Vijendra (VJ) Agarwal joined the academic affairs team in May 2005. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India. His administrative experiences include: Assistant Provost at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island; an Executive Fellow at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during Clinton’s administration; an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; and Department Chair, Grants Officer, and Director of Science Outreach programs at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

As a faculty member at several institutions in the United States and postdoctoral research experiences in Italy, Japan and France, he has published his research in peer reviewed journals, and made numerous presentations in conferences. He supervised several Ph.D. and M.S. students as well as mentored many undergraduate students. As a Senior Member of the IEEE, he has served in various administrative capacities, and is currently one of five members of the IEEE Society Review Committee. He has reviewed manuscripts for a host of scientific journals, research proposals for several funding agencies, and academic program evaluation of physics departments. As a CUR Councilor for more than a decade, he is a true advocate of undergraduate research experiences.

As Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, his major responsibilities include the oversight of University Graduate Studies and the Office of Sponsored Research, Scholarly, and Creative activities. His major goals for this academic year include promoting greater research collaboration among faculty, and working with faculty and academic staff to seek extramural funding for their academic endeavors. In addition, he plans to work with Graduate program directors to increase the visibility of graduate programs and continue to provide leadership in streamlining various policies and processes.