Dr. D. Premachandra Sagar

Founder & Pro-Chancellor, Dayananda Sagar University (DSU)

Dr. D. Premachandra Sagar is a distinguished educationist, physician, and former
Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Karnataka, renowned for his transformative impact on
India’s higher education and healthcare sectors. As the Pro-Chancellor of Dayananda
Sagar University and Vice Chairman of the Sagar Group, Dr. Sagar has steered the
establishment of world-class institutions, including three quaternary care hospitals and a multidisciplinary university ecosystem that serves over 40,000 students.

A visionary in emerging technologies, Dr. Sagar is currently spearheading DSU’s
evolution into India’s first “AI-First” University. Through a strategic collaboration with
NVIDIA, he has established an industrial-scale “AI Factory” anchored by DGX B200-
based infrastructure. This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, fostering deep-tech innovation in healthcare, cybersecurity, and smart systems.

Driven by a commitment to “Sovereign AI” Dr. Sagar advocates for India-contextual
models and ethical frameworks. A polymath who has studied global development
models extensively, he integrates a physician’s empathy with a strategist’s
foresight—qualities reflected in his personal pursuits of chess and tennis. His leadership
continues to position India as a global leader in human capital and technological
innovation.