Gurmeet Singh assumed charge as Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University on Wednesday.
A reputed expert in the fields of corrosion chemistry and nano film deposition, Prof. Singh took over from Anisa Basheer Khan, who was officiating as Vice-Chancellor-in-charge for over a year.
He will hold the post for five years from the date he assumes office or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
According to a press note from the University, Prof. Singh began his academic career as Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Chemistry, Delhi University, in 1976, rising to become a professor 20 years ago.
The high point of his career include significant contributions to the administration of Delhi University and other public institutions “while maintaining a high level of research output in terms of quality as well as quantity”.
He has held the positions of Proctor (2005-2010), Head of the Department (2014-2017), Member of the Executive Council (2005-2010), and numerous other administrative positions in Delhi University besides serving as OSD (Principal), Deshbandhu College (1997-1999).
Prof. Singh has served on high-level committees of the UGC, the CSIR, and several other public institutions — he was appointed Special Observer for the West Bengal Assembly Elections by the Election Commission of India.
The honours he received include membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, the fellowship of The Electrochemical Society of India and the meritorious contribution award by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), U.S.
Apart from academic assignments in Germany, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Korea, Thailand and Kenya, Prof. Singh has served as a Chair Professor at Lunghwa University, Taipei and been a visiting scientist at Hungary and Japan (currently a visiting professor at JAIST, Japan).
With about 150 research papers, including several in high-impact international journals, Prof. Singh has, as a research mentor, guided 14 M. Phil and 48 Ph. D. students to produce publications in noted journals.
