Vice Chancellor's Message

I am delighted to welcome you to Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST). IUST is committed to shoulder the responsibility of quality education, pursue research in important areas, and engage in activities that advance the good of society in order to find solutions to societal issues. We are guided by the 2021-26 strategic plan to make IUST a leading university in the country. Our mission is to foster a capable human resource that can make the University a place of intellectual curiosity and inquisitiveness and bring together bright minds to address the issues of today while taking their rightful place in shaping the future.

By firmly linking the University's past achievements to its future, we will continue to make the utmost efforts to contribute to society through the creation of new and innovative programs and the cultivation of outstanding human resource in order to provide a vibrant, diverse and supportive campus environment. Currently, multiple issues threaten the lives of all people locally and globally which include climate change, natural disasters, environmental degradation, employment, conflicts, widening disparity, and infectious diseases such as the COVID-19. We reaffirm our commitment to seeking solutions to these complex issues faced by the society. Development and promotion of solar and biodiversity parks on campus will be a significant step towards reducing carbon footprint and transforming the University’s campus into an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable place of learning.

We aim to foster a high degree of expertise, creativity and diversity in our students, so that they will become the next generation of creative researchers, leaders, nation-builders, artists, policy- and decision-makers. Ours is a university centered on our students’ success, providing them with right experiences, putting them on right career paths and fostering their skills and mind-set to make them ready for successful careers and professional advancement. Once the students graduate from here, they would have the career direction and the confidence required for success in their chosen fields. Career counselling and effective job placements are an important part of the University’s outreach policy. When you enrol here as an IUSTian, it would mean that you are part of a close-knit community that will support you from day one and would help you to achieve your vision of success so that you can make a mark on society. Our mission is to guide and help you grow, discover, and realize your aspirations. IUST supports gender equality and the elimination of unfair discrimination on the basis of religion, belief, caste, language or economic status. Whether you want to develop your leadership skills, explore your passion for engineering, science or arts, incubate to innovate your ideas or conduct research in frontier areas of science and technology, you will find mentors in our faculty and staff.

I see ingenuity and curiosity among faculty, staff and students across the various schools of the University. However, to succeed in making the University a centre for excellence, we must be collaborative, engaged, open to new ways of working and thinking, and ready to walk the talk as we look to the future of IUST. As Vice-chancellor, I have the privilege and responsibility of leading IUST towards that purpose. I invite you all to become a part of IUST history and be a change maker.

With gratitude to you all,

Professor Shakil Ahmad Romshoo

About Vice Chancellor

Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice-Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), possesses a multidisciplinary academic and research background. He earned his Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan, and an M.S. in Remote Sensing and GIS from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.

With over 37 years of academic and research experience, Prof. Romshoo has held prestigious positions, including Scientist at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tokyo, and Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. Prior to his current role, he served as Dean of Research at the University of Kashmir, where he also headed several departments.

To date, Prof. Romshoo has guided 25 Ph.D. and 5 M.Phil. students and has an impressive research portfolio, with over 250 peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals, books, and book chapters, with a citation score of 7,000, an h-index of 46, and a cumulative impact factor exceeding 400 as of December 2024. His research primarily focuses on hydrology, glaciology, and climate change, particularly in the North-western Himalayan region.

Prof. Romshoo is an active member of numerous policymaking committees and working groups at the state, national, and international levels, addressing critical issues in environment, water resources, climate change, and disaster management.

He is an elected Fellow of several esteemed organizations, including the Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc), the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (FISRS), and the Indian Society of Geomatics (FISG). Over the years, he has received more than a dozen prestigious national and international awards, including: Satish Dhawan Award (2019) from ISRS-ISRO, National Geoscience Award (2013) conferred by the President of India, ISG President’s Appreciation Medal (2015) for promoting geomatics in India, Best Research Award (2010) presented by Shri Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Kasumigaura International Prize (2009) from the Government of Japan, KU Best Performer Award (2010) conferred by the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir.

Born in Kashmir on April 13, 1964, Prof. Romshoo is married to Shaheena Kausar, who has a passion for plants and cooking. They are proud parents of two accomplished children: Baseerat, a postdoctoral fellow in Atmospheric Physics at Max Planck institute for Chemistry, Mainz Germany and Faisal, a Ph.D. scholar in Pure Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Prof. Romshoo’s exemplary contributions to academia and research continue to inspire and impact society at large.