King’s India Institute appoints Director

King's College London has appointed Professor Sunil Khilnani as Director of the King's India Institute. Sunil Khilnani is currently the Starr Foundation Professor and Director of the South Asia Studies Programme at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC - a programme which he founded. He is expected to take up his new position at King's in July 2011. The King's India Institute, founded in 2008, provides a focal point for India-related activities across a range of academic disciplines at the College. Promoting an understanding of India and developing the profile of Indian Studies at university level in the UK, the Institute coordinates and develops India-related research capabilities and India-focused programmes of study at King's, while also building links with Indian organisations in education, the cultural and creative sectors, business and government. Through these activities the Institute aims to contribute to a growing interdisciplinary interest in India among both students and academics at King's. Commenting on his appointment, Sunil Khilnani said: 'After almost a decade in Washington, during which I've seen a profound transformation in India's relationship both with the US and the wider world, I'm very pleased to be returning to London to lead this new initiative.