Dr Rajendra Dobhal assumed charge as Vice Chancellor Swami Rama Himalayan University on 15th June 2023.
At a brief ceremony held at the university, Chancellor, Dr Vijay Dhasmana formally inducted the new member into the SRHU family. Prior to this new appointment, Dr Dobhal was Director Strategic Planning, Research and Development at SRHU.
Former Director General, Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST), Govt. of Uttarakhand, Dr Rajendra Dobhal comes with decades of exceptional experience in diverse fields. Praising Dr Dobhal’s past accomplishments, Dr Dhasmana stated, “I am delighted to have him lead our university. I am certain he will prove to be a valuable asset to SRHU in times when there is great resurgence in the higher education landscape. We expect him to do amazing work here by aligning with our vision and motivating and inspiring our team.” He further added, “As an academic leader he has to shoulder immense burden and responsibility to steer SRHU on the path of excellence, harness collective talents of faculty and students, and make it an integral part of the international academic community by promoting intensity of thinking and inculcating strong research culture.”
Dr Dobhal has also been associated with various important committees of Central and State governments. He steered the constitution of task force on mountain agriculture and allied sectors in Uttarakhand (Rural Development and Migration Commission, Uttarakhand). He was Member-CSIR-NISCAIR Research Council; Secretary – National Academy of
Sciences India, Uttarakhand Chapter; Councilor – Integrated Mountain Initiative, New Delhi; Member TIFAC (Technology Needs Assessment) Project for Forestry Sector; and Member Task Force for Implementation of National IPR Policy.
He has contributed to the Study of Himalayan Glaciers and has been an integral part of good governance committee of different Universities. Dr Dobhal has also occupied positions of eminence with organizations such as National Research Development Corporation, Uttarakhand Science Education and Research Centre, Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, and Uttarakhand State Biotechnology Board.
A widely travelled scientist he was instrumental in signing numerous MoUs with organizations like Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, GoI; European Business and Technology Center while serving Government of India and Riverbank Filtration (RBF) Technology transfers from the University of Applied Sciences, Dresden, Germany.