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Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai has been at the helm of affairs of many higher educational and scientific research establishments for the last 47 years of service as a teacher, researcher, professor, and executive head of Education, Science and Technology establishments in the country and abroad. An Elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Professor Rajasekharan Pillai is one among the top-cited Chemistry researchers in the country. He created an internationally renowned research group in the areas of polymer- supported peptide synthesis, photoremovable protective groups and conformational studies of peptides and proteins. Over 50 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers have been trained under his direct supervision in the Universities of Calicut, Mahatma Gandhi University, University of Tubingen and in the University of Mainz, Germany, all of whom occupy Professor, Director and senior level Scientist positions in Academia and Industry all over the world. He also worked as a Visiting Research Professor in the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Top executive positions which he occupied include the Vice-Chairmanship and Chairmanship of the University Grants Commission, Government of India; Executive Director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Government of India; Vice-Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU); Chairman of the Distance Education Council, Government of India; Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala; Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala; Executive Vice-President of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment; Ex-Officio Principal Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Kerala; Chairman of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India; and Chairman of the Kerala Biotechnology Commission. After Superannuation from the Government of India and Government of Kerala, Prof. Pillai worked as President of Mewar University, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. He is also working as President of a New Delhi NCR-based Civil Society Organisation, Human Development Foundation India, since 2015. He is on the Director Board of Apollo Group of Hospitals and on the Boards of several academic and research establishments in the country and abroad. Since January 2018, Prof. Rajasekharan Pillai is serving as the Professor and Provost of Somaiya Vidyavihar and Somaiya Ayurvihar under the Somaiya Trust, Mumbai.
Dr. Rajan Welukar, (M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D. in Statistics) has extensive experience in the field of education. He has worked at various senior management positions across global esteemed educational institutions. He has more than 38 years of experience with the Indian Higher Education System as a teacher, development leader, policy advisor etc. Along with his professional career, he has also been a part of various important committees across the country.
‘Gandhi @150’, ‘निर्भया एक आत्मचिंतन (Nirbhaya Ek Aattmachintan)’ and ‘Words of Wisdom’ are the books which Dr. Rajan has conceptualised and edited.
Dr. Bhushan Dewan (Ph.D. Hon. D.Litt., M.Tech (IIT-Delhi) is currently the Vice Chancellor of Shridhar University, Pilani, Rajasthan. He is an expert in human rights and CSR laws. He was a member of UNO (Forum of Business; Human Rights-2019), Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Bhushan has authored 4 books in various disciplines, latest on Business & Human Rights from HP Hamilton Publishers, UK. With extensive experience as Academic Leader, Corporate Leader, Author, Speaker, Researcher, he has won several national awards.