Dr. Soma Chakrabarti has over twenty years of experience in leadership, administration, teaching and research in both academia and industry. She consults worldwide on professional and continuing higher education administration. She has been the assistant dean of Summer Term at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the director of Continuing Studies at the University of Delaware’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies; and the director of the Center for Engineering and Interdisciplinary Professional Education at the University of Kansas Continuing Education Division. Earlier Soma was the president and chief executive officer of BioComp Systems, Inc., a University of Kansas spin-off, that developed a near commercial quality true 3-D display system using two National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and Phase II grants with Soma as the principal investigator. She has taught chemical engineering and was an associate research engineer in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Kansas. She has a doctorate in biochemical engineering and biotechnology from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Soma has been the president of IACEE since 2016, promoting global initiatives and strategic partnerships for continuing engineering education. Soma has been associated with IACEE since 2008. She started volunteering as website assistant and coordinating special interest groups, and became a Council member in 2012. She was the first vice president and vice-president for member engagement and communication for the 2014-2016 term. At IACEE, Soma has also taught for the IACEE Quality Program for Continuing Education-based leadership and management workshops.