Prof. Gauri Dutt Sharma is a distinguished educationist, eminent life scientist, and visionary academic administrator with nearly 45 years of experience in higher education. He has served as Vice Chancellor of several central and state universities, including Nagaland Central University, Bilaspur University, Atal Bihari Vajpayee University, and is currently Vice Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya. A renowned scholar in plant sciences, Prof. Sharma has guided 62 Ph.D. scholars, published over 362 research papers, and authored/edited 13 books. He has received numerous national and international honours, including the Birbal Sahni Medal (2025), Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Education Excellency Award, and multiple lifetime achievement awards. Former President of the Association of Indian Universities and currently President of the Indian Social Science Academy, he is widely respected for his leadership, integrity, and commitment to inclusive national development.