Dr. Jayasankar Variyar

Dr Jayasankar Variyar is an academic leader with over three decades of experience spanning both industry and higher education. While he currently serves in a senior academic leadership role, his professional foundation is firmly rooted in industry, where he held significant responsibilities across global organisations and diverse sectors. 

He began his career in the corporate sector, developing strong expertise in analytical sciences and product development. At ICI India, he led the Corporate Analytical Centre and was a member of the global Analytical Sciences strategic group of ICI Plc, contributing to high-level decision-making and technological direction. In this role, he established advanced analytical capabilities, supported manufacturing excellence, and enabled innovation across multiple business units. 

He subsequently moved to Unilever, where he worked in a leadership capacity, gaining exposure to large-scale operations, product innovation, and robust quality systems within a highly competitive FMCG environment. His industry experience was further expanded at Cholayil Pvt. Ltd., where he played a strategic role in strengthening product development and quality assurance frameworks, contributing to brand growth and market positioning. 

Across these roles, Dr Variyar developed core competencies in problem-solving, process optimisation, cross-functional leadership, and translating scientific knowledge into commercially viable solutions. His industry journey has been characterised by a strong orientation towards applied research, operational efficiency, and the development of high-performance teams. 

He later transitioned into academia, where he has held senior leadership positions across reputed institutions. His academic approach is significantly informed by his industry experience, enabling him to bridge the gap between theory and practice. He has been actively involved in curriculum design, accreditation processes, and the integration of technology and innovation into teaching and learning systems. 

Dr Variyar holds a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras, a PhD from Duke University, and has completed postdoctoral research at UCLA. He started teaching at IIT Kharagpur before transitioning into corporate. His research interests include molecular dynamics simulations and material behaviour, while his recent contributions have focused on teaching Chemical Product Design, academic leadership, institutional development, and educational innovation. 

His career reflects a rare combination of deep industry engagement and strategic academic leadership, with a consistent focus on enhancing quality, relevance, and impact in higher education