Delhi University affiliated St Stephen's College on Tuesday, May 12 appointed Professor Susan Elias as its 14th principal, the first woman to lead the more than 145-year old insitution.
Elias will take charge as the principal of the college from June 1, 2026, according to an official notice issued by St Stephen's College.
The notice, signed by Rt Revd Dr Paul Swarup, Bishop of Delhi and chairman of St Stephen's College, read, "The Supreme Council of the College is pleased to announce that Prof Susan Elias will take charge as the XIV Principal of the College and as its first lady Principal with effect from the 1st of June 2026."
In addition to becoming the first female principal of St Stephen's College, the appointment of Prof Elias also holds significance as the institution was primarily an all boys college for a significant period before becoming co-educational. The college had some women students in its very early days, but functioned as operated as an all-male institution from 1950 until 1975, when it became fully co-educational.
Founded in 1881, St Stephen's College is one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, particularly known for its renowned alumni across politics, law and literature. Some distinguished alumni from St Stephen's College include former CJI DY Chandrachud, S Jaishankar, Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor and Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
About Susan Elias
An alumna of IIT Madras, the newly appointed principal of St Stephen's College has a career spanning over three decades, primarily serving in academic and administrative roles. Most recently, she served as Pro Vice Chancellor (research) at Chandigarh University Uttar Pradesh from January to May 2026, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Prior to that, Elias held the role of Director (research) at Hindustan University from October 2024 to December 2025. She also served in multiple positions at Vellore Institute of Technology, including Dean of the School of Electronics Engineering, Deputy Director at the Centre for Advanced Data Science, and Head of Department in electronics engineering.
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