Veteran academician Dr Sunil Rai joins UPES as its new Vice Chancellor
New Delhi: UPES, India’s leading multi-disciplinary and specialization-focused university, has appointed Dr. Sunil Rai as its new Vice Chancellor, effective February 2020. He will be responsible for driving academic excellence, faculty development and engagement, research, rankings and accreditations at the university and will play a vital role in further strengthening UPES’s legacy of providing a holistic educational experience to its students.
Dr. Rai has a rich experience of 42 years with 19 years in academics, 21 years with the Indian Navy and 2 years in the corporate world. Prior to joining UPES, he was the Vice Chancellor of MIT Arts Design & Technology University, Pune and as Director on Board of Maharashtra IT Corporation, Govt. of Maharashtra, Mumbai.
He has steered setting up of large campuses, development of integrated enterprise solutions for organizations and creating state-of-the-art technically enabled teaching-learning infrastructure. He is also a defence veteran and has managed ships and technical establishments of Indian Navy in various capacities. He developed and commissioned ERP for Navy-wide Logistics Management. He has served as commissioned officer in the Indian Navy for 21 years and served on ships INS Vikrant, Nilgiri, Himgiri and Oil tanker Shakti.
Talking about his new role, Dr. Sunil Rai said, “It is a privilege to be a part of UPES as its Vice-Chancellor, one of India’s most forward-looking educational institution. The university has a strong legacy and boasts for being dynamic, agile and tech-focused, which in my opinion is necessary to deliver a superlative learning and teaching experience to students of the 21st century. I am looking forward to advance the university’s mission and purpose that aligns with my vision for higher education in this country.”
Dr. Rai holds a PhD in Business Continuity Management from BITS Pilani. He completed his M. Tech. in Computer Science & Engineering from IIT Mumbai and Masters in Business Administration with HR Specialization from IGNOU. He also holds a Masters in Marine Engineering from Naval College of Engineering (NCE), INS Shivaji – Lonavla. Dr. Rai’s impressive educational portfolio also includes a B.Sc. Honors from Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
An astute academician, Dr. Rai has been rated as the best faculty for eight years in succession at national and foreign campuses. He has an eclectic mix of management, engineering and performing arts as part of his professional journey and his research interests comprise of technology enabled – people driven change management and organizational development.
In his earlier roles he has led outcome-based relationships with renowned international institutions including Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA; Ulster University in Northern Ireland, ITIN France and Kennesaw State University, Atlanta USA for offering joint programs in India and conducting research. His experience will be pivotal in further strengthening opportunities for UPES students and faculty members to gain multi-national experience.
Dr. Rai is also a member of the Board of Advisors, Outreach Programs of Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, USA and the cofounder of Cambridge Global Partners, Edinburgh UK, which provides strategic consulting to several industrial and academic organizations.
He has published papers on Business Continuity and Higher Education in various journals and published articles in management magazines & business, education columns in newspapers. As part of various delegations, Dr. Rai has addressed national & international conferences and has earned accolades for his oratorical skills and style of public speaking.