UUKi research collaboration webinar: UK-India

Jamie was appointed Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) in November 2022. Prior to taking on this role, Jamie led Universities UK’s research and innovation policy programme (2014-2017) before becoming Assistant Director for Policy Engagement at UUKi (2017-2022). Before joining Universities UK in 2010, Jamie was a research associate and ESRC research fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Education and Social Research Institute.

Professor Konstantinos (Kostas) Kontis is the Chair of the Asia Network at UUKi. He is the Mechan Chair of Engineering and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Glasgow, where he also serves as Dean for Global Engagement for East Asia and China. He is internationally recognised for pioneering contributions to high-speed flows, plasma flow control, advanced flow diagnostics, and space-environment engineering. Professor Kontis is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (HonFRAeS), and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (FAIAA). His work has influenced industrial aerospace applications, European Space Agency-related vehicle-landing protocols, and mission-critical subsystem development. He is widely recognised for combining research excellence, engineering innovation, and global academic leadership.

Dr Mukesh Kumar is Associate Professor in Operations Management at the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing, where he leads research on supply chain resilience, critical minerals, and data driven risk analytics. He is Director of the Global Supply Chain Observatory and the Global Supply Chain Observatory Lab, and leads the UK India Critical Mineral Supply Chain Observatory, a government supported programme building digital infrastructure to improve multi tier visibility, traceability, and responsible sourcing across mineral supply networks. His work integrates large scale data, modelling, and decision support to help governments and industry strengthen supply security, accelerate net zero delivery, and improve ESG assurance.

Dr (Mrs) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is the second woman Secretary General of the AIU in its 100 years of existence. She is concurrently serving as Chief Commissioner (Guides) at Bharat Scouts and Guides. Dr Mittal is a Fulbright Scholar and has been a topper in MSc and PhD in Agricultural Statistics from IARI, New Delhi. Dr Mittal has also served as the first regular Vice Chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Haryana, the first rural women university of North India for two terms. She has been serving the higher education sector for more than 03 decades at senior positions at the University Grants Commission.

Sophia Nestius-Booth is the Regional Director of the Science & Technology Network in New Delhi. Sophia has done a range of technology focused roles across the private sector and civil service including cyber themed roles in the Cabinet Office and a previous FCDO posting in Tokyo.

Professor Gerard Parr MBE is a Full Professor in Telecommunications Engineering and has been Head of School of Computing Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich from 2016-2023 which involved a range of senior management roles and responsibilities covering Teaching, Research, Innovation and Outreach. He holds a PhD in Self-Stabilising Protocols from Ulster University, aspects of which were completed with University College London (UCL) and one of the founding architects of the Internet (Professor Jon Postel) whilst a Visiting Research Scientist at the DARPA/University of Southern California, Information Sciences Institute in Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles.
 

Rajendra Tripathi is currently the Head of Education Programmes and Partnerships - India at British Council. Rajendra Tripathi brings experience from previous roles at British Council Division, British Deputy High Commission, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd, IBM India and Intel Corporation.

Ryan leads UKRI’s India office, based in New Delhi. Ryan works with Government of India, academia and industry to develop new partnerships and programmes that create knowledge, improve lives and drive growth. Ryan has been serving as the Director of UKRI India since June 2025, following his appointment as Deputy Director in April 2023. Prior to joining UKRI India, he worked at Innovate UK—the UK’s Innovation Agency—where he led major programmes on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.