SRINAGAR: Prof Sudhakar Yedla on Friday assumed charge as Director National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, replacing Prof Rakesh Sehgal who completed his tenure last week.
Immediately after assuming the charge, Prof Yedla held a meeting with the administrative staff of NIT Srinagar. It was attended by Registrar Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari and other senior administrative officers.
It was followed by another meeting with all Deans, Heads of Departments, and Heads of Centres of the Institute.
In his first address, Prof Yedla acknowledged the remarkable legacy of NIT Srinagar. Throughout its history, this institution has been a beacon of knowledge, a haven for intellectual curiosity, and a catalyst for positive change, he said.
“Today, as I step into this role, I am fully aware of this responsibility and the immense potential that lies within our NIT Srinagar’s walls. My vision for NIT Srinagar is to make it one of the leading Institutes in the entire country,” he said.
Prof Yedla said nothing can be achieved without the support of administrative staff, faculty, colleagues, and students. It is a collective effort and we all have to make NIT Srinagar one of the best institutes of this country, he said.
“My focus will be on fostering an environment that supports the growth and well-being of the NIT Srinagar and not boosts the interests of individuals. When the organization thrives, individuals also get benefits under its shadow,” he said.
On the occasion, Prof MF Wani welcomed Prof. Yedla and assured full cooperation and support from the teaching and non-teaching staff of the NIT Srinagar. “We wish you good luck for your future and hope that under your dynamic leadership, NIT Srinagar achieves the best rank in the country,” he said.
Prof Yedla is a Civil Engineering graduate from Andhra University and has Masters and PhD from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in the area of Environmental Engineering, (Department of Civil Engineering).
He has more than 24 years of teaching and research experience. His research focus includes Climate Studies, Urban Environmental Management, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Mobility, Waste Management, Provision of Urban Services, Valuation of Environmental Services and Assessment of Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts of Development Initiatives.
Prof Yedla has done his post-doctoral studies (PDF) at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. Prof Yedla has a Diploma in International Environmental Law (DIEL) from UNITAR, Switzerland and a Certification from the World Bank Institute in Environmental Economics and Development Policy (CEEDP).
He has worked at several national and international institutions of high repute such as the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), in Japan, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, USA, Korean Institute of International Economic Policy (KIEP), South Korea and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan.
Before coming to NIT Srinagar, Prof. Yedla served Dravidian University, Andhra Pradesh as Vice-Chancellor. He has served NCERT as Chairperson for the National Focus Group on Environmental Education for the National Curriculum Framework.
Prof Yedla was nominated twice by MHRD to the Asian Institute of Technology as the Government of India’s seconded faculty member. He served as project director for a major regional research program in climate change (ARRPEEC) funded by SIDA and another multinational research initiative by UN-FAO in the area of Roles of Agriculture.
He has been widely consulted by international development agencies and think tanks. He has worked with UNDP-India, UNDP-Egypt, UNESCAP, UNEP-RRC, UNEP-Regional Office, World Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations University, DFID, Research Council of UK and IGES, Japan on various consulting assignments.
Prof. Yedla has won eleven prestigious national and international fellowships and also won awards such as fast track young scientist research grant of DST, Government of India; Fellowship for Best Paper from GEF of the World Bank, Alexandria, and Egypt.
