Prof. Rudra Pratap to join as Founding Vice Chancellor of the upcoming Plaksha University

NEW DELHI, March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plaksha, an upcoming technology university founded by 60+ leading technology entrepreneurs, business leaders and corporates, has announced the appointment of Prof. Rudra Pratap as its Vice Chancellor. Prof. Pratap is the former Deputy Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Founding Chairperson of the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) and is currently a Professor in the Centre as well as of Mechanical Engineering at IISc, Bangalore. Prof. Pratap will assume his new role on May 1, 2021 and lead the creation of a university of global eminence that is focused on reimagining technology education and research for the future.

A pioneer in the field of Micro and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems, Prof. Rudra Pratap has been associated with the Indian Institute of Science ((IISc), Bangalore for almost 25 years (1996- 2021) and is credited for establishing the globally recognized Centre for Nano Science and Engineering at IISc. Prof. Pratap was also an invited professor at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland in 2004-05. Prior to joining IISc in 1996, he taught at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, for 2.5 years. Prof. Pratap's research areas include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), sensor technology, computational mechanics, and mechanobiology. He headed India's first research lab in the field of microelectromechanical systems, the CranesSci MEMS Lab, at the IISc, Bangalore. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering, US and National Academy of Science.

An avid writer, Prof. Pratap's book on MATLAB 'Getting Started with MATLAB: A Quick Introduction for Scientists and Engineers' is popular among engineering students around the globe. He is also an Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems and a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering. He has published approximately 250 papers in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He is also an author on 17 patents. Prof. Pratap holds a B.Tech (Hons) degree from IIT Kharagpur, M.S from University of Arizona and Ph.D. from Cornell University.

On his appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Plaksha, Prof. Rudra Pratap said, "It is an exciting opportunity to build a greenfield university from the ground up, which has been founded by a global community of entrepreneurs, business leaders and academicians, to reimagine technology education and research in India. The collective vision is to build a mindset for research and technology to solve real life challenges, as we equip students with the right skills, knowledge and practical experience. With global academicians and industry experts on board, we are confident that we will be able to redefine the higher education ecosystem in India."

Sharing the news, Vineet Gupta, Founder & Trustee, Plaksha said, "Prof. Pratap's appointment is a huge milestone for Plaksha. We are absolutely delighted and honored to have him at the helm of affairs and are confident that under his guidance Plaksha will emerge as an institution of global eminence. He brings immense credibility not only as an outstanding academician but also as a passionate, dynamic and entrepreneurial leader.  His expertise and approach to engineering will help us build a tech university for the future and groom the next generation of fearless leaders to solve the toughest challenges of our planet."

About upcoming Plaksha University:

The upcoming Plaksha University is one of India's largest collective philanthropy efforts to build a tech university of global eminence. Founded by 60+ technology and business leaders from 5 countries, Plaksha envisions to reimagine technology education and research for India and the world. With strong partnerships with UC Berkeley, Purdue, SRI International, Plaksha aims to create an entrepreneurial and research ecosystem creating a new generation of catalytic leaders. The upcoming university collapses the traditional boundaries of engineering and promotes interdisciplinary learning by combining technology, design and entrepreneurship.

The leaders behind Plaksha include business leaders such as Ashish Gupta, Founder, Benori Knowledge Solutions; CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra; Gagan Hasteer, VP, Content Engineering, Netflix; Hitesh Oberoi, Co-promoter, MD & CEO, Info Edge (Naukri.com); Manas Fuloria, Co-founder and CEO, Nagarro; Mohit Thukral, Founder and Managing Partner, Vivtera; Neeraj Aggarwal, Chairman - Asia Pacific, BCG; Pankaj Chaddah, Co-founder, Zomato; Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, Clix Capital; Sujeet Kumar, Co-founder, Udaan.com; Vineet Gupta, MD, Jamboree Education; Vineet Nayyar, Former Executive Vice Chairman, Tech Mahindra; Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman Bharti Enterprises; Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder, Fractal Analytics, among others. Corporate donors include companies like Bharti Foundation, Mphasis, Axis Bank and Motilal Oswal. The global community of business leaders who founded Plaksha can be seen here.

Media Contact:
Priyanka Negi
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