Academics

Dr. Ram K Sharma
Dean Academics

Dr. Ram K Sharma has been driving academic transformation and innovation, internationalization, use of technology to solve access, quality, and equity-related issues, and STEAM and experiential education across the higher educational organizations. He has expertise in setting up green field universities as well as transforming brownfield institutions and have held leadership roles across leading organizations such as Shiv Nadar University (SNU), Plaksha University (An upcoming STEM university sponsored by some of the founders of Ashoka University and many others), UPES, Amity University and KPMG in India. He helped these institutions establish and transform verticals across curricular design, development, new product launches, teaching and learning, research, entrepreneurship and innovation, e-learning, and quality assurance including strategic interventions for rankings, and accreditations. Dr. Ram led the efforts for preparing a successful application for Shiv Nadar University for Institution of Eminence (IoE) scheme of Government of India that consisted of creating a long-term perspective business and academic plan.

Dr. Ram is a life-long learner and believes in an open work environment that is built on empathy and trust. He enjoys learning online, discovering new cultures and geographies, and is fascinated by the philosophies of Advaita and Buddhism.

He has been a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California Berkeley where he worked on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at Coursera and a Chevening Gurukul Fellow at the University of Oxford with a focus on leadership and excellence.

Professional Experience

• February 2020 – Till Date: Dean – Academics, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) Dehradun and Senior Director Academic Strategy, GUS India
• June 2019-February 2020: Founding Director – Plaksha Tech Leaders Fellowship and Global Engagement – Plaksha University
• September 2019 – December 2019: Chevening Gurukul Fellow – University of Oxford
• January 2019 – December 2019: Higher Education Subject Matter Expert – KPMG India
• February 2018 – April 2019: Fulbright Nehru Visiting Scholar; the University of California Berkeley and Coursera
• July 2012 – May 2019: Shiv Nadar University (An Institution of Eminence) - Director
  International Relations Associate Dean – Undergraduate Studies; with additional responsibilities of being Associate Dean – Student Welfare during 2013-16
  Assistant Dean – Student Welfare during 2012-13
• February 2012-July 2012: Deputy Director Academics, Amity Education Group (RBEF)
• August 2010-January 2012: Founding Faculty - Assistant Professor (Physics), Amity University Haryana, India
• November 2007-February 2009: Lecturer (Physics), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida
• September 2005-October 2006: Lecturer (Physics), Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
  
  Professional Development
• 2019 – Chevening Gurukul Fellowship – September to December – the University of Oxford – Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK’s premier program on Leadership and Excellence for 12 emerging leaders from India from different professional backgrounds.
• 2018-19 – Fulbright Nehru Visiting Scholar – the University of California Berkeley, February 2018 to April 2019 worked on Online Education with special emphasis on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
• 2018 – Coursera Partners Conference – Online Learning and MOOCs, Arizona State University, March 2018, Tempe, the USA – With financial support from Coursera.
• 2017 – Harvard University South Asia Institute’s Workshop on Liberal Arts in Higher Education (by invitation), August 2017, Dubai, UAE – Supported by LNM South Asia Institute, Harvard University.
• 2016 – International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) – Education in Digital Age, U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program for current and emerging foreign leaders – Washington D.C., Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Francisco, USA – Visits to George Washington University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercer University, University of Cincinnati, and Stanford University, schools, community colleges, policy think-tanks, public and private enterprises, Fully Supported by US Department of State.
• 2015 – International Programme in the Leadership and Management (IPLM) of Higher Education – with full bursary support, University of Warwick, UK.
• 2014 – Standards of Good Practices – Quality Assurance Workshop for Study Abroad Programs by The Forum on Education Abroad and US India Education Foundation, New Delhi, India.

Contribution to National Level Policy Making in India

Dr. Ram has also participated and contributed to the drafting/consulting stages of National policies and processes related to higher education in India such as:

• National New Education Policy 2016
• Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in India for enabling credit mobility among the institutions of higher education
• Universities of innovation bill
• Participating in the strategic roundtable talks between Indian and UK universities organized by British Council in London.
• Member of strategic workshops to drive Study-in-India program by MHRD and EdCIL. I made a quick presentation on devising scholarship policy for the program and presented the recommendation of the group to the MHRD Secretary at India Habitat Center.

Honors, Awards, and Achievements

• 2019 – Chevening Gurukul Leadership and Excellence Fellowship – Awarded by Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Government of UK to pursue a 3-month long Leadership program at the University of Oxford.
• 2018 – Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship – Awarded by US India Education Foundation (USIEF) to work on my research project at the University of California Berkeley and Coursera, the world’s largest MOOC provider.
• 2018 – Received full financial support from UC Berkeley Center for Studies in Higher Education to attend Executive Leadership Academy, the University of California Berkeley.
• 2017 – Supported by Harvard University South Asia Institute to attend a Workshop on Liberal Arts in Higher Education, August 2017, Dubai, UAE.
• 2016 – International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) – Education in Digital Age, U.S. Department of State.
• 2015 – Excellence Award by Shiv Nadar University for outstanding commitment and dedication to the advancement of the University during 2011-14.
• 2015 – Full Bursary Support (£ 4500) International Programme in the Leadership and Management (IPLM) of Higher Education, University of Warwick, UK.
• 2014 – Member of Association of Indian Universities (AIU) delegation of Indian Vice-Chancellors and Deans to participate in UK-India Strategic roundtable with UK counterparts, Supported by British Council.
• 2005 – UGC-CSIR Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India.
• 2003 – Qualified GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineers) with AIR (All India Rank)-172 for admission to IITs.
• 2002 – All India Rank 1 for Ph.D. Programme Entrance of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
• 2002 – UGC-CSIR Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India.
• 2001 – University Rank Holder in M.Sc. Physics at MLS University

Professional Memberships

• Member of Student Experience in Research University (SERU) consortium led by University of California Berkeley (http://www.cshe.berkeley.edu/SERU). It is a consortium of researchers from about 50 leading research universities from across the globe such as the University of Michigan, University of California system (all campuses), University of Texas Austin, Rutgers, Oxford, etc.
• Life Member of Fulbright Alumni Association
• Life member of Chevening Alumni Association
• Life Member of US Department of State Alumni Association
• Associate Alumni of St. Cross College, University of Oxford
• Member of International Association of Student Affairs and Services – Also wrote a Country Report on Student Affairs in India in a UNESCO Sponsored book project (Currently under publication)
• Member of University of Warwick IPLM Alumni group

Contribution to books

• An article on heusler alloys
  IWNMS 2004: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Nanomaterials ...By Klaus-Peter Lieb, D. R. S. Somayajulu
  http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=y6IMbbYDzwQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=Ram+Kripal+Sharma&ots=LxyeNFTSw_&sig=Sjbq-8LWGSrFChqlBZ_tvAdw694#v=onepage&q=Ram%20Kripal%20Sharma&f=false
• Two articles on nanoparticles and nanofilms
  ICAME 2005, Volume 2 By P. E. Lippen, J. C. Jumas, J. M. Genin
  http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uVJa81FQu58C&oi=fnd&pg=PA709&dq=Ram+Kripal+Sharma&ots=6ozZKDozWi&sig=tRAu_-0f0E0uyHyxMMMpdx-xmW8#v=onepage&q=Ram%20Kripal%20Sharma&f=false
• India country report on Student Affairs, UNESCO-IASAS (International Association of Student Affairs and Services) book project (http://iasas.global/) for 2018 edition.

Organization of Conferences/Workshops

• Organized a two-day workshop on “The Value of New Liberal Arts Education in 21st Century” in partnership with Goucher College, the USA during 29-30 November 2018 – Funded by the US Embassy in India.
• Member – Organizing Committee for an Undergraduate Student Conference on Technology-Enabled Learning in January-February 2017 at Shiv Nadar University – Funded by the European Union
• Member – Organizing Committee for a teachers training workshop on Critical Thinking in Writing Pedagogy under EU funded project Enhancing Quality, Access, and Governance of Undergraduate Education in India (E-QUAL) at Shiv Nadar University, February 2016 – Funded by the European Union
• Member – Organizing committee for a conference “Enabling Pedagogies in Higher Education in India” under EU funded project Enhancing Quality, Access, and Governance of Undergraduate Education in India (E-QUAL) at Shiv Nadar University, March 2015 – Funded by the European Union
• Member – Organizing Committee for a workshop on Critical Thinking under EU funded project Enhancing Quality, Access, and Governance of Undergraduate Education in India (E-QUAL) at Shiv Nadar University, August 2013 – Funded by the European Union
• Co-Convener of first national-level conference ‘National Conference on Advancements in Convergence of Technologies (NCATC) at Amity University Haryana in September 2011 funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India

Select Publications in Journals

• Low-temperature carrier transport mechanism and photo-conductivity of WSe2
  M. Kaur, (…), Ram K. Sharma, (…), Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 869 (2021) 159369
• Mechanistic insights on improved performance of PCDTBT: PC71BM hetero‑structured organic photovoltaic cells via interfacing CdSe/ZnS nanostructures.
  Nitika, (…), R. K. Sharma, Applied Nanoscience, Accepted 6th March 2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-021-01789-5
• Study of sputtered Fe/tSi/Fe trilayer films: Magnetic and Electronic properties
  R Brajpuriya, R.K. Sharma, Ankush Vij, T Sripathi, Journal of Modern Physics, Vol.2, pp. 864-874, 2011
• Low-temperature magnetic properties of Cr0.25Co0.25Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles
  R.K. Sharma, Hina Bhargava, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Hyperfine Interactions, Vol. 183, No. 1-3, pp. 155-161, 2008
• Variation of structural and hyperfine parameters in nanoparticles of Cr-Substituted Co-Zn ferrites, R.K. Sharma, Varkey Sebastian, N. Lakshmi, K. Venugopalan, V. Raghavendra Reddy and Ajay Gupta, Physical Review B 75, 144419, 2007
• A study of nano NiCoZn-ferrite prepared by co-precipitation
  O.P. Suwalka, R. K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Vol. 313, Issue 1, pp.198-203, 2007
• Hyperfine Fields in Nano Particles of Cr0.25Co0.25Zn0.5Fe2O4
  R.K. Sharma, O.P. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Indian J. Pure and Appl. Phys., Vol. 45, No. 10, pp. 834-838, 2007
• Mössbauer and SEM studies of Fe-Al film
  V. Sebastian, R.K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Hyperfine Interactions, Vol. 169(1-3), pp. 1383-88, 2006
• Effect of particle size on hyperfine fields in Cr substituted nano Co-Zn ferrite
  R.K. Sharma, O.P. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Synthesis and Reactivity of Inorganic, Metal-Organic and Nano Metal Chemistry, Vol. 36, pp.175-178, 2006
• Synthesis of chromium substituted nanoparticles of cobalt zinc ferrite by co-precipitation
  R.K. Sharma, O.P. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi, K. Venugopalan, A. Banerjee and P.A. Joy, Materials Letters, Vol. 59, Issue 27, pp. 3402-3405, 2005
• Evidence of clustering in heusler like ferromagnetic alloys
  N. Lakshmi, R.K. Sharma and K. Venugopalan, Hyperfine Interactions, Vol. 160, pp. 227-233, 2005
• Mössbauer study of Cr substituted bulk and nano Co-Zn ferrite
  R.K. Sharma, O.P. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Hyperfine Interactions, Vol.164 (1-4), pp.261-266, 2005

Select Publications in Conferences/Seminars/Symposia/Workshops etc.

• On the Particle size effect in nanoparticles of Cr0.25Co0.25Zn0.5Fe2O4
  R.K. Sharma, R. Brajpuriya, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, International Conference on Magneto Science (ICMS)-2011, Shanghai, China.
• AC Magnetization studies in nanoparticles of Cr0.25Co0.25Zn0.5Fe2O4
  R.K. Sharma, R. Brapuriya, N. Lakshmi, K. Venugopalan, International Conference on Advances in Materials And Manufacturing Technology 2011, Chitkara University Chandigarh, India
• Thickness dependent study of Cu/Co thin-film multilayer structures
  Ranjeet Brajpuriya, R.K. Sharma, International Conference on Advances in Materials And Manufacturing Technology 2011, Chitkara University Chandigarh, India
• Mössbauer and bulk magnetization studies of nanoparticles of NixCo0.5-xZn0.5Fe2O4 prepared via chemical route
  O.P. Suwalka, R.K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi and K.Venugopalan, Advanced Nano Materials 2007: An International Conference on Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, January 2007, IIT Bombay, India
• Low-temperature magnetic properties of Cr0.25Co0.25Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles
  R.K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, International Conference on the Applications of Mössbauer Effect (ICAME)-2007 held at IIT Kanpur, India
• A study of nano-sized Ni Substituted Co-Zn ferrite prepared by Co-precipitation
  R.K. Sharma, O. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Presented at Eighth International Conference on Nanostructured Materials, NANO-2006, IISc, Bangalore
• A structural and hyperfine study of nanoparticles of Cr substituted Co-Zn Ferrite
  R.K. Sharma, O. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Presented at International Symposium on Frontiers in Nanoscale Science, Technology and Education-2006, Cochin, India
• Hyperfine Fields in Nano-Particles of Cr0.25Co0.25Zn0.5Fe2O4
  R.K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Presented at National Symposium on applications of 57Fe Mössbauer Spectroscopy-2006, Jodhpur
• Mössbauer and SEM studies of Fe-Al film
  V. Sebastian, R.K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Presented at the International Conference on the Applications of Mössbauer Effect (ICAME)-2005 held at Montpellier, France
• Mössbauer study of Cr substituted bulk and nano Co-Zn ferrite
  R.K. Sharma, O. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Presented at the International Conference on the Applications of Mössbauer Effect (ICAME)-2005 held at Montpellier, France
• Effect of particle size on hyperfine fields in Cr substituted nano Co-Zn ferrite
  R.K. Sharma, O. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi and K. Venugopalan, Presented at International Conference on Nanomaterials NANO-2005 held at Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, India
• Evidences of clustering in Heusler like ferromagnetic alloys
  N. Lakshmi, R.K. Sharma, K. Venugopalan, Presented at International Workshop on Nanomaterials, Semiconductors and Magnetic ions studied mostly by Hyperfine Interactions (IWNMS)-2004 at M.S. University, Baroda
• X-ray and Mössbauer Studies of Chromium substituted nanoparticles of cobalt zinc ferrites
  R.K. Sharma, O. Suwalka, N. Lakshmi, K. Venugopalan, Presented at International Symposium on Advanced Materials and Processing (ISAMAP)-2004 at IIT Kharagpur.
• Mössbauer studies of Co-Zn ferrite
  R.K. Sharma, O. Suwalka, S. Agarwal, M. Roy, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Presented at DAE-Solid State Physics Symposium, 2004, GND University, India.
• Mössbauer studies in anthophyllite asbestos
  R.K. Sharma, V. Saraswat, P. Kothari, N. Lakshmi, K. Venugopalan, and V.K. Agarwal, Presented at DAE-Solid State Physics Symposium, 2003, Jiwaji University, India.
• Mössbauer studies of Fe-Al film
  V. Sebastian, R.K. Sharma, N. Lakshmi, and K. Venugopalan, Proceedings of DAE-Solid State Physics Symposium, 2003, Jiwaji University, India.

Talks/Lectures/Panel Discussions/Project Meetings

• April 2021 – Panelist at Coursera Conference 2021 during the session – Building an Employability/Industry 4.0 Focussed Curriculum – received an appreciation email from Coursera CEO for sharing some interesting points
• May 2020 – Panelist at NAFSA 2020 during the session – The Impact of Global Trends on International Higher Education: Views from Asia
• October 2019 – Delivered a talk on Industry 4.0 and Future of Work at the St. Cross College, University of Oxford.
• April 2019 – Delivered a talk at Center for Studies in Higher Education, the University of California Berkeley on “Institutions of Eminence: India’s Tryst with World University Rankings”
• April 2019 – Meetings at University of Chicago to explore partnership for executive education in India, invited and supported by University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
• November 2018 – Moderator for the session “Internationalization & the Liberal Arts: Exploring Partnerships between U.S. & Indian Institutions” during the two-day workshop “The Value of New Liberal Arts Education in 21st Century”, US India Education Foundation, New Delhi
• November 2018 – Panelist for the session “Exploring Partnerships Between Industry & Institutions” during the two-day workshop “The Value of New Liberal Arts Education in 21st Century”, US India Education Foundation, New Delhi
• November 2018 – Moderator for a session for Vice-Chancellors and Deans “The Liberal Arts in India: Higher Education Perspectives” during the two-day workshop “The Value of New Liberal Arts Education in 21st Century”, US India Education Foundation, New Delhi
• August 2018 – Panelist for the session “Future Proofing education for the next generation – Excellence in Research, Pedagogy & Capability Building” – India New Zealand Academic Conclave, Organized by Education New Zealand (ENZ) at New Delhi
• May 2018 – Landscape of Indo-U.S. Academic Partnerships: A Guide for Successful Collaborations, delivered a talk at NAFSA, 2018, Philadelphia, USA
• April-May, 2018 – Meetings with Office of the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning, Stanford University, and Stanford Center for Professional Development for developing Executive Education programs for Indian corporates.
• March 2018 - Exploring online learning models, especially MOOCs and their variants, to address access, and quality aspects of higher education, delivered a talk at Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California Berkeley
• April 2017 – King’s College London, UK, discussions around the following issues:
  a. International mobility
  b. Partnerships among the King’s College and Shiv Nadar University
• April 2017 – University of Bologna, Italy, discussions around the following issues:
  a. Erasmus plus individual mobility
  b. Erasmus plus Consortia Grants
  c. Joint Summer Schools
  d. Partnership agreement between the University of Bologna and Shiv Nadar University
• June 2016 – King’s College London, UK, discussions around the following issues:
  a. Online learning design
  b. Policy dialogues regarding Online learning
  c. Assessment in Online Environment Workshop
  d. Student Mobility
• June 2016 – University of Bologna, Italy, discussions around the following issues:
  a. E-learning and blended learning at University of Bologna
  b. Strategizing international relations
• February 2016 – Teaching-Learning and New Technologies in Higher Education, New Delhi, International Conference organized by British Council and National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), Panelist in the concluding session on Policy Recommendations from the conference
• January- February, 2016 – As part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), US Department of State
  a. George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Current trends, strategies and models for integrating technology into educational curriculums
  b. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington DC, Role of The Chronicle – and news media in general – in higher education, including coverage of trends in educational technology.
  c. Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, Digital Learning Task Force, Atlanta, Georgia, State Government Support for Digital Learning - Online and Blended Learning
  d. Georgia Department of Education, Office of Technology Services – digital education programs offered throughout the state, such as the Georgia Virtual School
  e. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) – Discussions on MOOCs, blended and flipped classrooms
  f. Mercer University, Tift College of Education (TCOE) – Technology in Classrooms
  g. University of Cincinnati – MOOC2Degree program
  h. Northern Kentucky University – Lecture capture platforms used by the university
• April 2015 – University of Warwick, delivered a talk on Higher Education in India
• April 2015 – University of Northampton, delivered a talk on Student Mobility between India and UK
• April 2015 – University of Birmingham, delivered a talk on Policy Issues in Internationalization of Higher Education in India
• April 2015 – Balliol College - the University of Oxford, Discussed Governance Structure at the Universities
• March 2015 – Duke Kunshan University, China, Discussed Student Exchanges
• March 2015 – Institute of Education, University College London, UK – Discussed Internationalization of Higher Education in India
• March 2015 – Southampton University, UK, Discussed Internationalization of Higher Education in India
• March 2015 – Open University, UK, Discussed Technology Enabled Learning in a new University
• March 2015 – The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, delivered a talk on Student Mobility from India
• March 2015 – UUK Conference – International Higher Education Forum, London
• May 2014 – Jadavpur University, India, discussions on blended learning
• May 2014 – King’s College London, UK, discussions around the following issues:
  a. Course evaluation methods in the online setting
  b. Quality Testing for online course
  c. Assessment and Technology-enabled assessment/grading
  d. Credit transfer for online courses
  e. Limitations of online courses
• May 2014 – University of Bologna, Italy, discussions around the following issues:
  a. Bologna process on European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
  b. Quality Assurance practices and Accreditation
  c. Internationalization and student mobility to improve the quality of study programmes
  d. Using technologies to enhance learning in an international framework
  e. AlmaLaurea: employability and bachelor study programmes in Italy

 

Member of Selection Committees and Governing Bodies

• Selection Committee member for Cargill Global Scholars Program 2020 and 2021
• Selection Committee member for Chevening Scholarships 2021
• Panel member for Cargill Global Scholars Program 2021
• Member of Academic Council – Shiv Nadar University, during 2014-2019
• Member of Academic Council and Board of Management at University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, during 2020 – till date
• Member of Governing Board – MIER College of Education, Jammu (An Autonomous Institution – NAAC A+ Grade), since December 2020
• Member of Academic Council – Aditya College of Engineering, Kakinada (An Autonomous Institution – NAAC A-Grade) since April 2017

Community Service Initiatives

• Established National Service Scheme (NSS) chapter at Shiv Nadar University
• Mentored students at Shiv Nadar University for establishing Aura – A Social Service Initiative to work for rural education and community outreach
• Organized many blood donation camps at the university in collaboration with leading public hospitals in Delhi
• Actively volunteering for VidyaGyan, An initiative of Shiv Nadar Foundation for rural underprivileged children from Uttar Pradesh, India

Extra-Curricular Accolades

• Elected President of Students Government at University level
• National Level Chess Player ‘All India Inter-University Chess Tournament’, represented MLS University as Captain of Chess Team
• Captain of the College Chess team at State Level Intercollege Chess tournament for two consecutive years

Academic Record

• 2019 Chevening Gurukul Leadership and Excellence Fellowship
  University of Oxford
• 2018-19 Fulbright Fellowship University of California Berkeley
  2007 Ph.D. Experimental Physics, University Grants Commission-Department of Atomic Energy (UGC-DAE) Consortium for Scientific Research, Indore and MLS University, India
• 2002 National Eligibility Test for University Lecturership (NET) with Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India
• 2001 M.Sc. Physics (With University Rank) - MLS University, India
• 1999 B.Sc. (Triple Majors – Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) MDS University, India