The Indian Institute of Science, or IISc, has appointed Professor Govindan Rangarajan as the new director of the institute. Professor Rangarajan has been formally appointed by the Governing Council of the Institute as the next Director of IISc with effect from August 1, 2020, after obtaining approval from the President of India.
The new director will precede Professor Anurag Kumar who is completing his term as director of IISc on July 31, 2020.
As per a statement issued by IISc, Prof. Rangarajan obtained an Integrated MSc (Hons.) degree from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park. He then worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, USA, before returning to India in 1992. Prior to his current appointment, Prof. Rangarajan was the Chair, Division of Interdisciplinary Research at IISc comprising 10 departments and centres. He also headed the fundraising and alumni outreach efforts of the Institute. Prof. Rangarajan has also served as the Chair, Department of Mathematics and the Chair, International Relations Cell, the statement added.
IISc Bengaluru in their social media handle said: “We are very pleased to announce that Prof. Govindan Rangarajan has been appointed as the new Director of IISc, with effect from 1 August 2020. The current Director, Prof. Anurag Kumar, will superannuate and complete his term on 31 July 2020.”
We are very pleased to announce that Prof. Govindan Rangarajan has been appointed as the new Director of IISc, with effect from 1 August 2020. The current Director, Prof. Anurag Kumar, will superannuate and complete his term on 31 July 2020. https://t.co/JCVQHrZz4V pic.twitter.com/58wTn9fxv9
— IISc Bangalore (@iiscbangalore) July 24, 2020
Professor Rangarajan added that it is an honour and privilege for him to be appointed as the next Director of IISc.
“The Institute has a glorious 111-year-old legacy of impactful contributions to science and engineering. I will strive to uphold this tradition and take the Institute to even greater heights in the coming years,” the new director added in the IISc statement.
The IISc statement further added that the outgoing Director, Professor Anurag Kumar, during his tenure as the Director, introduced several initiatives to modernise IISc's administration and infrastructure, improve faculty recruitment, increase support from non-government sources, enable the careers of women researchers in the Institute, and enhance IISc's visibility abroad.
In 2018, IISc was also selected as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof Kumar has also had the responsibility of steering the Institute through this challenging period, the IISc statement added.
“It has been an honour for me to serve as the Director of IISc, India's top ranked university of science and engineering,” said Professor Kumar. “I congratulate Prof. Govindan Rangarajan on being appointed as the next Director of IISc, and wish him all success in taking this unique institution to the next level,” he added
