Odisha Governor and Chancellor of Universities S C Jamir appointed Patnaik as Vice-Chancellor.
Patnaik will hold the office for a period of three years with effect from the date he assumes office as such or until further orders, a notification issued by the Raj Bhavan said.
At present Patnaik is working as Professor of Anthropology, University of Delhi and has also been the president of Indian Anthropological Association.
He is a full bright Nehru Visiting Fellow at Virginia Tech University and has authored three books and published more than 33 research publications in national and international journals.