Dr. N. Radhakrishnan (Radha), who has a diverse career in research and development with the government and at institutions across the country, has been named Jackson State University’s acting vice president for Research and Federal Relations.
Radha’s appointment is effective at the close of business on Friday. He succeeds longtime JSU administrator Dr. Felix Okojie, who is also a JSU professor of public health and education.
Radha was vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development at North Carolina A&T State University from 2003-2010. Under his leadership, A&T became a Carnegie Foundation high research institution in 2006, and Radha had a lead role in the university winning a prestigious NSF Engineering Research Center award in 2008. That was a first for a Historically Black College or University. Radha also established a successful interdisciplinary M.S./Ph.D. Computational Science and Engineering program.
Most recently, Radha has been a consultant to several universities and the government in the areas of research, academics, management and information technology. His clients included the Air Force Research Laboratory, the University of Alabama, Central State University in Ohio and Western Carolina University.
From 1999-2003, Radha served as director of the Computational and Information Sciences Directorate and chief information officer for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss. There, he managed a $180 million research and development budget and more than 750 government and contract people. He was responsible for research in the areas of battlefield communications, atmospheric sciences, computational science and engineering, cyber security/information and information assurance.
He has received numerous awards from the Department of Defense, including the Exceptional Civilian Service and Meritorious Civilian Service Award. In 2004, Radha received the Presidential Rank Award for exemplary and sustained performance as a senior executive in the Army.
Radha was an adjunct professor at Mississippi State University from 1970-1999. He also was a lecturer at the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, India, and an assistant lecturer at the College of Engineering, Guindy in Madras, India.
Radha received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Madras University. He received his graduate degree in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Please join the JSU family in welcoming Dr. Radha, and in thanking Dr. Okojie for his long and exemplary service to JSU’s research enterprises.