Newcastle University in the UK has come under criticism from academics, conservationists and some of its own staff after appointing Anant Ambani as a Professor of Practice in Sustainability.

The university announced the appointment on September 14, saying it recognised his work in conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship, as well as his role in Reliance's transition towards clean energy. The backlash has largely centred on his association with Vantara, the wildlife rescue and conservation centre he founded in Gujarat, and questions over the university's due diligence in making the appointment.

What exactly has Newcastle University appointed him to?

A Professor of Practice is not the same as a conventional academic professorship based primarily on a research and publication record. It is generally intended for people with substantial professional experience who can bring expertise from outside academia into a university.

Newcastle said the appointment recognised Ambani's work through Vantara and his role as executive lead for Reliance Group's transition towards a green-energy future. The university cited areas including solar manufacturing, green hydrogen, carbon capture, clean fuels and circular materials.

At the appointment ceremony, Ambani delivered a lecture titled The Road to a Sustainable Tomorrow. “As humanity confronts a different set of global challenges, I believe conservation and sustainability must become the next great movement,” he said.

Newcastle also highlighted his work on elephant rehabilitation and said it had been recognised with India's Prani Mitra National Award. It said he was the first Asian and youngest recipient of the Global Humane Award.

Why has the appointment drawn criticism?

A major part of the criticism concerns Vantara.

In the recent times, Vantara has faced scrutiny over the sourcing and movement of animals, including endangered species.

A 2025 investigation by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung raised questions about the origins of animals brought to the facility and the countries through which some were transferred. Vantara and the Ambani family have denied allegations of wildlife trafficking.

There have since been different findings from Indian authorities and the international CITES process.

The investigation did not find violations of Indian wildlife laws or CITES requirements, and the Supreme Court accepted those findings. Vantara was not found guilty of the alleged wrongdoing in that proceeding.

However, a subsequent CITES fact-finding mission examined India's procedures for approving wildlife imports.

The CITES review did not establish that animals had entered India without the required permits. It did, however, raise concerns about the adequacy of due diligence, particularly when large numbers of endangered animals are being imported. The report warned about the need to ensure that imports do not inadvertently create demand for illegally sourced animals.

Questions over Reliance's sustainability record

The other part of the criticism concerns Reliance itself.

Newcastle's announcement also cited Ambani's role as the executive lead for the Reliance Group's transition towards a green-energy future. The university pointed to Reliance's investments in solar manufacturing, green hydrogen, carbon capture, clean fuels and circular materials.

Critics have questioned how that transition should be viewed alongside Reliance's continuing dependence on fossil fuels.

Reliance Industries operates the Jamnagar refining complex, one of the world's largest oil-refining facilities, while simultaneously investing heavily in new-energy businesses. This tension was highlighted by Lorne Stockman, research co-director at Oil Change International.

“At a time when the climate crisis demands an urgent phaseout of oil and gas, we must demand our publicly funded institutions do better,” Stockman said.

What are environmentalists and academics saying?

The criticism centres on three issues: whether Ambani's work qualifies him for a sustainability professorship, questions surrounding Vantara, and the role of corporate influence in universities.

Environmental historian and public intellectual Ramachandra Guha questioned the basis of the appointment. “I must say that it is a rather mystifying choice,” he told The Guardian, adding that he could name “at least 50, perhaps 100” people better qualified for the honour, including soil scientists, energy scientists, water conservation experts, community forest workers, ecologists and pollution-abatement experts.

Guha also questioned the university's due diligence. “I wonder on whose advice Newcastle University has acted, and whether it did due diligence on what has and has not been done in these fields,” he said. He described the appointment as “puzzling in the extreme” and said it could affect the university's “institutional credibility and intellectual standing”.

Bhuvan Mangalore, an Indian investigator of illegal wildlife trade who is completing a dissertation on Vantara at Anglia Ruskin University, was more direct, asking: “Is this a joke?” At Newcastle, Prof Matt Perry, chair of the university's University and College Union branch, said staff members had objected to the appointment on environmental grounds.

Questions have also been raised about the relationship between universities and corporate power. Lyla Mehta, head of the climate, environment and sustainability department at the University of Sussex's Institute of Development Studies, said: “As public funding for universities falls, there is a real danger that billionaire and corporate money begins to shape academia.”

“Universities are supposed to be places that question power and hold corporations to account, not give them academic legitimacy,” she added. Mehta also criticised the appointment on social media, writing that Newcastle University was “making a mockery of sustainability”.

Another line of criticism concerns Reliance's position in the energy sector. Newcastle has cited Ambani's role as executive lead for the Reliance Group's transition towards a green energy future, while Reliance remains a major oil and petrochemicals company. Lorne Stockman, research co-director at Oil Change International, said: “At a time when the climate crisis demands an urgent phaseout of oil and gas, we must demand our publicly funded institutions do better.”

Conservationists have also questioned whether Vantara's model should be characterised as conservation. Wildlife conservationist Prerna Singh Bindra told AFP: “It's a captive facility, a zoo. So how is this conservation? We need to protect wild animals in their natural habitats, not zoos.”

“When we're talking about a university, you're nurturing, mentoring, skilling a generation of conservationists,” she said. “But here you are changing the entire paradigm of conservation from protecting them in their natural habitat, to one that says that accumulating animals in zoos is conservation.”

Newcastle University has defended the appointment. A spokesperson said the professorship recognises Ambani's “contributions to conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship” through Vantara, as well as his role as the executive lead for Reliance Group's transition towards a green energy future.