Chennai, Sep 01: SRM School of Law, SRM Institute of Science and Technology has appointed 35 new faculty members, taking total faculty strength to 75, in a major expansion aimed at strengthening its academic, research and international capabilities. In the process, it has emerged as one of the biggest law schools in Southern India.
The new appointments bring together academics with qualifications and professional experience from some of the world’s leading universities and institutions, as SRM School of Law steps up its efforts to emerge as a global law school.
Faculty members joining the SRM School of Law have studied or worked at leading international institutions, including the University of California Berkeley Law School; King’s College, London; Queen’s University, Belfast; University of Göttingen, Germany; University of Amsterdam; Geneva Graduate Institute; McGill University, Canada and the National University of Singapore.
51% of the newly appointed faculty members have either earned degrees from international universities or possess significant international academic or professional exposure. Among the new appointments, 13 faculty members have previously been associated with the Jindal Global Law School, which is among the top 35 in the world as per QS subject-wise rankings.
The new faculty members include academics with qualifications from several of India’s premier institutions, including National Law School of India University, Bengaluru; NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad; National Law University, Delhi; West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata; and IIT Kharagpur.
The new faculty members also bring substantial professional and policy experience to the School. Prof. Anuradha Saibaba has worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and was Director of Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute, Delhi. Prof. Annamma Samuel previously held the DPIIT Chair Professorship at National Law University, Gandhinagar. Dr. Satanik Pal, a sociology specialist, holds a Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore.
The faculty expansion has also increased the representation of women at the School. Female faculty now constitute 63% of the total faculty strength, underlining the institution’s focus on diversity and gender representation in academia. The faculty members also hail from different parts of the country.
Speaking about the institutional vision, Pro-Chancellor (Academics), SRMIST, Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan said,
“Our Founder Chancellor, Dr. T.R. Paarivendhar’s wish is that SRM School of Law produce outstanding individuals who can one day become a Supreme Court Judge or a High Court Judge or excel in the legal profession. We are fully committed to creating a world-class global law school known for academic excellence and quality.”
Commenting on the expansion, Prof. Y.S.R. Murthy, Pro Vice-Chancellor, School of Law, SRMIST, said the new faculty would be central to the institution’s global ambitions.
“We aspire to create an outstanding global law school. Our faculty will be a key driver in achieving this vision. We are delighted that we have been able to attract some of the best academic talent from across the country and the world. I am confident that they will inspire our students and help forge national and international collaborations that will further strengthen our law school.”
Prof. Indranath Gupta, Dean, School of Law, SRMIST, said the school’s focus was on producing legal professionals capable of shaping the profession and public institutions.
“SRM School of Law seeks to produce next-generation leaders who will shape the legal profession and contribute meaningfully to society. We aspire to nurture future lawyers and judges with great care. I am confident that our faculty members will play an important role in inspiring and shaping the next generation of legal professionals in the country.”
Dr. Sawmiya Rajaram, Associate Professor, SRM School of Law, said the institution had the scale and ambition to make a significant contribution to legal education.
“A law school is measured by the profession it shapes and the public discourse it informs, not merely by the courses it lists. SRM has the scale, disciplinary range and institutional ambition to shape the future of legal education.”
The latest appointments are expected to strengthen SRM School of Law’s teaching and research ecosystem while creating greater opportunities for international collaborations, interdisciplinary research, policy engagement and global academic exchange.
With its faculty strength now at 75, SRM School of Law is positioning its expanded academic base as a key pillar of its long-term aspiration to build a globally connected institution for legal education and research.