Prof. Swati Pal, professor and principal, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi, has been a Charles Wallace scholar and the first Asian awardee of the John McGrath theatre studies scholarship. Author of several books on theatre, creative and academic writing, her newspaper articles articulate her views on education. Her areas of research interest include performance studies and cultural history. She translates from Hindi to English. She writes poetry and her poems appear in several anthologies. She also has a collection titled In Absentia, and an edited volume called Living on. She is the vice-chair of the Indian Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies. She is the Delhi state-chair for the G100 wing for World Peace of the Women Economic Forum. She has been the recipient of several awards such as a Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contribution in the area of educational administration and planning besides gender development by Women’s Agency for Generating Employment (WAGE) in 2017; Exceptional Women of Excellence in Academia, 2017 Award by the All Ladies League and Women Economic Forum; the 34th Dr. S Radhakrishnan Memorial National Teacher Award in 2018; Esteemed Jury Award by COAE International in 2023; and the Best Principal Award by National Edu Trust of India for the year 2023-24 for commitment to integrating environmental education into teaching practices.
Field of Study India: Higher Education Administration
Swati Mujumdar
Dr. Swati Mujumdar is an international skill development and higher education expert. With over 20 years of professional experience in education and skill development, she has been advising governments at national and international levels on policy related matters in higher education, the blended education model, vocational education (TVET), and skill development. After years of research, Dr. Mujumdar has developed a unique ‘skill university’ model and under her able leadership, Symbiosis has established two skills universities namely Symbiosis Skills & Professional University, Pune and Symbiosis University of Applied Sciences, Indore. With an investment of over 100 million USD, the two universities have a strategic focus on developing skills and competencies in students, aligned to the needs of the industry. Dr. Mujumdar has participated in UNESCO deliberations on credit recognition and transfer systems in the Asia-Pacific region. She was also invited by UNESCO to Shenzhen to participate in regional consultation on ICT-driven innovation in higher education. She was appointed as a member of B20 taskforce on the future of work, mobility and skilling. With a focus on equity and inclusion, she has successfully spearheaded several projects on training underprivileged girls in STEM-education, skilling of unemployed youth in future skills, and capacity building of teachers/ trainers, and has, thereby, created opportunities for employment for thousands.
Alagu Manickavelu
Prof. Alagu Manickavelu is the director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at the Central University of Kerala. He holds a PhD in genetics and plant breeding, with specialized training in genomics and international agriculture from esteemed institutions in Japan and the CGIAR network. Since 2016, Prof. Manickavelu has been serving in various administrative capacities at the Central University of Kerala. His roles have included convenor of the International Linkage Committee, Fulbright campus representative, dean of Students’ Welfare, and head of the Department of Genomic Science. His leadership and dedication have significantly contributed to the university’s growth and international collaborations. Prof. Manickavelu’s academic journey includes a prestigious fellowship for post-doctoral research in Japan. He has successfully led numerous national and international research projects, guiding students from India and other developing countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, and Paraguay. His scholarly contributions include 35 research articles, which have been presented at various national and international conferences. As the director of IQAC, Prof. Manickavelu is committed to positioning the Central University of Kerala on the global academic stage. His vision involves developing a robust model for international education, enhancing the university’s global engagement and reputation.
Dinesh Kumar
Prof. Dinesh Kumar, recipient of the prestigious Homi J. Bhabha Memorial Award from the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi, is presently working as the vice-chancellor of Gurugram University, Gurugram. Prior to joining Gurugram University, he has worked as vice-chancellor of J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA, Faridabad between 2015 and 2021. He is an eminent academician, ardent researcher and able administrator, known for his leadership roles which span over 38 years. He obtained his master’s and PhD degrees from Cambridge University.
He was also conferred with the ‘Most Eminent Vice Chancellor Award’ by the All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties & Social Justice (AICHLS), and the ‘Rank Bandhu Shiksha Shiromani Samman’ for commendable contribution in the field of education. He was elected as president of the Section of Materials Science of the Indian Science Congress Association for the session 2017-2018.
He is a widely travelled person, and has been to France, Italy, Germany, Austria, England, USA, Russia, Australia, Spain, Taiwan and several other places for his research activities. He has published more than 140 research papers. A total of 22 students have already completed their PhD work under his guidance.
Soumyabrata Chakraborty
Prof. Soumyabrata Chakraborty is serving as the registrar of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, a leading private university recognized as an “Institution of Eminence” by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. As an academic administrator he has also served as the founding registrar of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Palakkad, and as the chief executive (Administration and Finance) of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Kolkata. Prof. Chakraborty is actively involved in international collaborations and is a signatory of the institute in Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) executed with foreign universities.
As a civil engineer, Prof. Chakraborty has industrial and combat engineering experience having worked at Tata Steel and later in the Indian Army. He made significant contributions to counter insurgency operations and led infrastructure projects, including bridge and road construction in India and Bhutan, housing societies and habitat development. His recent international academic engagements include being a speaker at the international seminar on “Space, Time, Civilization” in Egypt (October, 2023), participating in the Annual Legal Meet of the Aditya Birla Group in Bangkok (December, 2023), and participating in the government’s ‘Study in India’ mission in Bangladesh (February 2024).