Leadership

A Civil Engineer by training, he holds degrees from IIT Madras, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and BITS, Pilani, Rajasthan, and has consistently demonstrated academic excellence. He has been the recipient of several national and international scholarships, including awards from the Government of India and the National University of Singapore. He is a Fellow and Life Member of multiple professional societies, including FIE, ISTE, and IGS. He has also served as coordinator for the World Bank Programme on rural sanitation and water supply projects.

Prof. Raghavendra has presented numerous technical papers at prestigious national and international conferences and has published extensively in journals while guiding postgraduate and PhD students. He has received multiple Best Paper Awards for his contributions to research. He has visited countries including the USA, Australia, China, Singapore, and Malaysia for academic presentations and as part of delegations establishing skill centres and promoting academic excellence.

Under his leadership, several centres of excellence have been established. This include the International Automobile Centre of Excellence at PDPU, in partnership with Kangan Institute, Melbourne, Australia, and Maruti Automobiles, Solar Research and Development Centre promoted by the Gujarat Energy Development Authority at PDPU and industry-funded laboratories across multiple discipline. At NCU Gurugram, Dr. Raghavendra established the Daikin Centre of Excellence, an AR/VR Centre, and the Thought Laboratory for Wellbeing, in partnership with the Brahma Kumaris.

Prof. Raghavendra is a strong advocate for student success and works closely with faculty and leadership to ensure the highest quality of education. He has earned a reputation for implementing effective examination reforms and leading NEP 2020 initiatives. He is also driving initiatives such as enabling modules for slow learners, student portfolio systems, parent information systems, integration of tinkering labs and makerspaces, centres of excellence, exchange programmes, lifelong learning modules, and industry immersion programmes for faculty and students.

He continues to promote activity-based learning and comprehensive student development, focusing on holistic growth, community-based internships, and outcomes-oriented pedagogy. The success of his leadership is reflected in national and international university rankings, including NIRF and NAAC, and in the improved standing of the institutions he has served.

He serves on over 14 national and state-level boards, committees, and professional bodies, including the All India Association of Educational Research, Council of Behavioural Scientists, Council of Teacher Education, and the Psycholinguistic Association of India.

An active scholar, Dr. Praveen has authored numerous publications in national and international forums. As a mentor, he has guided several successful Ph.D. candidates, faculty, and staff. Ten of his research scholars have been awarded a Ph.D., and four more are currently working towards completion.

A seasoned educationist and passionate teacher, Dr. Praveen brings over 29 years of teaching and research experience, along with 21 years in academic administration. His career includes roles such as Registrar at CMR University, Principal of the CMR College of Education, and lecturer at various Colleges of Education. He holds postgraduate degrees in Physics, Psychology, and Education, an M.Phil. in Education, and earned his Ph.D. in Education in 2003.

In 2010, he joined M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology as a Professor and served there for five years. He later assumed the role of Principal at BMS Institute of Technology and Management (BMSIT&M) in 2015, leading the institution for nine years. Under his leadership, BMSIT&M emerged as a high-performing institution nationally recognized for its academic and research excellence. The institute achieved NAAC ‘A’ Grade accreditation, NBA accreditation for all UG and PG programmes, and attained autonomy. It was ranked within the 95 – 200 band under NIRF between 2017 and 2023 and received the AICTE-CII Platinum rating twice for industry engagement.

Dr. Mohan Babu was instrumental in introducing India’s first four-year B.E. programme in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. During his tenure, BMSIT&M recorded three-fold growth in student admissions, revenue, and faculty accomplishments. The percentage of PhD-qualified faculty rose from 22% to 75%, and new infrastructure worth over ₹70 crore was established.

Before joining CMR University, he served for a brief stint as the Director (Academics and Administration) at AMC Group of Institutions, working towards streamlining systems and processes.

Dr. Mohan Babu obtained his B.E. degree securing third rank, and a PG Diploma in Computer Programming with first rank, both from the University of Mysore. He earned his M.Tech and Ph.D. degrees from IIT Madras in 1992 and 2000 respectively.

He was awarded a six-month Doctoral Internship by the United Nations University, The Netherlands, and received the National Award for Management Research from the Transport Corporation of India. His international exposure includes academic visits to the USA, Europe, and Japan for presenting research papers under Government of India and World Bank sponsorship.
A respected academic leader, Dr. Mohan Babu has served on expert panels of AICTE, NAAC, and VTU, and on several governing and academic councils. He has served as a subject matter expert for NPTEL, Government of India, and Edusat, VTU. He was also a visiting professor at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, and SDM Institute for Management Development, Mysuru.

He has delivered invited lectures at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIM Indore, and HPCL contributing to thought leadership in higher education and academic management.