Gujarat govt forms four-member panel to find new GTU VC

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has constituted a four-member Search Committee to recommend three names for the appointment of the next Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat Technological University (GTU).

The committee will be headed by Bhagyesh Jha, Chairman of the Gujarat Sahitya Academy. The other members are Dr Sanjiv Oza, former Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat Ayurved University; Prof Prateek Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Technological University; and Prof Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi.

The committee will recommend three candidates to the state government for consideration for appointment as Vice-Chancellor of GTU.

The Education Department notified the formation of the committee on September 23 under Sections 11(2)(a) and 11(2)(b) of the Gujarat Technological University Act, 2007.

Prof. (Dr.) Vaibhav Bhatt was appointed as the in-charge Vice-Chancellor in August this year following the completion of the three-year term of Vice-Chancellor Rajul Gajjar.

Bhatt holds an MSc in Microbiology from Sardar Patel University and a PhD in Biotechnology. He served as CEO of GTU’s AIC-GISC Foundation from 2020 to 2022 before taking charge as director of the university’s School of Applied Sciences and Technology.

Gajjar, who assumed office in August 2023, was GTU’s first woman Vice-Chancellor. She had previously served as Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Teacher Education and also held additional charge as GTU Vice-Chancellor for seven months in 2016. DeshGujarat