Dr Venkataraman Balaji, took over as Vice President of COL on 1st January 2019. He had served as the Director of Technology and Knowledge Management at COL since September 2010. He is a specialist in the area of Information and Communication Technology applied to rural development. His work at COL in applied technology focused on testing new models and practices in technology-mediated outreach that can be deployed in support of learning at all levels. His role also included work related to MOOCs and Aptus.