Noted Physicist and Deanof Mohali’s Research and Development of Indian Institute of Science andResearch (IISER), Professor Arvind, was on Tuesday appointed as the ViceChancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala for a term of three years.
The post of ViceChancellor of the varsity had fallen vacant six months after Dr. BS Ghumanresigned. Subsequently, the state government had appointed senior bureaucratRavneet Kaur as its officiating Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Arvind is awell-known theoretical Quantum Physicist with a keen interest in ScienceEducation, Science Communication and Developing Science Pedagogy in Punjabi. Hedid his M.Sc in Physics from IIT Kanpur and obtained his PhD in TheoreticalPhysics from the Department of Physics and Centre for Theoretical Studies, atthe Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1997.
He then joined thePhysics department of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar as a faculty member.From 2002 to 2004, he was a special faculty at the Physics Department ofCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA. He joined the Physics departmentof Indian Institute of Technology Madras as a faculty member in 2005. In August2007 he moved to IISER Mohali as one of the founding faculty members and helpedin setting up the institute.
He has over 70publications in international journals and has supervised around 7 PhD studentsand over 40 MS Theses.
According to aspokesperson of the chief minister’s office, 64 applications were received for the post and while 10 werefound ineligible, as per UGC guidelines. 14 were shortlisted for interviews.
A four-member committeeheaded by Chief Secretary, Vini Mahajan, interviewed the shortlisted candidatesand sent a panel of three names to the Chief Minister for selection.
Prof Arvind’s name was recommendedfor appointment by the Chief Minister to Governor Punjab, VP Badnore, who isalso the Chancellor of the University.