Prof. Dipankar Banerjee,has taken charge as Director, IIST on 14 October 2024. He is an astrophysicist with a bachelor’s degree in physics (St. Xavier’s college) and master’s degree in Theoretical Physics from University of Kolkata. He has obtained his PhD from Indian Institute of Astrophysics and completed two postdoctoral tenures in reputed institutions in Europe. He served as Director, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital from 2019-2024. He is also a senior professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.