BITS Pilani appoints Mohan Krishnamoorthy as director of Amaravati campus

The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has appointed Mohan Krishnamoorthy as the Director of its Amaravati campus. His tenure will start in January 2027. Krishnamoorthy will be looking after the development of the new campus. These activities will include the growth of educational, research and industry collaborations at the campus.

Krishnamoorthy is currently working as the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (India Engagement) at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University and serving as the Director of Industry Research and Interactive Learning Solutions (IRIS) at BITS Pilani. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Imperial College London and is also a professor of Operations Research there.

Sharing his vision, Krishnamoorthy said, “To be given the opportunity to be the founding director of BITS Amaravati is both a tremendous privilege and an exciting responsibility. For me, the real excitement lies in creating an environment where young people can think boldly, tackle consequential problems and use AI and technology to make a meaningful difference to industry, Government and society. 

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Krishnamoorthy to focus on AI, research, industry links

Mohan Krishnamoorthy will develop the educational and research areas at BITS Pilani Amaravati. The campus will focus on different domains like computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), data, robotics, advanced manufacturing, digital transformation, life sciences and healthcare.

Congratulating Krishnamoorthy on his appointment, V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani, said, “Prof. Krishnamoorthy brings a unique combination of academic leadership, research experience, industry engagement and a strong track record of building international partnerships. His experience in creating new research and institutional ecosystems will be particularly valuable as we develop BITS Pilani Amaravati into a distinctive campus with a strong focus on emerging technologies, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Krishnamoorthy was the founding Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay–Monash Research Academy, where he set up the institution and developed the network of people, activities and resources. He later also helped develop the UQ–IIT Delhi Research Academy, which supported research collaboration between India and Australia.