Dr. Sulochana Shekhar, a Senior Professor at the Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN), assumed charge as the Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) of the CUTN on Friday (12 June 2026). She succeeds Prof. M. Krishnan.
A distinguished academician, Prof. Sulochana Shekhar pairs her extensive expertise in Urban Geography and Geospatial Science with a robust record of institutional leadership. Throughout her tenure, she has served in several critical administrative capacities that have shaped academic and structural governance at the university level.
Prof. Sulochana Shekhar maintains an exceptional academic pedigree, having earned gold medals in her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Madurai Kamaraj University. Her research, focusing on cellular automata-based urban growth models, slum mapping, and the extraction of urban green spaces, has been strongly supported by major funding bodies, including the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), University Grants Commission (UGC), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
She has also secured elite international recognition, cementing her status as a globally recognised spatial analyst. Her international fellowships include the Erasmus Mundus Fellowship in the Netherlands, the Commonwealth Academic Fellowship at University College London (UCL), UK, the Endeavour Research Fellowship in Australia, and the Fulbright Fellowship in the USA. She has authored over 75 research articles and three books.
Her foundational career includes tenures at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, the University of Pune, and the Central University of Karnataka, reinforcing her reputation as a leading educator.
Prior to her elevation as Vice-Chancellor (i/c), Prof. Sulochana Shekhar's broad leadership experience at CUTN included serving as the Controller of Examinations, Registrar (in-charge), Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), and Presiding Officer of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), Dean, School of Earth Sciences and Head, Department of Geography. Her administrative responsibilities also include institutional evaluation and development as an Assessor for the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).