Dr. Charupalli Sunil Kumar did his B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Madras, Vellore, India, in 1998, his M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from SRM University, Chennai, India, in 2005, and PhD (CSE) from JNTU in 2012. His Ph.D. thesis was selected by UGC Under SHODHGANGA. He is a Sun Certified JAVA Professional from Sun Microsystems, Inc. He has 69 research publications at Various National/International Conferences and Journals. He has guided two Ph.D. Scholars at JNTUH. His research interests are Distributed Databases, Data Mining, Cloud Computing, and Data Science. Currently, he leads the school of technology as dean at Apollo University, A.P., India.

Apollo University

You have held key positions at various prestigious institutions throughout your career. What is that one thing that made you excited, and walk with Apollo University on the journey?

Apollo Group constitutes the best hospital in India with over 73 hospitals, 5000+ pharmacies, over 300 clinics, 1100+ diagnostic centers, and 200+ Telemedicine units. Apollo has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem. This made me excited to choose Apollo University and also provided an opportunity to initiate cross-domain research in the field of Technology and Medicine.

How do you balance the needs of faculty, students, and administration as a dean of a School of Technology?

As a dean, I verify the adequacy of instruction, monitor academic integrity, and am responsible for student recruitment, admission, and academic progress. A dean relies on their team and celebrates teamwork and the successes that the department achieves on the whole. 

As a Dean of the School of Technology, what is the USP or what are the differentiating factors that make Apollo stand out from other colleges?

The Apollo University (TAU) is different from other schools because it offers a fantastic learning experience. The university focuses on making sure students do well in their studies and provides modern facilities. This helps students become skilled in computer science engineering, which is a competitive field.

How do you stay current with the latest trends and developments in the field of Technology and incorporate them into the curriculum and programs offered by Apollo?

The current trends include digital content platforms, AI-powered learning environments, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), gamification of learning, automated assessments, adaptive learning, and data analytics. The curriculum development process can incorporate technology by selecting digital learning resources, adopting online and blended learning models, utilizing educational software and applications, and integrating with the above-emerging technologies.

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How well is Apollo focusing on maintaining industry relationships with companies to leverage them for live projects, training, and placements for the students?

The Apollo University takes all sorts of measures to establish Industrial Relationships such as industrial MOU, Exchange Programs, Expert Lectures, Hands-on workshops, Project-based learning and certification programs, etc. In this way, TAU establishes Industrial collaboration and provides opportunities for the students to focus on live projects, internships, training, and placements.

What is something a technical course aspirant can expect from joining the Apollo School of Technology?

TAU has already initiated the value-added courses and provided opportunities to undergo certification courses such as Google Cloud powered by Google, Oracle certification, NASSCOM-offered certificate courses, etc. A student goes through a great learning experience beyond the traditional curriculum and classroom methods. Learning in the classroom is completely different from applying that in real life. 

How would you promote experiential learning and practical application of knowledge within the School of Technology?

TAU has adopted a project-based learning approach from the very beginning it gives a wide opportunity to develop projects in various domain areas thereby helping students to achieve experiential learning. In addition, the coding club in the SOT provides additional opportunities for the students to develop their coding skills and also motivates them to take part in Coding contests/ Hackathons, etc. This provides a great opportunity to solve complex problems in real-life application development.

What is your main emphasis going to be for the future years of the School of Technology as a dean in charge?

The main emphasis will be on students’ placements, Establishing a Center of Excellence in the field of AI associated with the medical domain, Consultancy projects mainly targeting healthcare sectors, Establishing an Incubation center and promoting Innovation opportunities, and Promoting R&D activities for Funding projects.