Dr. Vidya Sankarapandian is the Director of Academic Affairs at Kampala International University, where she provides strategic leadership in academic planning, quality assurance, curriculum development, and coordination of teaching and learning across faculties. She concurrently serves as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, bringing together strong academic governance with hands-on teaching and research leadership. 

Dr. Vidya has over fourteen years of combined teaching and research experience in higher education. Before her appointment as Director of Academic Affairs in 2023, she served as Head of Laboratories and Assistant Professor at KIU, where she supervised laboratory services and research activities across multiple medical and biomedical laboratories at KIU Teaching Hospital. Earlier in her career, she was an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College in Trichy, India, where she taught undergraduate and postgraduate students and played an active role in curriculum delivery, student supervision, and academic mentoring. 

She holds a PhD in Microbiology from Bharathidasan University, India, with research focused on medical and marine microbiology, and has also earned an M.Phil. and M.Sc. in Microbiology, a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology, and national teaching and research eligibility certifications (SLET and NET–ICAR). Dr. Vidya has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and is currently guiding PhD candidates in areas such as antimicrobial resistance, molecular characterization of pathogens, probiotics, and environmental biotechnology. 

Dr. Vidya is a highly published researcher with extensive contributions to international peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, covering topics including probiotics, cancer therapeutics, antimicrobial resistance, marine biotechnology, and molecular microbiology. She has participated in and led funded research projects, workshops, and community outreach initiatives, and is recognized for her commitment to academic excellence, research innovation, and strengthening university academic systems. Her work continues to contribute significantly to KIU’s academic reputation and research output.