National College of Ireland is the first HEI in Ireland to be represented on the GEDC

Dr Pramod Pathak, Dean of the School of Computing at National College of Ireland, has been invited to join the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC). 

GEDC is a global network of leaders in STEM innovation, leveraging the collective strengths of over 220 members from all around the world to advance engineering education and research, representing more than 180 higher education institutes, including such renowned schools as Nanyang Technological University, University of Adelaide and Harvard. 

“I am very proud to accept the invitation to join the Global Engineering Deans Council,” said Dr Pramod Pathak, “GEDC’s facilitation of inter-institutional research and strong links with industry mirror on an international scale the approach I have taken in my deanship of the School of Computing at National College of Ireland. I am greatly honoured and look forward to contributing to the Council.” 

In 2006, Dr Pathak was selected as Dean of the School of Computing, to build and lead the computing faculty at National College of Ireland. Under his leadership, NCI’s School of Computing has become one of the largest in Ireland, leading the way in Cloud Computing, Data Science, Cybersecurity and Fintech. He has made this possible by planning, creating a shared vision with faculty and management, governing and managing with fairness and enthusiasm, and effectively leading change.  

Drawing on a wealth of knowledge accrued from industry, from senior management and academic leadership, from research and innovation excellence, and from a deep appreciation of pedagogy, Dr Pathak shows his passion and commitment to the highest quality learning and teaching experience for students through student-centred learning and the development of high-quality, cutting-edge higher education programmes. His personal mission to help students and faculty succeed aligns with NCI’s institutional mission to ‘change lives through education’. 

One of the ways he has served NCI’s School of Computing is by creating the School International Advisory Board, consisting of faculty from Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago and Cornell, chaired by Professor Jeffrey Ullman, recent recipient of the Turing Award. 

Dr Pathak launched NCI’s Cloud Competency Centre in 2012, the first centre for cloud excellency in Ireland, drawing on the advice of the advisory board, which continues to meet regularly, and whose members have graciously guest-lectured at the College over the years; opportunities opened up for general attendance beyond the School, allowing public access to spirited, international academic debate on the very nature and future of computing. 

Dr Pathak has been a first-class honours student throughout his career. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the world-renowned St Stephen’s College, Delhi. He completed his MSc/PhD in Mathematics at the University of Kanpur, where he became an Assistant Professor and progressed to become Associate Professor in 1992. His outstanding academic performance was complemented by his practical experience in senior positions in the ICT industry including working on ESA satellite Rosetta. 

An active researcher throughout his career, accruing funding of over €10 million, his main area of interest is applying technology, computing and analytics/AI to the improvement of learning. Much of this success can be credited to his ability to build strong, clear relationships with external agencies, committees and stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. Dr Pathak has been honoured with a number of National and International awards, the one that he is most thankful and proud of is “All India Merit Scholarship” that funded his education in India.