Government of Tamil Nadu
Chennai Institute of Journalism

Faculty & Academic Mentors

Distinguished senior journalists, seasoned editors, legal luminaries, and subject experts guiding next-generation media leaders.

21 Distinguished Faculty
A. S. Panneerselvan
DIRECTOR GENERAL
Head of the Institution

A. S. Panneerselvan

Director General, Chennai Institute of Journalism

A senior journalist and media scholar, A. S. Panneerselvan specialises in contemporary Indian politics, history, and media ethics. He is known for connecting historical perspectives with present-day journalism and leads CIJ as its Director General.

Print & Broadcast LeadershipCore newsroom ethics & contemporary journalism
Curriculum & Academic StandardsHands-on experiential learning modules

Distinguished Faculty Directory21

Seasoned professionals providing immersive classroom mentorship and live field assignments.

Justice K. Chandru
CIJ Faculty

Justice K. Chandru

Former Judge, Madras High Court

Justice K. Chandru is an Indian advocate and former judge of the Madras High Court. He is widely respected for his landmark judgments that expanded civil liberties, fought caste discrimination, and strengthened the rights of marginalised communities. During his judicial career, he delivered over 96,000 verdicts, many of which had a direct impact on social justice in Tamil Nadu.

Deepika S
CIJ Faculty

Deepika S

Assistant Professor, Madras Christian College (MCC)

Deepika S is an archaeologist and academic who focuses on interpreting material culture, archaeology, and the politics of the past. She brings strong methodological and analytical rigour to historical writing and archaeological interpretation.

Ajith Pillai
CIJ Faculty

Ajith Pillai

Former Senior Editor, Outlook

Ajith Pillai is a journalist with over 40 years of experience. He has reported from Bombay, Chennai, Delhi, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Kashmir on politics, crime, conflict, and social change. He was part of the founding editorial team of Outlook magazine.

Stanly Johny
CIJ Faculty

Stanly Johny

International Affairs Editor, The Hindu

Stanly Johny holds a Ph.D in International Studies from JNU, New Delhi. He writes extensively on geopolitics and Indian foreign policy and has reported from different parts of the world. He also anchors The Hindu’s international coverage.

Ramya Kannan
CIJ Faculty

Ramya Kannan

Health Editor and Tamil Nadu Bureau Chief, The Hindu

Ramya Kannan is an award-winning journalist specialising in healthcare, public health, and social development. Her reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic was widely recognised for its depth, accuracy, and impact.

Anand Srinivasan
CIJ Faculty

Anand Srinivasan

Value Investor, Author, YouTuber, Economic Consultant

Anand Srinivasan is a well-known value investor and financial analyst with decades of experience in economic research, investing, and financial education.

Surush Seshadri
CIJ Faculty

Surush Seshadri

Former National Business Editor, The Hindu

Surush Seshadri is a senior business journalist specialising in markets, corporate affairs, and economic reporting. Together with Anand Srinivasan, he trains students in financial data interpretation and business journalism.

Amudhan R P
CIJ Faculty

Amudhan R P

Documentary Filmmaker

Amudhan mentors students in visual storytelling using mobile-first production tools, helping them create impactful documentaries with limited resources.

R Kumar
CIJ Faculty

R Kumar

Associate Professor, Chennai Institute of Journalism

Kumar focuses on the fundamentals of journalistic writing, helping students build strong narrative structures, sharpen their news sense, and develop effective sourcing and storytelling skills.

G. Meenakshi
CIJ Faculty

G. Meenakshi

Assistant Professor, Chennai Institute of Journalism

Meenakshi trains students in newsroom editing practices, content refinement, and production workflows across print and digital journalism platforms.

Sriram Sathiyamoorthy
CIJ Faculty

Sriram Sathiyamoorthy

Assistant Professor, Chennai Institute of Journalism

Sriram Sathiyamoorthy trains students in television news production, including scripting, anchoring, studio presentation, and visual storytelling formats.

Sri Uthra S
CIJ Faculty

Sri Uthra S

Assistant Professor, Chennai Institute of Journalism

Sri Uthra works with students on audio storytelling, podcast production, and narrative voice for digital media platforms.

Ashwini Sivalingam
CIJ Faculty

Ashwini Sivalingam

Adjunct Faculty, Chennai Institute of Journalism

Ashwini brings field-based reporting experience into the classroom, emphasising accuracy, ethical journalism, and ground-level storytelling.

Dr. Srinivasan Ramani
CIJ Faculty

Dr. Srinivasan Ramani

Deputy National Editor and Data Editor, The Hindu

Srinivasan Ramani co-anchors the newspaper's editorial and opinion pages and has previously worked at the Economic and Political Weekly as a senior member of the editorial team. Besides his primary interests in opinion journalism - in areas such as politics, public policy, international affairs, and analysis - Srinivasan has written several pieces on data journalism with a focus on electoral politics.

Seshathiri Dhanasekaran
CIJ Faculty

Seshathiri Dhanasekaran

Tech Lead and AI/Data Analytics Specialist

Seshathiri Dhanasekaran is a technology leader and researcher with over 10 years of experience in AI-driven analytics, data science, and digital transformation. He is currently serving as a Tech Lead at First in Tromsø, Norway, where he specializes in employee engagement analytics, predictive modelling, and AI-powered business intelligence solutions. He has authored more than 34 peer-reviewed publications on behavioral analytics, machine learning applications in healthcare, and smart nudging systems that utilise wearable technology.

Murali Shanmugavelan
CIJ Faculty

Murali Shanmugavelan

Senior Fellow, Cultures and Practices of Democracy in the Indian Diaspora, SOAS, London University

Murali's work examines and address the question of digital inequalities. As a Faculty Fellow at Data & Society, New York. he worked on reimagining communication and technology studies from anti-caste perspectives. He has worked extensively in Bangladesh, India, and Brazil on technology and human interface.

Professor K. Jothi Sivagnanam
CIJ Faculty

Professor K. Jothi Sivagnanam

Full-Time Member, State Planning Commission; Former Head, Department of Economics, University of Madras

K. Jothi Sivagnanam has dedicated over three and a half decades to teaching and research in Indian economics, beginning his career in 1987. He has held various administrative positions in higher education for the past 33 years. Currently, he serves as a Full-Time Member of the State Planning Commission. Throughout his career, he has been involved in teaching and research across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs while also contributing to policy formulation through extensive writing and speaking engagements, both within and outside the classroom.

Dr. S . Anandhi
CIJ Faculty

Dr. S . Anandhi

Former Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies

Professor S. Anandhi is a gender studies scholar and historian whose research focuses on caste, gender, and Dravidian politics in colonial and contemporary Tamil Nadu. She is an adjunct faculty at the Asian College of Journalism. She has published extensively in leading social science journals, including the Economic and Political Weekly. Professor Anandhi is the co-editor of Dalit Women: Vanguard of an Alternative Politics (2017) and Rethinking Social Justice (2020). She has served on the Executive Committee of the Indian Association for Women’s Studies, and has been a member of the Boards of Women’s Studies in several universities.

Gita Jeyaraj
CIJ Faculty

Gita Jeyaraj

Independent writer, editor and researcher

Gita Jayaraj did her Masters at JNU, New Delhi. She Obtained the Ph.D. from IIT Madras. She has worked extensively on Traditional theatre forms and the constant dialogue between folk art and classical art. Study on Devakoothu the Theyyam performed by a women is a testament to the agency of marginalised communities and its fluid ties with mainstream Hinduism. Her writings appears in The Hindu , Frontline, The wire , Mint among Others.

K. C. Vijayakumar
CIJ Faculty

K. C. Vijayakumar

Sports Editor, The Hindu

K.C. Vijaya Kumar, The Hindu’s Sports Editor, has been a journalist for 27 years. Apart from Sports, He write book reviews, cutting across genres, and features. He has covered major sporting events across continents.

T. V. Venkateswaran
CIJ Faculty

T. V. Venkateswaran

Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali

T. V. Venkateswaran, a science communicator, science writer, and founder and chief editor of India Science Wire, is a Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali. His research profile includes the circulation of modern science in the premodern Tamil region, the evolution of calendars and history of astronomy and science, colonialism and modernity in India. He is a prolific Bi Lingual Writer on Science, Technology and Society.