The J&K government on Saturday appointed Dean Academic Affairs at Kashmir University, Prof Akbar Masood as the new Vice Chancellor (VC) of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) Rajouri in Jammu for a period of three years.
The order in this regard was issued by the J&K Lieutenant Governor, ManojSinha who is also the Chancellor of the universities in J&K.
The Chancellor issued the appointment order in exercise of the powers vested in him under Statute 2 Clause (1) of the Schedule appended to the Jammu and Kashmir Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) Act, 2002.
“In exercise of the powers vested in me, I ManojSinha, Chancellor, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, hereby appoint Professor Akbar Masood, as the Vice Chancellor of the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri for a period of three years from the date he takes over charge,” the order reads.
The order further states that the terms and conditions of his appointment will be notified separately.
As already reported by this newspaper, the search committee in October last year submitted a panel of candidates to the Chancellor for his approval to the appointment of the VC for BGSBU Rajouri.
The four members committee was headed by Vice Chancellor (VC) Kashmir University (KU) Prof Talat Ahmad. The search committee was constituted as the five year term of former VC BGSBU Prof JavaidMussarat ended in October last week in 2020.
Later, the post of VC BGSBU Rajouri was manned by VC of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) Prof. (Dr) Ravindra Kumar Sinha as his additional charges.
Prof. Akbar Masood has done his Ph.D and M.Phil in Biochemistry from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and has more than 30 years of teaching and research experience.
He headed the Kashmir University’s Biochemistry department for 18 years, while holding several key positions in the varsity over the years, including dean academic affairs; Founder Coordinator, Bioinformatics Centre; Dean Faculty of Biological Sciences and Dean Faculty of Unani and Ayurvedic Medicine.
Prof Masood has been a member of the varsity’s top decision-making bodies including University Council, University Syndicate, Finance Committee and Academic Council.
He has more than 225 publications in journals of national and international repute and has attended national/international seminars/symposia in the fields of environmental biochemistry, phytotoxicology, protein biochemistry, enzymology, medicinal plants and bioinformatics.
He has 15 books to his credit, apart from having guided/supervised Ph.D and M.Phil degrees of more than 50 research scholars.
In 2005, Prof Masood was honoured with the National Environmental Science Academy (India) Fellowship and in 2006, he bagged the International Benevolent Research Forum Fellowship.
Rated as an Excellent Teacher by the KU’s Directorate of Internal Quality Assurance, he was awarded Fellowship award 2007 by International Biotechnology Society, Indore, apart from Fellowship award of 2007 by Society of Toxicology, India.
He was elected as Associate of Society of Toxicologic Pathology, Reston VA, USA and was also awarded Fellowship (2008) of Linnaean Society of London. Prof Masood was awarded Pioneers in Genomic Education award by Ocimumbio USA in 2010, even as he was elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Chemists, England.