Prof. (Dr.) Ankur Kulkarni is an eminent academician, administrator and researcher with nearly a decade of experience serving as Vice Chancellor of premier universities in India. He holds a Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, earned on a full scholarship. Prof. Kulkarni has represented the Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra on the Savitribai Phule Pune University and the Hon’ble Governor of Assam on Assam Science and Technology University and K.K. Handique State Open University. He has also served on the Board of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, as an AIU nominee. Internationally recognised for his work in protective structures and systems theory, his research interests include game theory and machine learning. An accomplished structural designer, Prof. Kulkarni has undertaken more than 100 consultancy assignments, combining academic expertise with practical engineering and institutional leadership.