Preceded by Arun Nigvekar Spouse(s) Geetha Pillai Succeeded by S K Thorat Profession Chemist | Preceded by Hari Gautam Name V. Rajasekharan Succeeded by V S Prasad | |
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Born 20 October 1949 (age 74)
Cengannur, Kerala State, India ( 1949-10-20 ) | ||
Science India Portal - Introduction by Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai
Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai (Hindi: वी एन राजशेखरन पिल्लई; born 20 October 1949) is President of Mewar University, Chiittorgarh, Rajasthan, India. Concurrently he serves as the Honorary President of the Human Development Foundation India, a Civil Society Organisation in the National Capital Region, New Delhi. He was Executive Vice-President of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Govt of Kerala during the period 2011-2014. Simultaneously he held positions as the Principal Secretary, Science & Technology Dept of the Govt of Kerala, Chairman of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Kerala Biotechnology Commission. Prior to that Prof. Pillai was the Vice-Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University ( IGNOU ), New Delhi ( 2006-2011) holding simultaneously the position of the Chairman, Distance Education Council, Govt of India. He served as Vice-Chairman & Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Govt of India, New Delhi during the period 2003-2006. He was the Executive Director of the National Assessment and Accreditaition Council ( NAAC), Govt of India, during the period 2000-2003. Prior to that Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai was the Vice-Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Govt of Kerala and held additional charge of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (1996-2000). In 2000 he was on a Visiting Research Professor assignment in the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. From 1983 to 1986, Dr. Pillai worked in various academic and research executive positions in the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam such as the Founder Professor and Director of the School of Chemical Sciences, Dean of Faculty of Science, Founder Director of the School of Professional Distance Education, Director, College Development Council and Controller of Examinations of the University. During the period 1977-1983, Dr. Pillai worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, on deputation from Calicut University, Kerala, in the Universities of Tubigen and Mainz, Germany. From 1971 to 1983, he worked in the Universities of Kerala and Calicut University as UGC/CSIR Junor and Senior Research Fellow, Assistant Professor and Associate Professor in the area of Chemical Sciences. Professor Rajasekharan Pillai is an Elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Distinguished Fellow of the Kerala Academy of Sciences, and an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers ( IETE), New Delhi. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Banaglaore.
Contents
- Science India Portal Introduction by Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai
- Role In Higher Education
- Academic and administrative positions
- National Seminar on Green Materials 2013
- References
Role In Higher Education
Prof.Pillai's career has been spent in a variety of colleges and universities, in the fields of science and educational administration.
An active teacher and researcher in the field of Chemical Sciences, Pillai has held post-doctoral and visiting research professor positions in the University of Tübingen (Germany), Mainz, Germany and Lausanne (Switzerland). He created a research group in the area of biopolymers and peptides, has published extensively in this area, and has supervised over 50 doctoral students. He holds an International patent for the gram-scale preparation of biologically important peptides.
Academic and administrative positions
Prof. Pillai has served as the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Director of the (NAAC), Bangalore, Vice-Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, Vice-Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Founder-Director of the School of Chemical Sciences; Dean of Faculty of Science; Controller of Examinations; Director of College Development Council; Founder-Director of the School of Professional Distance Education and Chief, Employment and Information Guidance Bureau of the Mahatma Gandhi University.
During his tenure as VC at IGNOU, CBI accused him of favouring certain universities that allowed them to sell distance education degrees without meeting required guidelines. It was estimated the universities earned 1600 Crores by selling these courses.
National Seminar on Green Materials 2013
Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai is scheduled to inaugurate the National Seminar on Green Materials 2013 on 27th Feb 2013. The seminar is billed as an event for young materials scientists to network and interact.