Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 Jul: Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd), in his capacity as Chancellor of Sridev Suman Uttarakhand University, Badshahithaul, Tehri Garhwal, has appointed Prof Dr Ambrish Kumar Mahajan as the Vice Chancellor of the university. The appointment has been made under the provisions of the Sridev Suman Uttarakhand University Act, 2011, following the recommendation of the committee constituted under Section 10(2).
Prof Mahajan will hold office for a term of three years or until attaining the age of 68 years, whichever is earlier, or until further orders.
It may be recalled that Prof Ambrish Kumar Mahajan, son of late Kishore Chand Mahajan and Raj Kumari Mahajan, completed his schooling and graduation in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, followed by a Master’s degree from Jammu University and a PhD from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He also holds a diploma in disaster management from Geneva, Switzerland. Beginning his career at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, in 1985 as a research scientist, he rose to the position of Scientist ‘D’. He has investigated numerous earthquakes and developed expertise in seismic hazard assessment, pioneering the use of Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) and HVSR techniques for seismic micro-zonation. His work extends to landslide investigations and urban site characterisation, making him one of India’s leading experts in MASW methodology. He has received several honours, including the National Geoscience Award in 2017 conferred by the President of India.
Prof Mahajan has completed numerous national and international projects, published over 100 research papers and travelled to more than 30 countries for collaborations and workshops. At the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, he has held key positions including Dean of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, Director of IQAC, Dean of Students’ Welfare, Controller of Examinations and Finance Officer. He is currently Senior Professor (HAG), Head of the Department of Geology and Director of Remote Sensing and GIS at the same university. His international engagements include projects with the United Nations ISDRR, ITC Netherlands and Norway’s NORSAR. He has also served on several expert committees of the Bureau of Indian Standards, the University Grants Commission and the State Disaster Management Authority.
