Coursera Appoints Nikhil Sinha As Senior Adviser, Global Initiatives

Coursera, the world’s largest open online education provider, has brought on Dr. Nikhil Sinha as Senior Advisor for Global Initiatives. Dr. Sinha will play a key role in developing Coursera’s international strategy and partnerships in order to grow Coursera’s community, currently over 140 top universities offering online courses to over 17 million registered learners globally. Dr. Sinha was until recently the founding Vice Chancellor of the Shiv Nadar University, India’s first comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research university, established in the philanthropic sector.

A leading international expert on the information and communication technology industries, Dr. Sinha has over 30 years’ experience as an academician and corporate executive. In his academic career, he has served in the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin as a faculty member and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Outside the academy, Dr. Sinha has held senior positions in several organizations like Silverskills, eFunds Corporation, iDLX Technology Partners and Adams Capital Management.

On his appointment, Rick Levin, CEO, Coursera said, “We are thrilled to welcome Nikhil to the Coursera team. Nikhil brings with him a rich blend of leadership experiences from both the academic and the corporate sectors. This makes him an ideal fit to help Coursera build strategic partnerships and alliances globally.”

Dr. Sinha added, “I believe online education will play a significant role in opening new doors for many millions of capable people in India and all over the world. I have admired Coursera’s mission and global reach since the company launched in 2012, and I look forward to supporting the company in its strategic and international growth.”

Dr. Sinha is the Non-executive Chairman of the Board of HCL Infosystems, one of India’s leading IT companies, a member of the Advisory Board of Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and a Director Emeritus of the US-India Business Council.

He has an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. (Hons.) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. He has published numerous articles and papers in scholarly journals and conferences and has been awarded a number of research, publishing and academic grants and awards.