Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, a professor of political science at Savitribai Phule Pune University, has been named Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
She would be the first female Vice-Chancellor in JNU history, having been appointed by the Ministry of Education on February 7, 2022. She formerly taught Politics and Public Administration at Savitribai Phule Pune University(SPPU).
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit was raised in Leningrad, Soviet Union, on July 15, 1962. Her dad, Dhulipudi Anjaneyulu, was a former civil official and novelist, and her mom, Mulamoodi Adilakshmi, was a Professor of Tamil and Telugu at the Leningrad Oriental Faculty Department in the Soviet Union.
Pandit received his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Presidency College Chennai, and he earned his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of International Relations. She holds a Diploma in Social Work from California State University as well as a Postdoctoral Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University. Pandit, in addition to her academic qualifications, is fluent in Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit, English, Kannada, Malayalam, and Konkani.
