Bengaluru-based RV University has appointed Dr. Sanjay Chitnis, an academician, technologist, mentor in the domain of Machine Learning and an Angel Investor in the EdTech domain as the Dean of the School of Computer Science and Engineering (SOCSE).

Dr Sanjay did his M.Tech from IIT Kanpur and PhD from the Dept. of Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science, in Machine Learning. He worked in LG and Motorola for over 22 years in various leadership roles. He shifted to academics in 2014 and took over as the Principal of CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru. He has worked as Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Chairman, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering at Dayananda Sagar University and Dean, Computer Science at REVA University.

SOCSE was launched by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj Bommai and the Minister for Higher Education, Dr Ashwath Narayan during an event in December 2021.

Welcoming the establishment of this School the Vice-Chancellor, RV University, Dr Y.S.R. Murthy said, “RV University aspires to be a new-age, world-class, tech-driven, global university for liberal education. The School of Computer Science and Engineering is a major step forward towards realizing this vision. We hope it will grow significantly in the years to come and emerge as a flagship School of RV University. Besides teaching, the SOCSE will have a strong research focus. The faculty are drawn from the best academic institutions in India and abroad and from the industry.”

Referring to the School’s commitment to give students a well-rounded education, Dr. Murthy further said, “We have signed a MoU with the world’s largest pure-play data analytics firm, Mu Sigma to offer a unique four year B.Sc. (Hons.) programme in Decision Sciences. In this programme, students will have a chance to solve real-world problems of Fortune 500 companies. Our existing and proposed international collaborations will offer a multi-country learning experience for a truly globalized workplace. I hope students will make full use of these exciting opportunities.”

Spelling out his vision, Dr Sanjay Chitnis, Dean, School of Computer Science and Engineering said, “The field of Computer Science is continuously disrupting all areas of human endeavours from hard sciences, social sciences, finance and management, arts and humanities, law etc. In this context, future careers need a totally different set of knowledge, skills and attitudes that are not sufficiently addressed by conventional engineering education. The Computer Science programmes at RV University are based on the holistic liberal education concept to realize the promise of quality that RV Educational Institutions strove for in the last 82 years.”

Elaborating on the concept of liberal education, Dr Chitnis said, “Global opportunities need entrepreneurial innovation mindset, interdisciplinary knowledge and 21st-century skills. These will come through experiential learning in the setting of collaborative teams and mentors with expertise in multiple disciplines. For example, to develop a cutting-edge banking solution, just the knowledge of AI and blockchain is not sufficient. One needs to have basics and have other experts in the team who know the domain knowledge of Banking, Finance, Law, Design, Management, Human Psychology etc.”

“To develop a new Gaming software, one needs to know kinematics, AR/VR AI, sense of aesthetics, human aspirations etc.  Our programmes have majors in CSE, CS & Design, Data Science or Decision sciences and Minors in Finance and Management, Liberal Arts, design etc. Students can choose different specializations such as AI/Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Full-stack development based on their interests. Our innovative curriculum and pedagogy for these programmes are supported by world-class faculty, experts from the industry; and infrastructure that will give students the skills and confidence to pursue their ikigai and live happily in harmony with oneself, family, society and existence.”

Strengthening the School, Prof Sahana Gowda has joined the SOCSE as Associate Dean. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education in the field of IT.