Prof. Anup Dandapat is Professor of Electronics and Communication Engineering and Dean (Academic Affairs) at the National Institute of Technology, Meghalaya, an Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. He brings extensive experience to academic leadership, research, and institutional development within India’s public higher education system. As Dean (Academic Affairs), he has led collaborative academic reforms aligned with India’s National Education Policy 2020, including curriculum modernization, implementation of outcome-based education, strengthening doctoral research frameworks, and expanding interdisciplinary programs. He has also advanced digital academic governance and quality assurance processes to enhance transparency and global engagement. Prof. Dandapat’s academic contributions have been recognized through several distinctions, including the Best Researcher Award (2016), the Leader of the Year Award (2015) from NIT Meghalaya, and the Young Faculty Research Fellowship from the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India.
Field of Study India: Higher Education Administration
Nazir Ahmad Ganai
Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) is an academician who has transformed the university into an innovation-driven agricultural institution. Under his leadership, SKUAST-K has secured 109 patents and supported the incubation of 95 startups within a span of four years. He introduced a transformative development framework built on four key verticals. One of them is the SKUAST-K Agri-Education Model aligned with the National Education Policy. Another pillar is the SKUAST-K Research and Innovation Model, designed to support a knowledge-based and technology-driven agricultural economy. This model has earned Rank 1 in innovation, with 109 patents and 95 startups. Another vertical is the SKUAST-K extension and outreach model backed by ICT-driven technologies. The fourth is a social development model backed by a Rs 50-billion project, Holistic Agricultural Developmental Program, conceived and developed in-house. It is aimed at laying the foundation for a knowledge- and technology-driven bioeconomy in Jammu and Kashmir. Prof. Ganai is the recipient of many fellowships including Erasmus Mundus Fellowship of Netherlands, Durham International Fellowship for Research and Enterprise, SABRE Fellowship of Edinburgh Scotland, and Educational Leadership Fellowship of Israel.
Mohammed Haris Siddiqui
Prof. Mohammed Haris Siddiqui, Registrar, Integral University, a recipient of the Outstanding Professional Award (2025), and Academic Leadership Award (2024), has close to 20 years of experience in teaching, research and administration. An MTech gold medalist, he earned a PhD in Biotechnology from Integral University in collaboration with University of Lousiana USA and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, under the Young Scientist Fellowship Scheme of Uttar Pradesh Council of Science & Technology. He also serves as the Founder-Director of Integral Institute of Agricultural Science & Technology. Under his leadership the Institute was accredited by ICAR. In his role as Director of Directorate of Admissions and Academics, Prof. Siddiqui has been instrumental in increasing the admissions from within India and abroad in 14 faculties of study. He was Founder-Head of the Department of Bioengineering.
Hmar Lalthanzara
Prof. Hmar Lalthanzara, Professor of Zoology and Principal of Pachhunga University College (PUC, a constituent college of Mizoram University), earned his master’s degree from North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, in 1999 and his doctoral degree from Mizoram University, Aizawl, in 2008. He joined PUC as a lecturer in Zoology in 2005 and has continued to teach as associate professor and professor since then. He has over 16 years of undergraduate teaching experience and four years of postgraduate teaching experience. Under Prof. Lalthanzara’s leadership since 2021, the college achieved national recognition by securing a NAAC A+ grade in 2023, a top 50 position for four consecutive years in National Institutional Ranking Framework India Rankings since 2022, and the highest Platinum Rank in Green Audit in 2021. Student enrolment has increased, including international students from the Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
Pragneshkumar Natvarlal Tekwani
Prof. Pragneshkumar Natvarlal Tekwani, Director, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Dean, Faculty of Doctoral Studies and Research, and Senior Professor of Electrical Engineering, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India, has professional experience of more than 30 years. He received a PhD degree from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, along with Tag Corporation Medal Award for Best PhD Thesis. Presently he is overseeing the Ph.D research programs in the disciplines like Technology, Management, Law, Pharmacy, Science, and Architecture & Planning. He also served as coordinating officer for developing the Bank of Thrust Areas of Research of all the constituent institutes of Nirma University. He looks after the progress of all externally funded and internally funded research project and processing of all the patent applications at the University. He is a member of Academic Council of Nirma University.
Dipak Sinha
Prof. Dipak Sinha is Pro-Vice Chancellor of Nagaland University. He is a distinguished academic leader and researcher at the University, serving since 1999 after completing higher studies at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Prof. Sinha has contributed extensively to academic leadership, holding positions such as Head of Department, Dean of Students’ Welfare, and Chief Vigilance Officer at Nagaland University. He guided the preparation and submission of the self-study report (SSR) for NAAC accreditation and coordinated institutional data submissions for several years under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). He also steered the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, introducing academic and structural reforms aligned with national priorities and global standards. In his current role, he facilitated the successful submission of the School of Agricultural Sciences to the NIRF in the Agriculture and Allied Sectors category.
Rajinder Kaur
Prof. Rajinder Kaur is Dean, Faculty of Law and Professor of Law at the University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. She also serves as Honorary Director, Panjab University Publication Bureau. Her extensive administrative experience encompasses roles as Chief Vigilance Officer, Director of the University Institute of Legal Studies, and Professor-in-Charge (Academic) at Panjab University’s Hoshiarpur Centre. Prof. Kaur is visiting faculty at prestigious institutions including IIM Kashipur, IIM Jammu, IIM Rohtak, and IIFT, New Delhi. She chaired an external peer review team as a foreign expert at Khulna University, Bangladesh, and was invited to Pepperdine University, USA for the Global Dispute Resolution Conference.
Pooja Purang
Prof. Pooja Purang is Professor of Psychology and Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Trained as an organisational psychologist, her research examines gender, fairness, well-being, mentoring, and the work-family interface, with particular attention to women in STEM and non-linear career trajectories in India. Prof. Purang has played a significant role in shaping humane and ethical academic institutions. As Head of Department, she leads a large multidisciplinary faculty and works to strengthen the place of humanities and social sciences within a premier technological university through curriculum innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and international engagement. As Convener of the Gender Cell and Internal Complaints Committee at IIT Bombay, she has heightened gender sensitisation, institutional accountability, and safe academic environments. Prof. Purang also served as the first woman Vice Chairperson of the JEE Advanced and CEED/UCEED examinations at IIT Bombay.
Karuna R Gokarn
Prof. Karuna R. Gokarn is the Principal and Professor of Microbiology at St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai, and the first woman Principal of the 156-year-old institution. She assumed office as Principal-in-Charge in June 2025 and as Principal in October 2025. With over 31 years of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership, she is a passionate educator and institution-builder known for her commitment to academic excellence, teamwork, and quality enhancement in higher education. She previously served as Vice-Principal (Academics) and Director of the college’s quality assurance cell and contributed to the college securing the 89th All-India Rank in National Institutional Ranking Framework 2025. Prof. Gokarn secured a ₹3-crore DBT-BUILDER grant as DBT Coordinator to strengthen research infrastructure, and as National Education Policy Nodal Officer, oversaw the implementation of four-year undergraduate and two-year postgraduate programmes.
Sukhdev Roy
Prof. Sukhdev Roy is Head of the Department of Physics and Computer Science at Dayalbagh Educational Institute (DEI), India. Prof. Roy serves as an Assessor, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), as Secretary-cum-Convener. Advisory Committee on Education, Dayalbagh Educational Institutions and Head of the Department of Physics and Computer Science, Secretary, DEI Academic and Administrative Audit Committee, Coordinator, NAAC and Convener, Research Advisory Committee (RAC). With 33 years of teaching and research experience, he has been instrumental in implementing the New Education Policy-2020, formulating DEI Research Promotion Policy, enriching UG, PG and PhD programs, establishing research in cutting-edge emerging areas and strengthening collaborations with prestigious international Institutes to achieve DEI’s two-decade Vision-2031.
He has served as Visiting Professor at Harvard University, the University of Waterloo, the University of Würzburg, and Osaka University, as well as at City University of London and Queen Mary University of London.