Prof. Souri Banerjee Named New Director of BITS Pilani Dubai Campus
BITS Pilani, a prestigious institution known for its focus on innovation and academic excellence, has announced the appointment of Prof. Souri Banerjee as the new Director of its Dubai campus. Prof. Banerjee stepped into this role in August 2024 and will serve a five-year term. He takes over from Prof. Srinivasan Madapusi, who has been leading the Dubai campus since July 2021.
Prof. Banerjee has a longstanding and distinguished association with BITS Pilani. He began his career with the institution in 2004 at the Pilani campus. In 2008, he played a pivotal role as the founding Head of the Physics Department at the Hyderabad campus. Throughout his tenure, he has held several key roles, including Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in 2013 and later, Dean of Faculty Affairs in 2018, where he managed faculty-related activities across all BITS Pilani campuses.
Beyond his work at BITS Pilani, Prof. Banerjee has a remarkable academic and research background. He has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Electro-Communications and the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, and served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Electro-Communications. Additionally, he worked as a Research Scientist at HITACHI's Central Research Laboratory in Tokyo. His contributions to device physics have earned him the prestigious JSPS Foreign Research Fellow award twice, in 2012 and 2018.
Expressing his enthusiasm for Prof. Banerjee’s new role, BITS Pilani Vice Chancellor Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao stated, "We are delighted to welcome Prof. Souri Banerjee and wish him great success in his new role. His leadership and expertise will play a crucial role in advancing our academic programs and research initiatives".
Prof. Rao also conveyed his appreciation for Prof. Madapusi's successful tenure, noting, "Under Prof. Madapusi’s leadership, the Dubai campus has reached significant milestones, elevating BITS Pilani to new heights".
Prof. Souri Banerjee earned his Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, in 1997.
