Professor (Dr.) Nirmala Rao is currently the Vice-Chancellor of Krea University, Andhra Pradesh. She formerly served as the Vice Chancellor of the Asian University for Women between 2017 and 2022; Pro-Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) during 2008 and 2017; and Pro-Warden for Academic Affairs at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Nirmala took her first degree in Economics from Delhi University; MA from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; and PhD from the University of London. She has published extensively in the field of urban policy and politics, and some of her books include Reshaping City Governance; Cities in Transition; Governing London; and Transforming Local Political Leadership. Nirmala has extensive experience of public service in the UK and served as an advisor to a range of bodies including the Audit Commission and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). For several years, she was a lay member of the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales, a non-executive director of NHS Hospital Trust, and member of the Architects Registration Board. She is a member of the Governing Body of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge. She was elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2003 and was awarded the Order of British Empire (OBE) for services to scholarship in 2011.