Dubai: BITS Pilani Dubai Campus on Wednesday announced the appointment of its new director, Professor Srinivasan Madapusi. He succeeds Professor R.N. Saha, who was heading the institute for the last seven years.
Prof Saha has now moved on to take up a bigger role as the acting vice-chancellor of the institution after successfully contributing to its growth during his tenure, the university said.
Prof Saha said: “We are delighted to have Prof Madapusi as the new head of our Dubai Campus and I am very confident that his rich experience, knowledge and skills will create new benchmarks of success for the institute. Under his able leadership, the campus will further excel and progress in all areas of activity while building on its solid foundation.”
Earlier positions
Prior to joining BITS-Pilani in Dubai, Prof Madapusi was a professor of chemical engineering and associate dean in the School of Engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He was previously affiliated with the National University of Singapore as faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering. He has been a Visiting Scientist at the Center for Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies, USA, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Research interests
Prof Madapusi’s research interests are in nanoscale engineering for energy and environment, waste conversion to energy and resources, and environmentally sustainable and benign processing. He has over 180 publications, has supervised nine Masters and 23 PhD students, and has a patent in biomass conversion and IP disclosures in molecular electronics and wastewater remediation. He has served in the highest governing bodies of his affiliated institutions in Singapore and Australia and has contributed to obtaining research funding of over AUD6 million over the past four years.
Prof Madapusi said: “I am delighted to take up stewardship of BITS-Pilani Dubai Campus as its new director. It is indeed a privilege to be associated with a premier institution with a vibrant intellectual environment and an extensive and distinguished alumni network. I look forward to helping position BITS-Pilani, Dubai, as the leading contributor to a knowledge-based economy in the greater Middle East.”
