements of students in the advanced fields.
In addition to his prominent collaborations, publications, and presentations; Dr Kalluri has been a member of the organising committee for various National and International conferences. He has also been the organiser of many student and faculty workshops on sustainable manufacturing and emerging technologies. He is the recipient of the Best All-rounder Faculty Award from BML Munjal University in August 2016.
Major General Gurdeep Singh Narang is a seasoned professional with thirty-seven years of distinguished service in the Indian Army and over twelve years in reputed private universities.
His scholastics include an MPhil from Devi Ahilya University and an MBA from Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU). In addition to this, he holds a dual M.Sc. Degree in Defence & Strategic Studies & International Relations, and Science, Weapon System & Technology from Anna University, Chennai, and Pune University, respectively.
Prior to assuming the role as Director- Student Affairs at SRM University-AP, Major General Narang held pivotal positions as Dean-Student Affairs and Director-Discipline in Presidency University Bangalore; Dean-Student Affairs, Chief Proctor (Discipline), Director-Security & Hostels in B.S. Abdul Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology, Chennai; Dean Student Affairs & Welfare, Director Security in Amity University, Lucknow.
His military service has taken him across all major operational regions of India-including Siachen, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Chhattisgarh-where he contributed to both operational and administrative missions domestically and internationally. Notably, he served with distinction as part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cambodia and has been honoured by the President of India with Gold and Silver Medals for his meritorious service.
As an expert in strategic planning, human resource management, Administration, Security and Asset Protection, Major General Narang is recognised for his ability to navigate and lead in diverse and dynamic environments with a proven track record of delivering results.
Job Titles:
- Director - Campus Life & Maintenance
Job Titles:
- Director - HR
- Strategist in Human Resource Development
Mr Isaac Samala Gerard is an astute strategist in Human Resource Development and has over 32 years of experience. He holds a master's degree from Loyola College, Chennai and also has a post-graduate certification in HRM from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Mr Gerard has worked for renowned global brands such as FLSmidth Private Limited, Kone India Technology & Engineering Centre, Dodsal Engineering & Constructions, and Bilfinger Neo Structo Construction Pvt Limited in the capacity of Head of Human Resources. His last assignment in the Hindustan Group of Institutions as the Chief Human Resource Officer saw him playing a pivotal role in facilitating and implementing various HR initiatives in the group.
Apart from being a certified Career Development Trainer from Right Management, USA and OPQ Assessor from SHL India, Mr Isaac Samala Gerard also specialises in Talent Acquisition, Leadership Development and Performance Management.
As a leader, Mr Gerard is a creative and unconventional thinker. He is proficient in building and motivating teams and believes in enabling individuals to achieve personal and institutional goals. He has also played a key role in monitoring and addressing performance issues, driving engagement initiatives across management levels and developing talent management strategies and processes.
Job Titles:
- Group CFO
- Member of the Finance Committee
Job Titles:
- Director ( I / C ) - IR & HS
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- Director - Communications
- Member of the World Association of Newspapers
Mr Pankaj Belwariar, Director of Communications, is an experienced executive in the field of media and management. He has worked with leading media houses such as The Times of India, Malayala Manorama, Amar Ujala, Rajasthan Patrika, and Sakal Media. Throughout his professional career, he has been immensely passionate about new ideas, reforms, transitions, and adaptations.
His expertise lies in Organisation development, Career development, Leadership, and Marketing. He has upheld his potential in strategy and planning throughout his professional career. He received his Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad. He obtained his bachelor's degree from St Stephen's College, Delhi.
The career graph of Mr Belwariar grew exponentially from being the Sales supervisor of MRF Ltd. Asansol in 1989 to being the esteemed CEO of Supank Consultancy, Noida in 2022. He has rendered a range of professional services at Neutral Publishing House Ltd., New Delhi; Rajasthan Patrika Pvt Ltd., Gurgaon; Sakal Papers Pvt Ltd., New Delhi; Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd., New Delhi; Amar Ujala Publications, New Delhi; The Times of India, Lucknow/Patna, etc.
Mr Pankaj Belwariar is a member of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the International News media Association (INMA). He has been awarded numerous accolades such as the Media Maverick Award, Certificate of Excellence for Innovative Ideas, etc.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Associate Director - ITKM
- Director ( I / C ) - ITKM
Mr Roysten Fernandes, Associate Director - ITKM, is a seasoned professional with 26 years of experience in Information Technology and Training and Development in the academic sector. With a Postgraduate Diploma in Software Engineering from Aptech Computers and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from the K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research in Mumbai, Mr Fernandes has held various corporate roles both in academia and industry.
Mr Roysten Fernandes has devoted around 19 years to building his expertise in Account Management, Delivery Management, IT Infrastructure Management, Operations, Project Management, and Data Center Management. He is an avid learner, constantly exploring novel technology trends and well-acquainted with AS/400, Windows, UNIX, VMware and Mainframe environments.
Prior to his current position as the Associate Director - ITKM, Mr Roysten Fernandes also served as the Manager - IT and Data Center Operations at ADP India and Deputy General Manager at HCL Technologies. His last assignment was as Head of the Information Technology Department at BML Munjal University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance Committee
Job Titles:
- Director - Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Job Titles:
- Global Head, Core Products & Platforms Delivery, Basel, Switzerland
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Chief Finance & Accounts Officer
- Chief Finance and Accounts Officer ( CFAO )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance Committee
Job Titles:
- Co - Director, NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative
Job Titles:
- Oxford 's Vice Chancellor
- President of New York University
- President of New York University, USA
Prof. Andrew Hamilton became the 16th President of New York University on 01st January 2016. Under President Hamilton's leadership, New York University has made significant advances. Since, President Hamilton's arrival, NYU has increased its research expenditures at a rate higher than any other U.S. College or University. It has reached all-time highs in rankings of both national and international universities. At the same time, President Hamilton put into place the lowest year-to-year increase in cost-of-attendance in two decades, in support of his priority of making NYU more affordable and accessible.
Before joining the New York University, Prof Hamilton served as a Vice Chancellor of Oxford University - the University's senior-most officer - a post he held since 2009. His tenure as Vice Chancellor was distinguished by significant improvements in University Governance and faculty relations; the launch of a new school of Government and the expansion of the business school; the enhancement of interdisciplinary research and teaching; the restructuring of Oxford's medical school and hospital into a modern academic medical center; and the improvement of the University's physical infrastructure, among other initiatives.
Before being named as Oxford's Vice Chancellor, Dr Hamilton served as provost (2004-08) of Yale University, he had previously been Yale's deputy Provost for Science and Technology. In addition to his record as an academic leader, Dr Hamilton is an award-winning, widely published chemist, and he has continued to maintain his scholarly work-including an active research laboratory-while holding leadership positions.
His area of scholarly interest lies at the intersection of Organic and Biology Chemistry, with particular focus on the use of synthetic design of the understanding, mimicry, and potential disruption of Biological Processes. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Association for the American Chemical Society, and the winner of the International Izatt-Christiansen Award for Macrocylic Chemistry. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education.
Job Titles:
- Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad
Job Titles:
- Dean - School of Engineering and Sciences
Job Titles:
- Scientist
- Advisor - Academics, Research and Innovation, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
- Member of Governing Bodies of CSIR
Dr. Chandra Shekhar obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from BITS Pilani in 1971 and 1975 respectively. Thereafter, he moved to CEERI, Pilani where, after serving as a post doctoral fellow, he joined the institute as Scientist ‘B' in August 1977. He has been serving as Director of CEERI since 2003.
In 1980, Dr. Chandra Shekhar initiated research work at CEERI in the field of LSI/VLSI design and CAD and established one of the best known R&D groups in the field in the country. Under his leadership, the group developed country's first full-custom dedicated LSI processor chip, the first semicustom CMOS VLSI chip for digital telephone exchanges of CDAC, the first 16/32 bit general purpose processor and the first Application Specific Instruction Set Processor (ASIP). He has established new research laboratories at CEERI in the field of High Power Microwave Devices, MEMS, Micro-sensors, Integrated Systems and Nano Electronic Devices which have served both the strategic sector and the society immensely.
Dr. Chandra Shekhar also played a key role in the formulation and execution of Government of India, Department of Electronics' national initiatives in Microelectronics research and education through various research focused programs and the well known "Special Manpower Development Program for VLSI Design and related software". He has pioneered the use of VHDL and synthesis based VLSI design methodology in academia, industry and strategic sector R&D in the country. He has published more than 90 research papers in reputed national and international journals.
Dr. Chandra Shekhar has served as a member of Governing Bodies of CSIR, AcSIR, BITS-Pilani, NIT Kurukshetra, UIET Kurukshetra University and Mody University of Science and Technology. He has also been a member of CSIR Society, Society for Semiconductor Laboratories of ISRO, and on the Board of Directors of Central Electronics Limited. He is a Fellow of IETE, Honorary Fellow of Metrology Society of India and a life member of Indian Physics Association, Semiconductor Society of India and Indo-French Technical Association.
Dr. Chandra Shekhar has been awarded UNESCO/ROSTSCA Young Scientist Award in 1986, CEERI Foundation Day Merit award in the year 1988, ISHEER Science Councilor Award in 2005, Prof. L K Maheshwari Foundation Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2010, Doctor of Science (honoris causa) by NIT Kurukshetra in 2012 and IETE Diamond Jubilee Gold Medal award in the year 2013.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award in the Category of Professional management of businesses is awarded to Dr. Chandra Shekhar, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the society. Through his achievements, Dr. Chandra Shekhar has brought glory to the name of the Institute.
Job Titles:
- Member of the International Advisory Board
- President, Australian Academy of Sciences
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean - Technology Transfer Cell
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- Associate Dean - SEAS ( Admission Outreach and Research Collaborations )
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- Fellow of All 3 Science Academies
Prof. Krishna N Ganesh (born 1953) obtained his B.Sc (1970) and M.Sc (1972) degrees in Chemistry from Bangalore University and did his Ph.D (1976) in Chemistry at Delhi University. He was awarded a Commonwealth Fellowship to pursue higher studies University of Cambridge, UK that resulted in another Ph.D degree in 1980. He joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR) at Hyderabad in 1981 where he established India's first microsynthesis DNA facility, initiating a vigorous research programme to discover new motifs of DNA-protein interactions. In 1987, he relocated to National Chemical Laboratory (NCL-CSIR) where he became the Head of Organic Chemistry Division in 1994. He was chosen as the First Director of the newly founded Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (www.iiserpune.ac.in) at Pune In 2006. Dr Ganesh has made excellent research contributions to the chemistry and biology of nucleic acids, focusing on therapeutic and diagnostic applications of DNA analogues, structural biology of collagen peptides and the emerging area of DNA nanotechnology. He is internationally recognised for his original and creative contributions to design of Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) analogues for effective cell permeation. He has more than 160 publications in reputed international journals, 2 international patents and guided 45 students for their doctoral degrees.
Prof Ganesh is a Fellow of all 3 Science Academies in India and also a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He served as the President of Division of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry of IUPAC (2012-2013). Prof Ganesh has received innumerable professional awards, the most important ones being Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award of Chemical sciences (CSIR) and TWAS Prize for Chemical Sciences, SASTRA-CNR Rao Award of SASTRA University (2015) and H K Firodia Vijnan Bhushan Award (2015).
He has served as Member of the various policy making and Project Advisory Committees of Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India and past Chairman of Indian Committee of Lady Tata Memorial trust. He is currently a member of Nanoscience Advisory Group of DST Nanoscience mission; Chairman, DBT Taskforce on Nanobiotechnology; Chairman, Finance Committee of India Alliance - Welcome trust DBT, Chairman, Research Advisory Council of Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Chandigarh; Chairman, Research Advisory Council, Indian Association of Cultivation of Science, Kolkata and a Member of Governing Council of Association of Indian University.
He has served as a member of the Editorial Advisory Boards of various journals: Chemistry, An Asian Journal (Wiley), J Organic Chemistry (ACS), Beilsten J Organic Chemistry and Oligonucleotides. He is the Founding Editor for ACS Omega (since April 2016) - the first open Access Journal from American Chemical Society and is currently leading its editorial team. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Prof Ganesh was conferred Degree of Doctorate of Science (honoris causa) by Vidyasagar University (West Bengal) in January 2017.
Foremost, as the First and Founding Director of IISER Pune (www.iiserpune.ac.in, June 2006-October 2017), Prof Ganesh provided great leadership in Institution building to establish IISERs as brand science education and research institutes, now attaining international recognition. He was also the mentor Director of 6th IISER at Tirupati (www.iisertirupati.ac.in) since February 2015 and assumed charge of its full time Director in November 2017. He now has the rare and unique distinction of being the First and Founder Director of two IISERs - Pune and Tirupati.
Job Titles:
- Emeritus Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley, CEO, New York Academy of Sciences, USA
Job Titles:
- Vice Chancellor for Research, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Davis
Dr. Prasant Mohapatra, Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Davis, former dean of graduate studies and vice provost of graduate education, oversees an annual research funding portfolio of about $800 million, and lead the university's corporate research relations and translation of UC Davis research into knowledge and technology of significant public benefit.
Prasant has an impressive record of accomplishments and leadership. He's developed partnerships and fellowships for our graduate students and worked with undergraduate students on multidisciplinary research. His experience in obtaining large collaborative awards and thinking innovatively about fundraising will be critical to building our momentum in the years ahead.
Other leadership positions Mohapatra has held at UC Davis include associate chancellor (where he focused primarily on strategic planning for new initiatives and programs), interim vice-provost and chief information officer, and chair of the computer science department. He held the first Tim Bucher Family Endowed Chair in the Department of Computer Science from 2009-2013 and has remained a professor in the computer science department.
Mohapatra has led multiple large-scale collaborative projects. He was the lead researcher for the Multi-University Research Initiative from the Army Research Office, a $6.5 million, five-year award, which is composed of 13 principal investigators from seven other universities. He is the UC Davis lead researcher for the Collaborative Technology Alliance, or CTA, a $35.5 million award for 10 years from the Army Research Laboratory that involves interactions with about 40 members of the consortium and researchers from the Army Research Lab. Mohapatra is also the thrust leader for a Cybersecurity Research Alliance, or CRA, award, a 10-year award with a total grant of $48.2 million for five participating universities.
In addition, Mohapatra led a National Science Foundation-funded project for mentoring underrepresented undergraduate students. He is the principal investigator of an NSF grant for "Bridge to Doctorate," an initiative to facilitate and train underrepresented minority groups to pursue doctorate studies in STEM areas. He has received funding from the Mellon Foundation to explore the transformation of the graduate admission process for the holistic evaluation to increase graduate student diversity.
In his time as dean of graduate studies, Prasant has always put students first. He has identified new sources of funding to grow fellowship support for graduate students. He has focused on increasing the diversity of our graduate student body as well as on key issues such as the mentorship of graduate students. A particular point of pride is the GradPathways program, which under Prasant is preparing more students for a multiplicity of career pathways.
Currently, Mohapatra has 7 patents and has published about 350 research papers and has been cited more than 12,000 times. He has received several best paper awards and has delivered distinguished lectures all over the world. He has graduated 33 doctoral degree students and 25 master's degree students. Mohapatra is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an elected fellow of IEEE, the world largest professional organization dedicated to advancing technology.
Dr. Mohapatra's research interests are in the areas of wireless networks, mobile communications, cybersecurity, and Internet protocols. Dr. Mohapatra's research has been funded through grants from the National Science Foundation, US Department of Defense, Army Research Labs, Intel Corporation, Siemens, Panasonic Technologies, Hewlett Packard, Raytheon, Huawei Technologies, and EMC Corporation.
Dr. Mohapatra received an Outstanding Research Faculty Award from the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He received the HP Labs Innovation awards in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of AAAS.
Dr. Mohapatra's research interests are in the areas of wireless networks, mobile communications, cybersecurity, and Internet protocols. He has published more than 300 papers in reputed conferences and journals on these topics. Dr. Mohapatra's research has been funded through grants from the National Science Foundation, US Department of Defense, Army Research Labs, Intel Corporation, Siemens, Panasonic Technologies, Hewlett Packard, Raytheon, Huawei Technologies, and EMC Corporation.
Dr. Mohapatra has consulted for many companies and organizations in USA, Australia, Korea, Ireland, and India. He has also served as an expert witness in various patent infringement and invalidation litigations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the International Advisory Board
- Professor of Management, and Professor of Marketing at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College - Member
Job Titles:
- Dean - Research
- Expert
- Member of the Asian Consortium
Prof. Ranjit Thapa is an acclaimed academician with more than a decade of experience in the teaching and research domain. He has been a part of the SRM educational institutions for the past ten years. Before becoming the Dean of the School of Engineering and Sciences (SEAS), he held various positions, including the Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Sciences (SEAS) and Head of the Department of Physics at SRM university-AP.
He began his career as a Research Associate at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in 2011. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea. He worked at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, for six years, and this marked the beginning of his journey with the SRM group of educational institutions.
Science and Engineering Research Board awarded the International Travel Grant to him in 2014. He also got the ICTP-Full support Fellowship in 2015 to attend the Materials Science for Energy Storage Workshop at Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. In 2016, he got an Associateship in the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, India. He was honoured with the Young Scientist Research Award in 2018 by the Department of Atomic Energy, India.
Prof. Ranjit Thapa is a core member of the Asian Consortium on Computational Materials Science and a life member of the Indian Science Congress Association. He has done a total of eight government-funded project works, published two patents and authored more than 140 research papers during his career. Currently, he is developing a "Materials database" under the funded projects. He has guided five PhD students to date. In 2016, under his leadership, SRM Institute of Science and Technology established a High-performance computer centre on the Chennai campus.
Prof. Ranjit Thapa is an expert in understanding the electronic structure of materials using first principles analysis and molecular dynamics approach. Professor Ranjit Thapa's research works are primarily focused on density functional theory-based investigation of low dimensional materials as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), CO oxidation and absorber materials for solar cells. The main contributions are: "electron-doped 2D system as a metal-free catalyst", "inverse catalyst", and "pi electron descriptor". Structural and electronic descriptors are identified to define the catalytic activity of graphene. The above works were published in the journals such as Nano-Micro Letters (2023), Chemical Science (2022), PNAS (2022), Advanced Functional Materials (2022, 2015), ACS Nano (2022, 2021), Journal of Materials Chemistry A (2022, 2021, 2015, 2014); Applied Catalyst B: Environmental (2021), CARBON (2023, 2021, 2020, 2019); Journal of Power Sources (2020, 2020); Advanced Materials Technology (2019); SMALL (2018), Nano Energy (2018), ACS Applied Materials & Interface, (2023, 2016, 2015), ACS Catalysis, (2014), Nature Communications (2013).
He was an invited speaker at several national and international seminars, symposia and workshops, including Recent Advancements and Innovation in Solar Energy (RAiSE), Asian Meetings on Ferroelectrics (AMF), National Conference on Electronic Structure (NCES), Asian Consortium on Computational Materials Science and many more. During his service, he also guided and conducted several conferences at SRM University-AP, like the Second International Conference on Materials Genome, National Conference on Electronic Structure, etc.
Job Titles:
- Controller of Examinations
- Senior Scientist at the Non - Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre
A skilled educationist and administrator, Prof. Sheela Singh has played a pivotal role in the stellar growth of SRM University-AP. With her strong administration skills and expert knowledge in the field of Material Development, she has served as a key contributor to strategic planning and execution, offering a constructive outlook to achieve excellence.
Prof. Sheela Singh holds a PhD in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur (2007), preceded by a B.Tech. from BIT Sindri and an M.Tech. from NIT Jamshedpur. With over 17 years of experience in academic and research domains, she has contributed significantly to the fields of metallurgy and materials science.
Prof. Sheela Singh began her research career as a Senior Scientist at the Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC) in 2005, focusing on advanced materials development. She expanded her international research exposure through a two-year postdoctoral tenure at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany.
A dedicated researcher, Prof. Singh has published more than 40 papers in reputed international journals. Her academic journey includes 12 years of distinguished service with the SRM Group. From 2023 to 2025, she served as the Associate Dean - Faculty Affairs at SRM University-AP, significantly contributing to strengthening and executing strategies for faculty development and human resource management. She currently serves as the Controller of Examinations at SRM University, where she continues to contribute as a committed academic leader and administrator.
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- Professor of Practice at the Department of Electronics
Prof. Siva Sankar Yellampalli, Professor of Practice at the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering is also extending his leadership as the Director of Admissions at SRM University-AP. He supervises and evaluates the admission works on behalf of our university ensuring a quality admission process of new students. As the Director, he closely works with the staff of the admission department and the administrators of various schools.
Prior to joining SRM University-AP, Prof Siva Sankar served as Professor and Principal at VTU Extension Centre, UTL Technologies Ltd in Bangalore, Karnataka. His research interests include the development of smart STB which enable communication between various appliances working on different protocols for smart home applications; the design and development of wearable devices for remote health monitoring among the elderly; development of IoT systems for various applications such as dynamic insurance and smart transportation.
Prof Siva Sankar has a lifetime membership in The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) and the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE). He is a senior member of the International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACSIT) and the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has five patents to his credit and has authored several books and book chapters for various national and international publishers.
The academic and industrial experience of Prof Siva Sankar empowers the duties of our admission team by ensuring the procedures are carried out in a smooth and efficient manner.
Job Titles:
- Peter Moores Dean & Professor of Management, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK
Suzanne Fortier served as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University from September 2013 to September 2022. Before she was appointed as the Principal, she was the President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), holding positions such as Vice-Principal (Academic), Vice-Principal (Research) and Professor of Chemistry at Queen's University.
A native of St-Timothée, Québec, Canada, Professor Fortier graduated from McGill with a BSc (1972) and a PhD in Crystallography (1976). Her research has focused on developing mathematical and artificial intelligence methodologies for protein structure determination
Professor Fortier was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2018 and is also an officer of France's National Order of Merit. She holds honorary doctorates from Thompson Rivers University, Carleton University, and the University of Glasgow.
Professor Fortier has served on many Boards and Committees, including as Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global University Leaders Forum (GULF). She is currently a Member of the Board of Governors of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and the Advisory Boards of the University of the People, HEC Paris and the Université de Bordeaux.
Job Titles:
- Chancellor
- Anurag University Hyderabad & Ex. Director, IIT Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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- Associate Dean ( Academic Operations and Outreach ) - Easwari School of Liberal Arts
Job Titles:
- Deputy Manager - Communications
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- Member of the International Advisory Board
- Co - Founder of the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology
- Vice Chairman and Founding CEO of Ygrene Energy Fund - Member
- Vice Chairman of Ygrene Energy Fund
Stacey Lawson has most recently served as Vice Chairman of Ygrene Energy Fund, a clean energy finance company which has partnered with 600+ U.S. municipalities to deploy over $3B in PACE financing into 120,000+ renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate resiliency projects. Ygrene has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as a "Financial Ally" and granted the "Award for Leadership in Energy Efficiency Financing" and "Goal Achiever Award: Better Buildings Challenge". Ygrene has also been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative and the Edison Awards for its "Clean Energy Finance Model". As former CEO of Ygrene from 2012-2017, Lawson built the organization from its inception and has been an advocate for climate solutions, the clean energy economy and climate justice across California and the nation.
Prior to leading Ygrene, Lawson was a candidate for U.S. Congress in California's 2nd congressional district in 2012 where she advocated for critical economic, environmental, and social justice initiatives, as well as authored "Making More in America: How Restoring America's Manufacturing Strength Can Help Rebuild Our Middle Class".
Lawson is co-founder of the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET) at the University of California Berkeley, where she was an Industry Fellow, lecturer, and advisor to new ventures. Lawson also spent 15 years as a senior executive in the high-tech industry, where she held executive roles with Siebel Systems, Parametric Technology, and co-founded InPart Design (acquired by PMTC).
She currently holds advisory positions with SDG Impact Fund, United Cities Fund, Cool City Challenge, SRM University (India), Second Time Founders, Agastya Biotech and Pillai Center for Mind Science. She is an active board member of the Human Evolution Fund, Shift Network, Tripura Foundation, and the Institute for Noetic Sciences. Lawson holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington and a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Manager - Communications