Former IIT Delhi Director Ramgopal Rao appointed as group VC BITS Pilani institutions

Former Director of IIT Delhi V Ramgopal Rao has taken a new turn in his academic career as he has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS) Pilani and other campuses in Hyderabad, Goa, Mumbai, and Dubai.

According to BITS Pilani’s official release, current VC Souvik Bhattacharyya will be leaving on March 10, with Rao taking on the position.

“After 25 years of being a part of the #IIT system in various capacities both at @iitbombay and @iitdelhi, it’s time to move on and take up new responsibilities. I will be joining as the Group Vice Chancellor for the #BITS institutions in Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Dubai, and Mumbai,” said the tweet by Rao, who added that he will be operating out of the Pilani campus in Rajasthan and hailed the institute’s ‘immense potential to scale newer heights.

From 2016 to 2021, Professor Rao served as IIT Delhi’s director. Now, he holds the Pillay Chair Professorship in the Electrical Engineering Department. He has ties to several IITs in a variety of capacities. He previously worked as the P. K. Kelkar Chair Professor for Nanotechnology at IIT Bombay’s Department of Electrical Engineering.