GNA University, Phagwara, proudly announces that Prof. (Dr.) Vikrant Sharma has been honoured with the Prof. (Dr.) Dilbagh Singh Hira Memorial Award for Best Engineering Administrator for Punjab State. This distinguished recognition brings immense pride to the University. Prof. (Dr.) Vikrant Sharma was selected by a panel of academic committee from a premier technical university at the all-India level. The award is conferred annually upon an outstanding Dean representing one of the universities of Punjab.

The award ceremony was held on 29 November 2025 at Munakula Vinayagar Engineering College, Pondicherry, where former Union Minister and former Mumbai Commissioner Dr. Satnam Singh presented the award to Dr. Vikrant Sharma. The event was graced by eminent dignitaries, including Shri Pratap Singh Desai, Chairman ISTE New Delhi; the Chairman of Munakula Engineering College; and Prof. Prakash Babu, Vice Chancellor, Tarksheelan University, among others.

This annual event marked a significant milestone as the ISTE North Chapter secured nine national awards, setting a remarkable record. Dr. Buta Singh, former Vice Chancellor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Technical University, Bathinda, also attended the event as a special guest.

Dr. Vikrant Sharma earned his Ph.D. in Electronics and Communication on the topic Performance Optimization of Multichannel, Multigigabit per Second DWDM Ring from I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, Punjab, India.

He is a Professor and Dean in the School of Engineering Design and Automation, GNA University, Phagwara. During his academic career of more than 25 years, Dr. Vikrant Sharma has authored 12 books and edited 4 conference proceedings. He has published 60 papers in international journals, 20 papers in national journals, and 40 papers in the proceedings of international and national conferences. Dr. Vikrant has guided 12 M.Tech dissertations and 8 Ph.D. scholars, and he is presently guiding 8 Ph.D. students. Along with being an excellent teacher, Prof.(Dr.) Vikrant has successfully handled numerous administrative assignments and made exemplary contributions through his dedicated, committed, and innovative approach with high integrity. He serves on the editorial board of various international and national journals. He has organized 7 national/international conferences and 30 short-term courses/workshops.

He chaired the “Smart Innovation, Ergonomics and Applied Human Factors – 2019” conference held in Madrid, Spain. He also chaired the 10th Annual IEEE Information Technology, Electronics and Mobile Communication Conference (IEMCON) 2019 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

He is also a NAAC assessor. He is the recipient of several awards, such as the PIT Crew Award by NASA (Alabama, USA), the ISTE Section Best Emerging Chapter Award, the ISTE Best Teacher Award (twice), and the Best Ph.D. Dissertation Award. He is a lifetime member of ISTE and IETE and a member of CSI. His research interests include optical fiber and wireless communication.

On this proud occasion, Prof. (Dr.) Vikrant Sharma extended his heartfelt gratitude to Sardar Gurdeep Singh Sihra, Chancellor of GNA University, acknowledging that this achievement was possible only because of his guidance and trust. He also expressed sincere thanks to Dr. Hemant Sharma, Vice Chancellor, and Dr. Monika Hanspal for their constant guidance, support, and encouragement, which contributed greatly to this accomplishment.