Australia's prestigious University of New South Wales has appointed former Indian diplomat and author Amit Dasgupta as its first India Country Director.
Dasgupta, who was India's Consul General in Sydney and Ambassador to the Philippines, was appointed by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
The position, based in New Delhi, will strengthen and deepen UNSW's ties with India across education, knowledge exchange and research. He has been appointed to champion ties with India, the Sydney-based university said in a statement.
"UNSW is delighted to have someone of Amit's calibre leading our ambitious India strategy," Fiona Docherty, Vice-President, International said.
"Over the next 10 years, UNSW aims to achieve a step change in the way Indian students access UNSW's progressive style of education - both here in Sydney and via new partnerships in India," Docherty said.
Dasgupta authored Lessons from Ruslana: In Search of Transformative Thinking which was published in February.
He had a long association with UNSW and was instrumental in securing the installation of the Mahatma Gandhi bust in Australia and the creation of UNSW's signature Annual Gandhi Oration.
"I am delighted to take up the opportunity of exploring, through a world-class university like UNSW, how education can become a strategic contributor in intensifying and deepening India-Australia relations," he said.
"Education has the potential to emerge as a key player in this (India-Australia) relationship. The role UNSW can play is significant," Dasgupta added.
