Ashoka University appoints Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan as its next vice-chancellor

Bengaluru: Ashoka University, Delhi-NCR has appointed Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, as its next Vice-Chancellor for an initial three-year term, with effect from August 1, 2026, the institute said in a statement on Monday.

He will succeed Professor Somak Raychaudhury.

Professor Krishnan brings a wealth of experience spanning decades of academic leadership and transformative institutional change. A management and policy scholar, with a five-year Integrated M.Sc. from IIT Kanpur; Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University’s School of Engineering, and a doctoral programme in Management and Public Policy from IIM Ahmedabad, his research has focused on innovation in India at organisational, industrial, and national levels.


Professor Krishnan has helmed two Indian Institutes of Management, completing full terms at both, as Director of IIM Indore (2014-2018) and Director of IIM Bangalore (2020-2025). He has served on several boards including that of the Higher Education Financing Agency (a JV between the Government of India and Canara Bank) and been engaged with national policy, having served on committees of the Department of Science & Technology and as a member of the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee. He was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, and held the Ram Charan Chair in Innovation and Leadership at IIM Bangalore

Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Chancellor, Ashoka University, Delhi-NCR, said: “Professor Krishnan’s distinguished record as a scholar and institution builder makes him ideally suited to lead Ashoka at this important moment in its journey. We are delighted to welcome him to the Ashoka family and look forward to the vision and energy he will bring to this role. At the same time, we extend our gratitude to Professor Somak Raychaudhury for his remarkable contributions to Ashoka University. His leadership has left an enduring imprint on the institution.”

Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan said, “It is a great privilege to lead the University as its Vice Chancellor at this critical yet exciting juncture in its evolution”

During his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, Professor Somak Raychaudhury guided Ashoka University through a period of significant growth and institutional advancement. Under his stewardship, the University expanded its academic footprint through the establishment of seven schools, including the newly launched Havells School of Management & Leadership, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Vachani School of Advanced Computing, and RK Damani School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

The University also strengthened its commitment to accessibility and inclusion by introducing 500 merit-and need-based scholarships, while forging strategic collaborations with leading institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and the India Meteorological Department, to name a few. Professor Raychaudhury will continue to be associated with Ashoka as a scientist and professor.