Dr Alka Mahajan, Dean, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering (MPSTME).

What inspired you to pursue a career in education and research, and how have your motivations evolved?

My grandparents and parents retired as academicians and I had a front row seat observing the pros and cons of the teaching profession. While at that age I never understood what drove them, I also saw the admiration and respect they received from countless students across generations. However, as all rebel children at that age, I had decided I would never get into academics and aspired to make my career in the industry. But then as destiny would have it, I was drawn into academics partly by circumstances, majorly due to my genetic makeup and possibly due to my subconscious desire to excel and prove myself in the profession loved by my parents. Once I was in, there was no looking back. Teaching is like the performing arts; it brings you instant gratification. That feeling is the motivation to continue giving your best so as to never lose that love and respect. The dull feeling that comes with a class not gone well also acts as motivation to work harder to get that feeling of wellbeing back. Teaching is continuous learning which naturally leads to research as one grows into the profession. So yes, teaching and research go hand in hand and you don’t need separate motivation to either as one leads to the other and vice versa.

As a dean, what vision do you bring to the academic community, and how do you envision shaping the future of your institution?

My vision is to create an institute which focuses on student learning and the assurance of it. I do not see engineering in silos. I would like to see my institute grow into a seamless structure where students are accorded freedom to choose their courses based on their interest and strengths. A strong grounding in fundamentals, teachers as partners in learning, a continuously evolving curriculum, interdisciplinarity, experiential learning, equity and inclusivity are some of the things I would like to see firmly embedded in the education delivery at my institute. 

Can you share a specific initiative you implemented as a dean that had a positive impact on the academic environment or student experience?

Engineering is a very demanding programme which leaves little space or time for students to have experiences to broaden their perspective. While they become adept at handling pressure, multitasking or learning new technologies, they tend to live in their own privileged world. I introduced a mandatory course on community service at the end of first year which requires a student to do three weeks of community service. The objective of this course is to sensitise the students towards the challenges, and prevalent issues of the society, like poverty, illiteracy, hunger, untouchability, and more. The course is also aimed at making them aware about current civic society concerns like, traffic awareness, emergency response, cybercrime, gender equality, sensitivity towards the differently abled, knowledge about communicable diseases, natural disaster management, and more. Through this course they get exposed to the urban-rural divide, problems faced by the underprivileged sections of the society, etc. The experience of actually working to better a system or helping a section of society changes their perspective completely. Initially hesitant and protesting, students come back shaken with a completely changed mindset making them more empathetic and aware of societal needs. The learning through community service adds a human facet to the Engineer.

How do you address diversity and inclusion within the academic community, and what steps have you taken to promote equity?

Fortunately, in a place like Mumbai which is known to be diverse yet inclusive, my job becomes easier as people are well tuned to the cultural/social or gender diversity in the society and inclusivity comes naturally. However, there is always a fear of the existence of hidden biases which hinder equity and inclusivity. As a first step I ensure that in my executive team men and women are equally heard and represented. At the student level, there is no distinction between girls and boys. Both are trusted equally and allowed to work late hours in the laboratories. We have had a girl as General Secretary of the Student Council for three years in a row now; this speaks well of the fact that the boys accept, acknowledge and support girls to lead the team. We have included a course on gender communication to ensure that our students are sensitised of appropriate behaviour and communication in the workplace. While sexual orientation is not out in the open as of now, we ensure awareness and its acceptability through informative seminars and open discussions.

How do you balance your responsibilities as a dean and maintain an active and productive research plan?

Being a woman, multitasking is something which naturally comes to me. And cliché as it may sound, planning time and tasks is the key to balancing all aspects of my profession. What helps in keeping my research productive and active, is supervising PhD scholars. As one grows in the area of research, the focus shifts to generating ideas to come out with a different perspective on the problems at hand; and finding innovative solutions to it. Having scholars working under you makes the implementation much easier as the time intensive tasks are undertaken by them. This leaves me with ample time to take care of my administrative and other work. 

What strategies do you implement to enhance the academic experience for students under your leadership?

For me, academic experience is not restricted to the classroom. I believe in students learning more by being hands-on. So while I ensure that my curriculum and program structure remains relevant, my focus is more on experiential and out of the classroom learning. So my strategy is three pronged – effective teaching-learning, exposure to latest technology and facilitation for an all-round exposure to learning. While initiatives to improve the pedagogy, faculty development programmes and continuous evaluation ensure the first, we provide and facilitate many opportunities for students to participate in national, international, technical and extracurricular activities. A substantial separate budget is marked for student activities to ensure all round development. I have established state-of-the-art laboratories in Robotics & Automation, high end Computing Labs with GPUs for AI and deep learning applications, 3D printing, AR/VR; and we are amongst the very few institutes who have established such advanced laboratory infrastructure. Research at undergraduate level is facilitated with interested students working on live projects, cancer research and more, through our MoUs with the industries and research hospitals. 

Beyond your role, what aspects of education or research are you most passionate about and how do you express that passion in your work?

The explosion of information and its easy availability on the internet and the increasing invasion of artificial intelligence in all aspects of our lives have had a very challenging impact on education and the delivery of it. As a teacher at heart, I am concerned about the decline in original thinking and expression, attention span and self-learning. My focus today is more on bringing about a change in classroom teaching and evaluation. I am trying to move the teacher away from being on the pedestal to being a partner in learning. We are trying to make the curriculum more learner-centric instead of just cramming in content.

What advice do you have for other women aspiring to enter the education system or leadership positions?

Involvement, Commitment and Accountability are a sure shot recipe for success in any profession and that is gender neutral. It is very important for me to maintain the dignity of the profession we choose and be true to it.  I feel women need to be open minded and let go of the inhibitions and complexes that bind them to mediocrity. It is also very important that we do not play the gender card when convenient. It may work short time but is counterproductive long term. Women also have a natural tendency to take the back seat, shy away from taking credit or projecting their worth and in general, and expect that things will fall in place automatically. We need to learn to occupy the front seat, work hard and then ensure that it is projected through results. If we choose to take up a career, we need to be ready for the extra time and work and sacrifices it demands. That’s what work-life balance is all about, and that is the key. Also, it is very important to not feel guilty for every single time that you need to give priority to work. I would suggest women to be secure about their capabilities, work on their weaknesses, observe, listen and learn.

How would you describe your life in 3 words?

Challenging. Fair. Wholesome.

What would you write on your own fortune cookie?

‘Listen to your heart.’

Dr Alka Mahajan, Dean at SVKM's NMIMS Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering, Mumbai. With over 35 years of experience in teaching and administration, Dr Mahajan has contributed immensely to the design and delivery of technical education. She holds a PhD in Electronics & Communication from Delhi University. She has completed her M.Tech in Electronics Design Technology from the Centre for Electronics Design Technology (CEDTI).

Dr Mahajan has played an instrumental role in preparing the 12th Five-Year Plan of the UGC Scheme and Guidelines on Capacity Building for Women Managers in Higher Education. She served as a Member of the General Council of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), New Delhi (2016-19). Dr Mahajan was part of the apex team providing policy direction and guidelines for managing the activities of NBA.

Dr Mahajan is a Certified Independent Director by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. She is also the Independent Director on the Board of Directors of the Indian Dairy Machinery Company (IDMC), a subsidiary of NDDB Anand, Gujarat.

Dr Mahajan is an active researcher who has numerous publications in international journals and conferences. She is a Member of the Standing Committee on the scheme of ‘Development of Women’s Studies in Indian Universities & Colleges and Capacity Building of Women Managers’, constituted by the MHRD, New Delhi.

Dr Mahajan serves on the editorial/ reviewer board of several international journals. She is a senior member of IEEE and a Fellow life member of IETE, CSI and IEI. Dr Mahajan is currently the Dean of the NMIMS deemed to be University, Mumbai. She is responsible for the academic administration of its 7 engineering campuses across India. Dr Mahajan is credited with introducing innovative pedagogical techniques to improve student learning and impacting academic administration through her resourceful ideas.

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