The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH), a premier autonomous research university established in 1998, has announced a significant leadership transition.
Prof P J Narayanan, after a transformative 12-year tenure as Director, has handed over the reins to Prof Sandeep Shukla, who assumes the role of the institute’s new Director.
Prof P J Narayanan stepped down as Director of IIITH after leading the institute for 12 years, during which he drove significant advancements in research, innovation, and societal impact. Prof Sandeep Shukla, a distinguished scholar, takes over as the new Director, bringing his expertise and vision to guide IIITH into its next chapter.
Prof Sandeep Shukla joins IIITH from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where he served as a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and co-director of the National Interdisciplinary Centre for Cyber Security and Cyber Defence of Critical Infrastructure.
Renowned globally for his work in cyber-physical systems, formal verification, and cybersecurity, Prof Shukla is a Fellow of IEEE and has earned numerous accolades for his contributions to research and education.
Under Prof Narayanan’s leadership, IIITH emphasised translating research into solutions for pressing societal challenges. Key initiatives include:
- Contributions to the Bhashini speech-to-speech translation project.
- Development of Telugu Wikipedia.
- Modernisation of UIDAI’s matching and deduplication systems.
- Road safety initiatives to reduce accidents.
- Creation of virtual labs for college students.
- Expansion of technology solutions for healthcare in collaboration with hospitals, NGOs, and governments.
- Support in founding T-Hub and scaling IIITH’s own incubator.
- Establishment of the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) by DST at IIITH, driving applied research and skill development.
Founded in 1998, the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) is an autonomous research university specializing in Information Technology, including Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications across interdisciplinary domains. IIITH is committed to creating meaningful societal impact through research and innovation.
