Professor Susan Elias is the XIV Principal of St. Stephen’s College and the first woman to lead the College since its establishment in 1881. A distinguished computer scientist, researcher, and academic administrator, she brings over 34 years of experience in teaching, research, and institutional leadership. She holds a B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering from Madras University, an M.E. in Multimedia Technology and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at IIT Madras.

Throughout her career, Professor Elias has held several important academic and administrative positions at leading institutions in India. Before joining St. Stephen’s College, she served as Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) at Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh. She was previously Director of Research at the Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai, and Professor and Dean of the School of Electronics Engineering at Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai. At Vellore Institute of Technology, she also served as Deputy Director of the Centre for Advanced Data Science and held leadership responsibilities in the School of Electronics Engineering. Earlier, she spent nearly two decades at Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Chennai, where she served as Professor, Head of the Department of Computer Science, and Dean of Co-curricular Activities. She began her teaching career as a lecturer at Mar Gregorios College of Engineering.