Prof. (Dr.) K. Prathapan is the Vice Chancellor of D. Y. Patil Agriculture and Technical University, Talsande, with over 34 years of experience in research, teaching, administration, and management. He holds a Ph.D. from Kerala Agricultural University, an M.S. (Agri.) from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, and a PGDBA from Pondicherry University. A former Director of Agriculture, Govt. of Kerala, he has led national and international projects and authored over 100 research papers and three books. As a visiting faculty and peer reviewer, he has collaborated with prestigious institutions globally. Prof. Prathapan is recognized with several awards and currently serves on national panels, contributing to policy development, NEP 2020 implementation, and agricultural innovation.