Dr. Archana Mantri, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Chitkara University, Punjab, is a doctorate in Electronics and Communication Engineering. She did her post graduation in 1998, in Digital
Communication from NIT, Bhopal and B.E in Electronics and Communication Engineering in the year 1989 from Madhav Institute of Technology and Science, Gwalior.

At Chitkara University, she is instrumental in framing academic policies of the University. Under her dynamic vision to develop the students’ personality for a multidimensional pursuit, she has taken multitudes of measures such as initiating Industry Oriented Hand – On Courses (IOHC), and Problem & Project Based Learning (PBL) approaches.

She envisioned and founded the Faculty - Entrepreneur Development Cell (FEDC), which has an objective of making each faculty an entrepreneur, wherein he/she is motivated to work as CEO of a small company within the academic organization. The faculty now strives to attract projects and grants for the development of the Institute. She launched an initiative CAS – Community-Action-Service to bring the projects, pursued by the students at pre final and final year levels, under its umbrella. It has given a constructive meaning to the large number of man hours invested in these projects across engineering programs. Several such projects have won deep appreciation with recognition coming from institutions like IISc. Bangalore.

Her research in the area of “Problem Based Learning” has given a new direction to the field of Higher Technical Education in Chitkara and has earned accolades from the industry. Her work has received recognition and appreciation from various top Universities of the world including Mc Master University in Canada and University of Massachusetts, USA. She has numerous national and international publications to her credit reflecting her research on the subject. She was instrumental in weaving Problem and Project Based Learning in Traditional pedagogy (most prevalent in the Engineering Education, in India), thus giving a different dimension to the face of Engineering Education in the country. With some very outstanding measured results her work has immediately put the University and the region on International scene. Chitkara Institute of Engineering and Technology is now one of the few in the country delivering higher technical education using Problem and Project Based Learning.

She started her career with Optel Telecommunications Limited (OTL), Bhopal - the pioneers of Optical Fiber Communication in India. At OTL, she was honoured with Outstanding Performance Award from amongst 800 employees, in recognition of her talent; penchant for innovation and time bound efforts in indigenizing a critical design of Japanese OPTIMUX.

During her 8 years stint at OTL, she successfully led her team, which also designed and developed the very first Fibre Optic Terminal Equipment (OLTE) for the Indian Army. This 2/8 Mb OLTE Project was subjected to very stringent field trials by the Signals Team of 21 Corps of the Indian Army before being finally approved for induction in to service.

While working in OTL, she simultaneously completed her post graduation (M. Tech.) in Digital Communications from National Institute of Technology, the erstwhile - Maulana Azad College of Technology (MACT), Bhopal, in 1998 and was awarded the coveted gold medal. She has also topped the MP PSC (MP Public Service Commission) examination conducted for recruitment of faculty in Government Engineering Colleges.

With an ideal blend of experience in Industry and academics, she has persistently aimed and worked to improve the quality of education on all fronts. From Theory to Practice, from Traditional to Innovative, from an Educator to a Motivator, from a Teacher to a Facilitator, she has actively shown new path breaking ways to her faculty and students. A true believer in the vision of the founders of the Chitkara Educational Trust, she has organized many National and International Conferences and some very effective training programs for the faculty and students of the region. She gave up a lucrative career in the Industry to devote herself to uplift the standards of higher education in the country.

She is a member of Global Engineering Deans’ Council and Indo US Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE – India)