Vadodara: After remaining vacant for nearly nine months, the post of Vice-Chancellor of M S University of Baroda (MSU) has been filled with the appointment of eminent chemistry scholar Professor Bhalchandra M. Bhanage. The position fell vacant in January after the resignation of V. K. Shrivastava.

Prof. Bhanage, 59, currently Senior Professor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry at Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT, formerly UDCT), will take charge from in-charge V-C Prof. Dhanesh Patel, who has been officiating since February. He has previously served two terms as a member of MSU’s Board of Studies in Chemistry and is well known to the Science Faculty.

Prof. Bhanage earned his PhD in 1996 from the University of Pune for his research on transition metal complex catalysts in hydroformylation of olefins. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and the Biotech Research Society of India, he has held several academic leadership roles at ICT, including Head of Chemistry and Dean (Infrastructure & Campus Development). He has also worked as a JSPS Fellow at Tohoku University, Japan, and a CREST Fellow at Hokkaido University.

Recognized among the world’s top 2% scientists in Organic Chemistry by Stanford University since 2019, Prof. Bhanage has published extensively and received multiple awards. He is also the Coordinator for the Marathi Encyclopedia in Chemistry for the Maharashtra State Marathi Encyclopedia Production Board.

Officials said his selection, finalized by a state-appointed search committee, came after he edged out three contenders, including in-charge V-C Patel. During his short tenure, Patel was credited with clearing promotions pending since 2019, ensuring timely appointments of temporary faculty, and initiating recruitment of permanent teachers, including posts reserved for persons with disabilities. DeshGujarat