More than three months after Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Professor Somak Raychaudhury announced his decision to step down, Ashoka University on Monday named Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, former Director of IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore, as its next V-C.

Krishnan will assume office on August 1 for an initial three-year term, succeeding Raychaudhury, who had informed the university earlier this year that he would not seek a second term.

In an email dated March 5, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees Pramath Raj Sinha and Chancellor Rudrangshu Mukherjee wrote that following Professor Raychaudhary’s decision, the Governing Body of Ashoka University had formally constituted a Search Committee to look for a successor. The email wrote that while Raychuadhary chose not to continue as V-C for a second term, he would remain “associated with Ashoka as a scientist and professor”.

The committee was tasked with identifying candidates and recommending two names to the Chancellor.

Krishnan has led two of India’s premier management institutes. He served as Director of IIM Indore between 2014 and 2018 and subsequently as Director of IIM Bangalore from 2020 to 2025, completing full terms at both institutions.

A physicist by training, Krishnan earned an Integrated MSc in Physics from IIT Kanpur before pursuing Engineering-Economic Systems at Stanford University. He later completed a doctoral programme in Management and Public Policy at IIM Ahmedabad.

Over the years, he has emerged as one of India’s leading scholars of innovation and public policy. His research has focused on innovation at organisational, industrial and national levels, and has been published in international journals spanning management, economics, development and science policy.

Beyond academia, Krishnan has played an active role in public policy. He has served on committees of the Department of Science and Technology and was a member of the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee that proposed a data protection framework for India. He has also served on the boards of several educational and public institutions.

At IIM Bangalore, Krishnan oversaw the establishment of the School of Multidisciplinary Studies and led preparations for the institute’s undergraduate programmes in Economics and Data Science. In 2025, IIT Kanpur conferred on him its Distinguished Alumnus Award, its highest alumni honour.

Announcing the appointment, Chancellor Mukherjee said Krishnan’s “distinguished record as a scholar and institution builder” made him “ideally suited to lead Ashoka at this important moment in its journey”.

Responding to the appointment, Krishnan said he looked forward to working with the university’s faculty, students, staff and alumni. “Since its inception, Ashoka University has set high standards as a new generation, research-driven institution. It is a great privilege to lead the University as its Vice-Chancellor at this critical yet exciting juncture in its evolution,” he said.

Raychaudhury, an astrophysicist, was appointed V-C in November 2022. During his tenure, Ashoka expanded significantly, launching new academic schools including the Trivedi School of Biosciences, introducing hundreds of merit- and need-based scholarships, and forging collaborations with institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and the India Meteorological Department.