Satbir Singh Gosal ends his four-year tenure as vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Tuesday with a mixed project scorecard: the university has made gains in rankings, research and infrastructure, but several projects launched during his tenure remain incomplete.
Before becoming vice-chancellor, Gosal served as PAU’s director of research, additional director research, founder director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology and head of the department of biotechnology. His honours include a Royal Society London bursary, Rockefeller Foundation fellowships and a lifetime achievement award from the Punjab Academy of Sciences.
Gosal took charge as vice-chancellor on August 19, 2022. During his tenure, PAU retained the top position among 75 agricultural universities in the country in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The university also entered the world’s top 100 agricultural universities, received the Academic Leadership Award 2026 and secured an A+ grade from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Sixty-five crop varieties and hybrids were recommended for Punjab, while wheat varieties PBW 826 and PBW 872 received national recognition. Seed production rose from 45,000 quintals in 2022-23 to 72,000 quintals in 2024-25.
Among the projects still pending are road widening, renovation of guest houses and hostels, and the inauguration of the School of Digital Innovation for Smart Agriculture and the Centre for Plant Tissue Culture and Acclimatisation. The library upgradation work, under which its capacity is being doubled, is expected to take another three months. Its inclusion in the BRICS Network of Universities also expanded academic collaboration. The university also established a speed breeding facility, technology park and pilot training centre for drones. The university also undertook the clean and green drive, under which the students’ home area was developed with a walking zone, landscaping, an open-air theatre and cafeterias. Gosal, who holds a BSc degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and MSc and PhD degrees in plant breeding from PAU, undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham and John Innes Centre, Norwich. He also received training in crop biosafety in the US.
