About the Professor

Teacher · Researcher · Institution Builder · Policy Maker

Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai's career has never followed a conventional academic trajectory. Born in Kerala in 1949, he began as an organic photochemist, earning his doctorate from the University of Kerala before pursuing post-doctoral and visiting research appointments at the Universities of Tübingen and Mainz in Germany, and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His pioneering work in polymer-supported peptide synthesis led to an international patent and established him as one of India's most-cited researchers in Polymer Science.

Over the past 54 years, he has seamlessly combined the roles of scientist, educator, institution builder, and policymaker. He founded the School of Chemical Sciences at Mahatma Gandhi University before serving as its Vice-Chancellor, later leading Cochin University of Science and Technology, IGNOU, Mewar University, and Somaiya Vidyavihar University. Today, he serves as Chancellor of ICFAI University, Himachal Pradesh, and Advisor & Professor of Eminence at Jio Institute.

At the national level, he has shaped India's higher education landscape as Executive Director of NAAC, Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Chairman of the Distance Education Council, and India's representative on UNESCO's Drafting Committee for Higher Education Policy.

Even today, Prof. Pillai remains actively engaged in shaping higher education, advising institutions, mentoring the next generation, and contributing to national education and policy conversations. His work continues to be guided by a simple conviction: the true purpose of a university is not merely to award degrees, but to create knowledge, develop talent, preserve values, and expand opportunities for society.

“The true purpose of a university is not merely to award degrees, but to create knowledge, develop talent, preserve values, and expand opportunities for society.”

Four Roles. One Purpose.

Advancing knowledge. Building institutions. Shaping education.

Educator

Teaching Beyond the Classroom

For Prof. Pillai, teaching has never been confined to lectures or curricula. It has been a lifelong commitment to nurturing inquiry, encouraging independent thought, and preparing future leaders for society. Over more than five decades, he has taught thousands of students, mentored generations of academics, and directly supervised over 67 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers across India and Europe. Even today, as Advisor & Professor of Eminence at Jio Institute, he remains closely engaged with students, researchers, educators, and institutional leaders. For Prof. Pillai, teaching is not a chapter of his career — it is an active, lifelong responsibility.

Scientist & Researcher

Advancing Knowledge Through Scientific Research

Long before he became one of India's foremost education leaders, Prof. Pillai established himself as an internationally respected Polymer Scientist. His pioneering research in peptide chemistry, polymer-supported peptide synthesis, biomaterials, and biopolymers has contributed significantly to modern chemical sciences. With over 200 research publications, an international patent, and collaborations with leading institutions in Germany and Switzerland, his work has influenced both fundamental science and practical biomedical applications. As an elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, he has demonstrated that scientific excellence is built through intellectual curiosity, rigorous experimentation, and sustained collaboration.

Institution Builder

Creating Universities That Outlast Their Leaders

Few education leaders in India have shaped as many institutions as Prof. Pillai. Across his distinguished career, he has led universities of different scales, missions, and contexts — from Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, and IGNOU, to Somaiya Vidyavihar University and several national educational bodies. Whether expanding access to higher education through IGNOU, strengthening multidisciplinary education at Somaiya, or building research excellence in public universities, his work has consistently focused on creating institutions capable of serving generations. His enduring philosophy is simple: great universities are not managed — they are built.

Policy & Public Leadership

Shaping the Future of Indian Higher Education

As Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Executive Director of NAAC, member of UNESCO's Higher Education Policy Drafting Committee, and advisor to multiple national committees, Prof. Pillai has helped shape the policies, quality frameworks, and governance systems that influence thousands of higher education institutions across India. Today, he continues to contribute as Advisor & Professor of Eminence at Jio Institute, Chancellor of ICFAI University, Himachal Pradesh, and a member of the NEP Implementation Committee constituted by the Government of Maharashtra. His work remains guided by one belief: education is the most powerful institution for national transformation.

200+

Peer-reviewed publications in international journals

65+

PhD & post-doctoral researchers trained

International patent — gram-scale peptide preparation

Top

Cited researcher in Polymer Science & Technology in India

Career Timeline

More than five decades across science, universities and public policy

1970s

UGC / CSIR Research Fellow & Assistant Professor, Universities of Kerala and Calicut

Doctoral research in chemistry, University of Kerala.

1977–1983

Postdoctoral Research Fellow — Tübingen & Mainz, Germany

Develops foundational work on polymer-supported peptide synthesis.

1983–1996

Founder-Professor & Director, School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University

Also Dean of Faculty of Science, Founder-Director of School of Professional Distance Education, and Controller of Examinations. Trains the majority of his 60+ doctoral and post-doctoral researchers during this period.

1996–2000

Vice-Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University & Cochin University of Science and Technology

With additional charge as VC of CUSAT. Visiting Research Professor, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 2000.

2000–2003

Executive Director, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

Helps establish India's institutional accreditation framework.

2003–2006

Vice-Chairman & Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC)

Sets national policy on higher education quality and funding.

2006–2011

Vice-Chancellor, IGNOU; Chairman, Distance Education Council

Concurrently Chairman, Distance Education Council, Government of India. Oversees major expansion of open and distance learning.

2011–2014

Executive Vice-President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment

Concurrently Principal Secretary, Science & Technology Dept., Govt. of Kerala; Chairman, Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority and Kerala Biotechnology Commission.

2016–2018

President, Mewar University, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan

2018–2025

Vice-Chancellor & Provost, Somaiya Vidyavihar University; Chancellor, ICFAI University

Concurrently Chancellor, ICFAI University, Himachal Pradesh.

2025–present

Advisor & Professor of Eminence, Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai

Continues shaping the future of Indian higher education through advisory roles, mentorship, and public writing.

Editorial note: Several dates require final confirmation from the Professor's office before public launch.

Research & Academic Contributions

A scientific foundation for a life in education

Research Areas

Polymer-Supported Peptide Synthesis — solid-phase methods and photoremovable protecting groups that let peptide chains be assembled step by step with far greater control than earlier techniques allowed
Organic Photochemistry — light-driven reactions and photoresponsive compounds, with applications extending into synthetic biology and controlled drug delivery
Peptide & Protein Structure — conformational analysis of bioactive peptides, structure-function relationships, and structural studies using NMR and computational modelling

Fellowships & Honours

Elected Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences
Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)
M.V. Pylee National Award for Top Academician of India
Materials Research Society of India Medal
Lifetime Achievement Award, Indian Chemical Society
Presidential Gold Medal, ISCA — presented by PM Dr. Manmohan Singh
Swadeshi Shastra Puraskaar, Vigyan Bharati
Member, UNESCO Drafting Committee for Higher Education Policy
Honoured HH The Dalai Lama with Doctorate Degree at IGNOU

Boards & National Committees

Director Board, Apollo Group of Hospitals
Chairman, National Level Committees on Accreditation of Universities
Chairperson, MHRD Committee for converting NITs into university-level institutions
Chairperson, Committee for conferring Deemed-to-be-University status
Chairman, Central Universities' VC Search Committees
Member, NEP Implementation Committee, Govt. of Maharashtra (current)

A Legacy Still in Motion

Knowledge, when nurtured through strong institutions, has the power to transform society.

Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai's journey cannot be measured merely by the positions he has held or the honours he has received. It is reflected in the universities he has strengthened, the researchers he has mentored, the policies he has shaped, and the generations of students whose lives have been transformed through education. More than five decades later, that mission continues.

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