Prof. Dr. B. Sheela Rani is a distinguished academic leader, researcher, and administrator with over 38 years of exemplary service at ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ. She served as Vice-Chancellor from 2011 to 2016 and later assumed the role of Director (Research). In March 2026, she was reappointed as Vice-Chancellor for a second term, reflecting her continued leadership and commitment to excellence
A specialist in Imaging, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, she has authored 245+ publications indexed in WoS and Scopus and successfully guided 16 Ph.D. scholars. Her research spans advanced image processing, robotics, radar systems, medical imaging, ocean-climate prediction, and marine technologies.
A key architect of research and innovation growth, she secured and coordinated sponsored projects exceeding ₹30+ Crores as Project Coordinator and ₹6+ Crores as Principal Investigator from National agencies including DST, MoES, Ministry of Steel, and Ministry of Commerce. She established major National facilities such as the Technology Business Incubator (DST-NSTEDB supported), Earth Science Technology Cell (MoES), Steel Research Facility, and the National Facility for Coastal and Marine Research.
She played a pivotal role as Mission Director of SATHYABAMASAT, developed jointly with Indian Space Research Organisation and launched with Mission success in 2016, demonstrating institutional capability in space technology. She led major national initiatives funded by DST, MoES, Ministry of Steel, and Ministry of Commerce, including the Technology Business Incubator, Earth Science Technology Cell, Steel Research Facility, and Startup India Seed Fund Scheme.
An experienced academic administrator with 10+ years of R&D financial governance, she has chaired National committees, served as NAAC Peer Team Member and UGC Expert Committee Member, and signed 45 MoUs with National and International Research Organisations. She is the recipient of multiple prestigious recognitions, including the President’s Appreciation Award (2025) from the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Distinguished Scientist Award (Imaging & Soft Computing) and StartupTN Scaleup Incubation Award for 3 consecutive years (2022-2025).
Represented the University in official delegations to Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Israel, and Thailand in establishing International academic collaborations, research partnerships, student/faculty exchange programs, innovation linkages, and industry–academia partnerships. Her career reflects a rare combination of visionary institutional leadership, high-impact research contributions, industry collaboration, innovation ecosystem development, and sustained commitment to academic excellence.