Biography
Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi joined Banaras Hindu University as a Lecturer in the Department of Electronics Engineering at the Institute of Technology (now Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi) in 1994. He later served in the Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee before moving to Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1999. At IIT Kanpur, he held several key leadership positions, including Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Dean of Research & Development, and Deputy Director.
In January 2017, Prof. Chaturvedi assumed charge as Director of IIT Roorkee, serving until October 2022. During this tenure, he also held additional responsibilities as Director (Additional Charge) of Indian Institute of Advanced Study (January 2017 – August 2018) and Director (Additional Charge) of Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (July 2020 – January 2022).
He completed his B.Tech. (1986), M.Tech. (1988), and Ph.D. (1995) in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. He also served as Coordinator of the BSNL–IITK Telecom Centre of Excellence, leading several impactful projects for India’s telecom sector.
In recognition of his excellence in teaching and research, Prof. Chaturvedi has received prestigious honors, including the INSA Teachers Award, the Distinguished Teacher Award of IIT Kanpur, and the Tan Chin Tuan Fellowship from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. In 2024, IIT Kanpur conferred upon him the Institute Fellowship. He is a founding member of the Telecom Standards Development Society of India (TSDSI) and served on the Government of India’s Department of Telecom committee that recommended spectrum allocation criteria for telecom operators in 2008.
His research interests include communication theory and wireless communications, with significant contributions to physical-layer technologies such as waveform shaping, sequence design, and MIMO systems.
On July 31, 2025, Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi was appointed the 29th Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University for a term of three years or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.