Professor (Dr.) Rup Kumar Barman is an eminent social scientist, historian, and academic administrator, currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Bankura University and the Vice-Chancellor (Authorized) of Harichand Guruchand University. He also served Murshidabad University as Vice-Chancellor (Interim). A distinguished scholar, he holds the rank of Professor (on lien) in the Department of History at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, where he has held several key administrative roles, including Head of the Department, Member of the Executive Council, and Coordinator of the Centre for Ambedkar Studies.

     With over 25 years of teaching and research experience, Prof. Barman specializes in the political, social and cultural history of India, with a focus on state and kingdom formations, democracy and electoral politics, caste and Dalit studies, environmental history, indigenous medicine, border, migration and citizenship. His prolific scholarly contributions include 18 authored and 2 edited books and over 100 research papers published in esteemed national and international journals and edited volumes.

        An acclaimed academic leader, Prof. Barman has supervised 22 Ph.D. and 29 M.Phil. scholars to successful completion and has been recognized with several awards and honours for his scholarly excellence. His ground-breaking research and visionary leadership have profoundly influenced the discourse in modern South Asian historical studies, cementing his legacy as a transformative figure in the field. His research interests include Social and Cultural History of Precolonial, Colonial and Postcolonial India, Environmental History, Caste and Dalit Studies, Indigenous Medicine, Indian Knowledge System, Partition and Migration Studies, Border and Citizenship Studies, River and Fisheries, Buddhist Studies, etc.