NIIT University appoints former IIT Bombay professor Prakash Gopalan as new President

NEW DELHI: Prakash Gopalan has been appointed as the new president of the NIIT University (NU). He has held numerous faculty and administrative positions at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and has been associated with the institute for over 26 years.

Prakash Gopalan did his PhD from Purdue University, the US, and completed MTech from IIT Kanpur. In a career spanning 30 years, he has taught over 12 core courses at IIT Bombay and was conferred the Best Teacher Award in 2000.

He also held the position of Dean of Student Affairs at IIT-B from September 2005 to September 2011. “He focused on enhancing student well-being and discipline, introducing innovative improvements to the student counseling and mentorship programmes, and earned the unique distinction of being invited to serve a second term based on exceptional performance feedback from the IIT Mumbai student community,” the institute said.

Gopalan along with Bart Kahr has “solved the problem of crystallography that eluded solution for more than two centuries”, the work which was cited in the chemical science literature.

He has 71 publications in internationally referred journals and 29 papers in National and International conferences to his credit. Gopalan has also served as a director at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala. He has also held visiting positions at Purdue and Northwestern University.

On his new role at NU, Gopalan said: “I am deeply honored to assume the role of President at this prestigious university. I would like to express my profound gratitude to the entire university community for entrusting me with this responsibility. Together, we embark on a journey to foster academic excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. I am excited to collaborate with our exceptional faculty, staff, and students to create a brighter future. Thank you for this privilege, and I eagerly anticipate the remarkable work we will achieve together.”

Welcoming him, NIIT University founder Rajendra S Pawar said: “Prof Gopalan is a great fit for NU. We are delighted to welcome our new President to our university family. His vision, leadership, and commitment to academic excellence align perfectly with our mission to nurture the future leaders of tomorrow. We are excited to embark on this journey with him, knowing that under his guidance, our university will reach new heights of success and continue to be a beacon of knowledge and innovation.”