A top grade teacher endowed with proven administrative skills

Prof Prasad SRK Veerapaneni comes across as a privileged member of a rare league of teachers who also excel in diverse non-teaching fields, including administrative, with patented dexterity. An M. Tech and Ph. D in chemical engineering with three decades of teaching experience in Andhra University, of which he is a product, that has helped mould the careers of thousands of students and continuing with similar zest in various other positions stand testimony to the passion with which Dr VSRK Prasad goes about the job on hand.

As the Principal of ANIL Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences (ANITS), he took the institution to newer heights during his seven-year tenure.

A PG Diploma in Environmental Studies, a specialization that he is equally passionate about, led him to coveted positions in premier bodies, including as Fellow of Institute of Engineers, and in AP Academy of Sciences, IIChE and ISTE, among others. A befitting endorsement of calibre is that the Govt. of India not only elevated him to the position of Chairman of State Environmental Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for three years from October, 2014 but duly extended the tenure by another three years from December 2017.

Among several other acknowledgements that have come his way, the prized professional recognition comes in the form of the 2006 ‘Corps Engineer’ award conferred on him by the prestigious Indian Institute of Engineers (IIE).

His subject expertise has been such that he was deputed to Muscat in April 2009 as a peer member of the committee for the accreditation of Caledonian College of Engineering, which is affiliated to University of Glasgow. In fact, Dr Prasad was an honoured ‘Referee’ for Caledonian Journal of Engineering for five years from 2009-2014.

After getting advanced training in Nano-technology from University of Louisville, Dr Prasad delivered lectures in Central State University, Dayton, and BGSU, Ohio. He also visited Princeton University, Harvard University, MIT and University of Hampshire during a fruitful tour of the United States in 2012.

His specialization in mass transfer, industrial pollution control engineering and electrochemical engineering saw him serve Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy (IIPE) with distinction as its Director for five years. He was also its advisor (Academics) for one year.

Over the years, Dr Prasad has been associated with various industries like Visakha Dairy, GTS Industries, and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant for ETP design and analytical works and AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB).

His other academic highs have been as a task force member of APPCB in 2014; member of CFE & CFO for several years for APPCB Zonal Office; member of the Technical Committee, instituted by a High-Power Committee, to report on the LG Polymers accident in May 2020.

He has been a member of Academic Senate, Andhra University in 2005-08 and 2014-16; founder-member of GVP; member of several committees formed by the AP State Government for organizing CETs; member of the planning and mentoring committee of Acharya Nagarjuna University since 2018 and member of planning and monitoring committee of GITAM University since 2021.

Apart from organizing several workshops and seminars on pollution control techniques in various industries, including dairy, petroleum, pharma, to name a few, Dr Prasad handled three major research projects funded by AICTE and UGC.

Around 85 of his papers have made it to various prestigious academic journals and conferences.