Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi, Provost, Anant National University, wears many hats. He is an architect, urban designer, spatial planner, scholar, author and leader. His research explores design plans across physical scales, from individual buildings to sprawling metropolitan regions. In the context of contemporary India, he explores who does the city design and planning in such a vast, complex country and how this work unfolds.

At Anant, Dr Vidyarthi leads institution building with a comprehensive focus on advancing the university’s mission. He plays a pivotal role in guiding Anant toward its vision and long-term goals while establishing the university as a leader in design education.

A PhD and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Dr Vidyarthi also earned an MArch from KU Leuven, Belgium and a BArch from Sir JJ College of Architecture, University of Mumbai.

Previously, Dr Vidyarthi led the founding of the first and only standalone school of architecture in Rajasthan, the Aayojan School of Architecture. He served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Head of the Department of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago — one of North America’s largest planning schools. He was also the Founding Director of Chicago’s first Master of City Design programme at UIC, a position he held for six years.

Dr Vidyarthi has authored six scholarly books and numerous essays in leading academic journals. He has been recognised with special awards and grants for his pioneering work and has given talks and presentations at many prestigious forums globally.