Dr.G.Viswanathan - Chancellor

Dr. G.V, the founder-chancellor of VIT University, was born on December 8, 1938 in a remote village near Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Dr. GV’s life is a source of inspiration to the aspiring youth.

Dr. G.V − The Student

Dr. GV completed Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2003, nearly four decades after his University education, reaffirming his fervour in being an eternal student. He excelled in academics right from his childhood. His early education was confined to his small village where he studied in Tamil - his mother tongue. His pre-university education at Voorhees College, Vellore initiated him to the world outside. From there he moved on to obtain his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Economics from the prestigious Loyola College, Chennai. Following this, he graduated in Law from Madras Law College.

Dr. G.V − The Leader of the People

A student leader in his twenties entering Indian parliament was something incredible, especially in 1960s. But it was Dr. GV who championed people’s issues in the parliament and they, in turn, reposed faith in the leader who fulfilled their expectations. They re-elected him by a bigger margin in the next election for another five-year term. He travelled to different parts of the world as a member of parliamentary delegations and appreciated issues in a global perspective. Dr. GV wanted to play a bigger role in the provincial politics in order to make a direct contribution in bettering the lives of the people in the region. He was elected to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for ten years. During this period, he served as a Minister for two years.

Dr. G.V − The Educator

Dr. G. Viswanathan founded Vellore Engineering College in 1984 at Vellore. He envisioned that this Institution would offer World-Class Education to students who would in turn create an indelible impact on the society. The engineering college that started with an intake of 180 students in 1984 has evolved as a university with four campuses. Over 25,000 students are enrolled in 51 undergraduate and 33 Postgraduate, 11 Integrated, 2 Research programmes and 2 M.Tech Industrial Programmes with nearly 16,000 residing on the campus. It attracts students and professors from different parts of the world. It houses more than 1000 international students on campus. For the past two years, VIT University has been ranked #1 private engineering institution in India. ISO Certification from Holland, International accreditation from the United Kingdom and USA, and the highest accreditation grade from the Government of India reflect the University’s penchant for excellence on all fronts.

Dr. G.V − The Institution

Due to his passion for societal development and compassion for the underprivileged, Dr. GV has launched several schemes for uplifting the women and unemployed youth in the region to help them become self-reliant. He offers scholarships to students from disadvantaged sections of the society to enable them to pursue higher education. He has established the Universal Higher Education Trust to create opportunities for higher education to every deserving student in the region. He has adopted several villages with the motto of improving the quality of lives of the rural people. His vision of transforming Vellore into a greener and cooler town by planting one million saplings has begun to yield fruit. Dr.GV’s farsightedness extends beyond horizons.

Mr. Sankar Viswanathan Vice - President

Mr. Sankar Viswanathan, Vice President was born on 13th April 1966. He completed his Advanced Diploma in Engineering Technology, at Chisholm Institute, Melbourne, Australia.He has held honoured positions as the Chairman, and Vice-Chairman of Vellore Engineering College, Vellore before taking over charge as the Pro-Chancellor (Academic) at VIT. He has also served as the Secretary of the North Arcot Educational & Charitable Trust of Vellore.

He has always been a very proactive person and has played a key role in all the activities of the University. He has always evinced a keen involvement with the VIT family. He is an active member of the Board of Management, VIT and displays a keen interest in the affairs of the college and being a student friendly person is avidly interested in the academic progress of the students and staff.

He has travelled extensively and gained valuable experience from his tours to USA, Australia, Singapore, Italy, China, Greece, Malaysia, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Syria and Rwanda. He is an active member of the Australian engineers Association in Melbourne. His hobbies include playing tennis, cricket, cooking and surfing the net.

Dr. Sekar Viswanathan Vice-President

Dr. Sekar Viswanathan epitomises the vision, vibrant spirit and energy that has helped in establishing VIT as a premiere institute in the country. Dr. Sekar has over 30 years of experience in the industry and academics. He was a rank holder in Electronics and Communication Engineering from University of Madras. He received his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, USA. He has a Ph.D., in the area of faculty motivation from University of Madras.

During the 90s, he served as the Vice-Chairman of his alma mater, Vellore Engineering College (which was later renamed as VIT). During this period, he had launched a number of new programmes and initiatives which paved way for the university status of VIT. Later, Dr. Sekar went to USA and worked with IBM, NetClerk and Walmart.com to gain international industrial experience. Walmart.com conferred the “Best Engineering Manager” and “Best Achiever” awards on him.

As VP at VIT, Dr. Sekar focuses on the university growth strategy, academic policies, international relations and placements. He has brought in numerous improvements to benefit the students including STARS (Support the Advancement of Rural Students) scheme, Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS), Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) and Curriculum for Applied Learning (CAL). Dr. Sekar was bestowed with the prestigious Young EDGE National Award in 2012 in recognition of his innovative and useful contributions to the field of education. He currently serves as a member of national-level Higher Education Committee of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and member of the Higher Education committee of EPSI (Education Promotion Society of India), New Delhi.

Dr. G V Selvam Vice - President

Dr. G V Selvam has been associated with the institution since 1999, when he first assumed office as Vice-Chairman of Vellore Engineering College. Since then, he has been working relentlessly towards the progress of the institution. He spearheaded the elevation of Vellore Engineering College to VIT University in 2001, and became its first Pro-Chancellor. Dr. Selvam enjoys the distinction of being the youngest Pro-Chancellor of a University in the world, which has been recognized by the Limca Book of Records, 2005. He holds a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from University of Madras. Dr. Selvam became the first Vice-President of VIT Chennai in 2010, where he sculptured the campus from the scratch. The high rise structures, the lush green ambience and the ultra-modern infrastructure that adorn VIT Chennai were created within a short span of time under his able leadership. He has developed VIT Chennai campus in conformity with the standards of the Green LEED certification. As the Vice President, he continues to contribute diligently to its growth. His painstaking efforts in implementing several innovative measures have enabled VIT to emerge as an institution of international eminence. A self-motivated and industrious person, and a farsighted educationalist, Dr. G.V. Selvam possesses an innate ability to spot and nurture talent–be it with the faculty, staff or students. He offers flexible and pragmatic academic solutions not only for toppers but also for slow learners. Dr. Selvam was instrumental in introducing new and need-based programmes of study such as Law, Architecture, Hotel Management and Agriculture. He introduced the inter-university sports & cultural extravaganza, “Riviera”, which has blossomed into an acclaimed international event. He played a significant role in establishing the VIT Technology Business Incubator (VITTBI), which has received national acclaim for its service to budding entrepreneurs. The Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies [CSRD&RS] is the brainchild of Dr. Selvam. The centre is working towards providing urban facilities in rural areas to enhance the living conditions in villages, which would develop the rural folk on par with the urban people in terms of education and employability. A man with a deep passion for nature, Dr. G V Selvam takes immense interest in green initiatives. The lush green, self-sustaining, VIT campuses in Vellore and Chennai are examples of his efforts to adorn the spaces with natural beauty. He is the brain behind the Green Vellore Project, which has added green cover to the rocky and barren landscape of Vellore, and the Clean Palar Project, which is taking measures to restore the Palar river bed to its original texture. He is passionate about transforming Vellore into a clean, green and nature-rich city. Dr. Selvam is inspired and guided by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s principle: “A leader must have vision and passion, and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.”

Dr. V. S. Kanchana Bhaaskaran - Vice-Chancellor-i/c

Dr. Partha Sharathi Mallick - Pro-Vice Chancellor

Professor Partha Sharathi Mallick, a PhD from Jadavpur University (INDIA), currently working as the Pro Vice Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamilnadu India. He is a Sr. Professor in School of Electrical Engineering and a former Dean of Electrical Engineering. He served the same institution as the Head of Ranking, Accreditation and as the Nodal Officer of Institution of Eminence (IoE). He worked as the Technical Head in IAAB Electronics, a Swedish Agri-Electronics Industry in Bangladesh from 1992 to 1996. He received the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship for doctoral studies in 1998. Dr Mallick led various research teams and developed "Online Lab in Microelectronics", "Monte Carlo Simulator of II-VI Compound Semiconductors", "Nanostructured MIM Capacitor", "Low cost Electric Fencers". He is a technical innovator of DSIR, Govt. of India, 2007. Dr Mallick published 4 books/book chapters, 132 research papers and guided 13 PhD thesis. He received VIT Chancellor’s Research Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Dr Mallick jointly worked and published research papers with researchers of top institutions such as Max-Born Institute Germany, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, University of Cynvestav, Mexico. Dr Mallick organized the 1st World Summit on Science, Engineering and Technology at University of Cambridge, UK in 2018, the 2nd World Summit on Science, Engineering and Technology at Indiana University – Purdue University, USA in 2019, the 3rd QS Summer School Summit jointly with QS Asia at VIT in 2016, the IEEE International Conference on Advances in Electrical Engineering (jointly with KTH, Sweden) at VIT in 2014. Dr Mallick is an assessor of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Govt. of India. He visited 38 universities abroad for different academic assignments, invited lectures, collaborations and organizing conferences. He is a Sr. Member IEEE, Life Member - Indian Society for Technical Education, Indian LASER Association, Indian Association for Cultivation of Science, Indian Physical Society and Ambassador(VIT) of Association of Commonwealth Universities. His research interest includes CNT Applications, compound semiconductors, reliability of electronic devices and circuits.

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Dr. Jayabarathi T - Registrar

Dr. (Ms.) T. Jayabarathi has been serving the Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore (formerly Vellore Engineering College) almost since the inception of the institution in the year 1984. Prior to becoming the Registrar, she has served the institution in various capacities, including as a Head of the Department and the Dean of School of Electrical Engineering. She has a teaching and research experience of a little more than thirty-six years. An active researcher with a Scopus h-index of twenty-one and more than two thousand Scopus citations, she has a few highly cited publications to her credit. Her interests are teaching, research and administration.