Amitabh Mattoo

Amitabh Mattoo (born 26 June 1962, Srinagar) is one of India's leading thinkers and writers on Modern and Contemporary History, Political science, International relations. He was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009. He is Dean of the School of International Studies, Chair & professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, honorary professor of international relations at the University of Melbourne and Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute. On 27 May 2025, he was appointed to the first Chair of Excellence at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/defence-services-staff-college-appoints-amitabh-mattoo-as-chair-of-excellence-on-indias-strategic-culture/article69628618.ece] Until 19 June 2018, he served as Advisor to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, with the status of a Cabinet Minister. Amitabh Mattoo was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jammu from 2002 to 2008 and the youngest Vice Chancellor of a public university, then, to be appointed to that position in the history of independent India.

Mattoo is Deputy Chair of the Academic Advisory Board of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. He was the founding CEO of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne and served as Chairman of the governing board of Miranda House, University of Delhi, the highest-ranked women's college in India; earlier, earlier he had served as Chair of Kirori Mal College. Mattoo was among the few ever appointed to Chair governing bodies of colleges affiliated with Delhi University although he was not an alumnus of the college or the university - in recognition of his leadership qualities. He has also been a member of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. In 2002, he was the youngest person to be appointed as vice chancellor of a public university in independent India. Mattoo's advice on policy matters has been sought across political parties and across governments, including by Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh. Following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, he has offered a political roadmap for securing the future of Jammu and Kashmir. He has been a persistent advocate of multiculturalism and of reconciliation between Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. Provided by Wikipedia