Former VC of Kerala University Dr V P Mahadevan Pillai dies

KOCHI: Former vice chancellor Dr V P Mahadevan Pillai (67) of the Kerala University died at the Amrita Hospital in Kochi Sunday morning at 8.30 am. He is a native of Malayalapuzha in Pathanamthitta. He is a permanent resident of Ulloor in the capital city. His body will be kept at the University Senate Hall for public homage Monday at 3 pm. He will be laid to rest on Tuesday at 1 pm at Shanthi Kavadam in Thyacaud.

He was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala in 2018 while serving as the head of the optoelectronics department and dean of the faculty of applied sciences of University of Kerala. Mahadevan Pillai was appointed as the vice chancellor for a period of four years by the then Governor and University Chancellor P Sathasivam.

He completed his BSc in 1980, MSc in 1982, M.Phil in 1992 and PhD in 1996 from the University of Kerala and was a lecturer in the department of physics at St Gregorios College in Kottarakkara from 1982 to 2001. He joined the department of optoelectronics in University of Kerala as a reader on May 17, 2001. He was promoted as professor on July 1, 2005. He had a teaching experience of 36 years.

He had also served as the chairman of the board of studies (optoelectronics) of the University of Kerala. He was a member of the board of studies of various universities like CUSAT, Periyar University, Alagappa University, Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla University etc. He had served as a member of the senate, academic council and faculty of applied science and technology of the University of Kerala.

He was a visiting professor at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (Institute of Sensorics and Information Science), Germany. He had life membership in prominent institutions like the Materials Research Society of India and the Indian Science Congress Association.