Experience

Experience Summary

S.No.	Position - Held	Organisation	No. of Years
1	Provost	Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, Deemed to be University	Sept 2017 – Till Date
2	Pro-Chancellor	Bharath University, Chennai	April 2017 - Sept 2017
3	Vice-Chancellor	Bharath University, Chennai	Sept 2014 – March 2017
4	Vice-Chancellor	SRM University, Chennai	July 2011 – August 2014
5	Provost	SRM University, Chennai	July 2010 - July 2011
6	Vice-Chancellor	Bharathidasan University, Thiruchirappalli	July 2007 - June 2010
7	Director ( Research, Virtual Education & International Initiatives)	SRM University, Chennai	Sept 2003 - June 2007
8	Director (at the level of Vice-Chancellor)	Tamil Virtual University, Govt. of Tamilnadu	3 Years (Jul.2000-Sep.2003)
9	Prof. & Head, Dept. of Comp. Sc. & Engineering	Crescent Engg. College, Chennai (1995-2000), REC Trichy (1993-1995), Mookambikai College of Engg., Trichy (1989 - 1993)	10.5 Years (1989 - 2000)
10	Prof. (Elect. Engg.)	HIMEE, Hoon, Libya	3.0 Years (1986 - 1989)
11	Board Secretary & Advisor (Engineering)	ECCO, Tripoli, Libya	2.5 Years (1984 - 1986)
12	Special Officer (System Improvement) (Equivalent to Professor from  Jan.1981 - Feb. 1984 and Assistant Professor from Sept.1977- Dec.1980)	Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd., New Delhi-019	6.5 Years (1977 - 1984)
13	Design Engineer (Computer Aided Analysis, Design and Planning of Power Systems)	BHEL / PED, New Delhi	1 Year (1976 - 1977)
14	Assistant Engineer	Tamilnadu Electricity Board and on deputation at IISc, Bangalore and SREB, Bangalore	4.5 Years (1972 -1976)
15	Field Engineer	TNEB, Crompton Engg. Co	1 Year (1969 - 1970)

Highlights by Role

SRM University (2010–2014)

• Guided SRM through a period of rapid growth as Provost and Vice-Chancellor, expanding research, campus infrastructure, and industry collaborations.
• Introduced community-facing initiatives including entrepreneurship training, skill development centres, inclusive programmes for differently abled learners, and the SUCCESS IT certificate initiative for school students.
• Established the Tamil Perayam to promote Tamil language research, digital publishing, and recognition for Tamil scholars.

Bharathidasan University (2007–2010)

• Launched skill-based curricula across undergraduate programmes to improve graduate employability.
• Rolled out extensive community outreach: entrepreneurship programmes for rural youth, certificate courses for school dropouts, support for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, and women-focused training initiatives.
• Set up facilitation centres for accessible technology, career development, and artisan empowerment.

Tamil Virtual University (2000–2003)

• Served as founding Director at Vice-Chancellor rank and built the entire web-based learning platform from concept to launch.
• Delivered Tamil courses from pre-KG to degree level, digitised over 200,000 pages of classical literature, and launched global study centres with Commonwealth of Learning support.

Rural Electrification Corporation (1977–1984)

• Led the national system-improvement programme, creating the celebrated “Ko Models” for optimal distribution planning, loss reduction, and energy conservation.
• Conducted statewide training and consultancy on distribution planning and transformer efficiency across multiple Indian states.

International Assignments and Academia

• Advisor and Board Secretary at Electrical Construction Company, Libya, and Visiting Professor at the Higher Institute of Mechanical & Electronics Engineering, Hoon.
• Headed Computer Science departments at Mookambigai, Crescent, and REC Tiruchirappalli; designed AICTE-funded laboratories and pioneering curricula in computer science and engineering.
• Fostered long-standing research collaborations with global universities (MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Queen’s) while directing research and virtual education at SRM.

These roles illustrate Dr. Ponnavaikko’s blend of administrative leadership, academic innovation, and community-focused engineering practice across India and abroad.

Areas of Specialisation

• Power System Planning
• Optimal Distribution System Planning
• Virtual Education
• Software Engineering
• Computer Simulation and Modelling
• Operations Research Techniques (including Genetic Algorithms)
• Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic
• Computer Curriculum Development
• Computer Architecture
• Pattern Recognition
• Natural Language Processing
• Speech Technology
• Wireless Networking
• Signal Processing
• Data Mining
• Nanotechnology
• Tamil Computing

Creative Works

Professional Snapshot

Dr. M. Ponnavaikko was born in 1946 at Sengamedu in Tamil Nadu and has spent more than four decades moving seamlessly between industry, academia, research, and public service roles across India and overseas. Each move was by invitation, and each role broadened his expertise—from power systems engineering to Tamil computing and higher-education leadership.

Institutions That Shaped His Career

Years	Institution / Organisation	Role
1971–1976	Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board	Assistant Engineer
1972–1976	Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru & Southern Regional Electricity Board	Project Associate (TNEB R&D) and consultant on power-system studies
1977–1984	Rural Electrification Corporation, New Delhi	Special Officer (System Improvement)
1979–1983	Indian Institute of Technology Delhi	Part-time doctoral researcher; taught PG courses
1984–1986	Electrical Construction Company (Govt. of India & Libya JV)	Advisor and Board Secretary
1986–1989	Bright Star University, Libya	Visiting Professor, Higher Institute of Mechanical & Electronics Engineering
1989–1992; 1995–2000	Mookambigai & Crescent Engineering Colleges	Professor and Head, Computer Science & Engineering
1993–1995	Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli	Professor & Head, Computer Science & Engineering
2000–2003	Tamil Virtual University	Founding Director (Vice-Chancellor level)
2003–2007	SRM University, Chennai	Director, Research, Virtual Education & International Initiatives
2003 onwards	SRM University with partners (MIT, Stanford, CMU, Queen’s)	Director, International Initiatives

Leadership Highlights

• Led the national distribution-system improvement programme at Rural Electrification Corporation, creating the well-known “Ko Models” still referenced for energy-conservation planning.
• Conceived, launched, and scaled the Tamil Virtual University in three years, delivering web-based Tamil education from pre-KG to degree level for learners in more than 90 countries.
• As Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, embedded skill-based curricula, entrepreneurship training, and inclusive programmes for rural youth and differently abled learners.
• Spearheaded the research ecosystem at SRM University by establishing the Research Directorate, Nanotechnology Research Centre, Learning through Discovery lab, and the Interdisciplinary School of Indian Systems of Medicine.
• Founded Tamil Perayam at SRM University to promote Tamil language technology, cultural scholarship, rare book publishing, and recognition of Tamil literati.
• Served on key national bodies (UGC, AICTE, AIPEF, IEEE) to frame policies on engineering education, experimentation practices, and Tamil language standards for computing and mobile platforms.

These contributions illustrate the blend of technology leadership, institution building, and community-focused innovation that characterises Dr. Ponnavaikko’s career.

தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு

இந்தப் பகுதியின் தமிழ் உரை விரைவில் சேர்க்கப்படும். தயவுசெய்து ஆங்கிலப் பதிவைப் பயன்படுத்தவும்.