The search for a new Dean, Faculty of Management, was initiated in March 2026, and nominations were invited from CEPT Professors, as well as from a small pool of external professionals. A search committee was constituted comprising Dr. Tridip Suhrud (Chair), Brinda Somaya, Shimul Javeri, Chirayu Bhatt and Priya Singh. Based on the recommendation of the committee, Prof. Patel was unanimously appointed as the next Dean of the Faculty of Management.
Prof. Sejal Patel is an academic and practitioner with over three decades of experience across academia, research, capacity building, and consultancy in the areas of urban planning and policy, housing and real estate, and urban governance. A Professor at the Faculty of Planning, she has been associated with CEPT University since 2006 and has contributed significantly across academic, research, and institutional domains. She earned her PhD from the University of Twente, The Netherlands, as an Erasmus Scholar in 2016.
At CEPT, Prof. Patel has played a key role in shaping academic programs and institutional initiatives. She has been serving as the Program Chair for Master’s in Urban Housing and more recently as the Program Chair for the MBA in Real Estate at the Faculty of Management. Her work spans housing policy and projects, urban planning and legislation, urban regeneration and gentrification, and participatory urban governance, reflecting a strong engagement with both policy and practice. She has worked closely with national, state, and local government agencies, as well as academic institutions, contributing to policy, research, and capacity-building initiatives. She has also led CEPT’s International Office, strengthening global partnerships and expanding international engagement for over 9 years.
