Prof. (Dr.) N. J. Pawar is a distinguished academician, geologist and higher education leader with over 35 years of experience in teaching, research and academic administration. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology from Savitribai Phule Pune University and specialises in hydrogeology and environmental geochemistry. A recipient of the Young Scientist Award from the Indian Science Congress Association, he was also awarded the prestigious British Council Fellowship for post-doctoral research at the University of East Anglia, UK. During his academic career, he served as Professor and Head of the Department of Geology at Savitribai Phule Pune University and as Joint Coordinator of the Department of Environmental Science. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur, from 2010 to 2015. Since 2019, he has been serving as Vice-Chancellor of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune.