Prof Binod Kumar Kanaujia assumes additional charge of Director, NIT Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Prof. Binod Kumar Kanaujia, Director Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT) Jalandhar on Wednesday assumed additional charge of Director, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, relieving Prof A. Ravinder Nath as per the orders of the Ministry of Education. Prof. Kanaujia was received by Registrar Prof. Atikur Rehman, senior faculty members and administrative staff. He was accompanied by esteemed guests Registrar NIT Jalandhar Prof. Ajay Bansal and DSW, Prof. Anish K Sachdeva.

Immediately after assuming the charge, Prof. Kanaujia held a meeting with administrative staff of NIT Srinagar. It was attended by Registrar Prof. Atikur Rehman, Deputy Registrars and Assistant Registrars and other senior officers. In the first meeting, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. Kanaujia was briefed about administrative issues concerning the institute. He assured that these matters would be resolved on a priority basis. Prof. Kanaujia directed officers that no files should be unnecessarily delayed and that all processes should be completed in a time-bound manner.

It was followed by another meeting that was attended by all Deans, Heads of Departments, and Heads of Centres of the institute. In his key address, Prof. Kanaujia stressed the importance of prioritizing the institute, its students, faculty members, and staff. “Our institute comes first, followed by the students, faculty, and staff. No one is above these three pillars,” he said adding that decisions should be based on rules.

Prof. Kanaujia further highlighted that the welfare and progress of the institute, along with the well-being of its students and staff, should be the collective focus. "We must commit ourselves to build this institute and transform it into the premier seat of learning in the region," he added. The Director NIT Srinagar also assured his full support, stating that he is ready to assist the institute, students, and staff in any way possible.

Prof. Kanaujia also interacted with the Deans and Heads of Departments, reviewing ongoing projects at NIT Srinagar. He listened to the major concerns raised and promised that feasible solutions would be implemented in a timely manner. “I have a vision to elevate NIT Srinagar to new heights and for that cooperation of both teaching and non-teaching staff is important to achieve this shared mission,” Prof. Kanaujia said.

“Success cannot be achieved without the support of the entire community—administrative staff, faculty, colleagues, and students—and stressed the importance of working together,” he added. On October 16, the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, assigned Prof. Kanaujia temporary charge as Director of NIT Srinagar, in addition to his role as Director of NIT Jalandhar.

 The order, a continuation of a previous MoE directive from January 9, 2024, stated that Prof. Kanaujia would hold this additional responsibility for six months or until a permanent director is appointed, whichever comes first. Prior to his appointment as Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. Kumar Kanaujia joined as Director BR Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar on 5-Feb-2022.

He has earned PhD and M.Tech in Electronics Engineering from IIT (BHU), Varanasi, India, and a B.Tech in Electronics Engineering from KNIT Sultanpur, U.P., India. His areas of interest and specialization include RF system design, microstrip antennas, dielectric resonator antennas, left-handed metamaterial microstrip antennas, ultra-wideband antennas, reconfigurable and circular polarized antennas for wireless and mobile communication, and computational RF radiators.

Prof. Kanaujia is also Professor at the School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Before joining JNU, he held various academic positions at the Ambedkar Institute of Advanced Communication Technologies & Research, Govt. of NCT Delhi, where he served as Professor (2011-2016), Associate Professor (2008-2011), and Assistant Professor (2008).

He also held the role of Head of Department on multiple occasions and coordinated the M.Tech program in RF and Microwave Engineering. Prof. Kanaujia began his teaching career in 1996 as a Lecturer in Electronics and Communication Engineering at M.J.P. Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, U.P., where he was later promoted to Reader and served as Head of the Department from 2006 to 2008.

His contributions to the field have earned him recognition, including a consolation prize for his paper on microstrip antennas at the 4th International Conference on Radio Science (ICRS) in 2008. Prof. Kanaujia is member of several prestigious professional bodies, including IEEE, and a life member of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, the Institution of Engineers, and the Indian Society for Technical Education.