Prof. Souri Banerjee Appointed New Director Of BITS Pilani Dubai Campus

BITS Pilani Dubai Campus has appointed Prof. Souri Banerjee as its new Director. He began his tenure in August 2024 and will serve for the next five years. Prof. Banerjee takes over from Prof. Srinivasan Madapusi, who led the Dubai Campus since July 2021.

Prof. Banerjee's academic journey started at BITS Pilani, Pilani campus in 2004. By 2008, he became the founding Head of the Physics Department at the Hyderabad campus. In 2013, he was named Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and later became Dean of Faculty Affairs in 2018, managing faculty matters across all BITS Pilani locations.

He has held several postdoctoral roles at the University of Electro-Communications and Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. Additionally, he served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Electro-Communications and worked as a Research Scientist at HITACHI's Central Research Laboratory in Tokyo.

Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Vice Chancellor for BITS Pilani, expressed his enthusiasm about Prof. Banerjee's appointment: "We are pleased to have Prof. Souri Banerjee on board and wish him all success in his new assignment. I am confident that his leadership and expertise will be instrumental in further enhancing our academic programs and research initiatives."

Prof. Rao also acknowledged the contributions of Prof Srinivasan Madapusi: "I also take this opportunity to thank Prof Srinivasan Madapusi who has been extremely successful in his tenure. With his dynamic leadership, the campus has achieved significant milestones and grown manifold, taking the campus and BITS Pilani to greater heights."

Prof. Souri Banerjee earned his Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from the Indian Association for Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, in 1997. Following his Ph.D., he had a brief stint at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai.

He was twice awarded the prestigious JSPS Foreign Research Fellow award (2012 & 2018) for his contributions to device physics.

The appointment of Prof. Banerjee is expected to bring fresh perspectives to BITS Pilani Dubai Campus, continuing its tradition of excellence in education and research.