Partha Chakraborty from the Electronics department at IITBHU was on Tuesday appointed the first full-time director at IIEST, Shibpur.
He will succeed Ajay Ray, who became the Vice-Chancellor in 2009, when the institute was still Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), and later, the Director in March 2014, when the technology college was upgraded to Central-run IIEST.
The change in guard took place a day after Ray wrote to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, stating that his poor health would prevent him from taking on further responsibility.
The Ministry had kept Ray among the six shortlisted names for the director’s post but Chakraborty was finally selected.
“I have received my appointment letter for the position of the IIEST, Shibpur director and am extremely happy. But I don’t think I will be able to take charge before the end of April, by which time I will try to wrap up the ongoing semester and also some academic commitments I have here. Even at Shibpur, I would like to teach and be part of academics over and above my administrative responsibilities,” he said.