Vivek Kumar Pandey

Vivek Pandey is an interdisciplinary design educator, creative practitioner, and academic leader whose professional journey spans more than two decades across animation production, communication design, higher education, and creative innovation. Since beginning his career in August 2002, he has continuously evolved from a production artist to an educator, mentor, and design leader committed to shaping future creative professionals.
His industry experience includes contributions to more than 50 internationally distributed animated television productions and feature projects across diverse roles including animation, layout and background design, storyboarding, concept development, character design, production planning, creative direction, and show running. His professional portfolio includes projects associated with internationally recognized brands and studios such as Marvel, Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Universal Pictures, Rainbow, Moonscoop, Gaumont Animation, Al Jazeera, Toonz Animation, Green Gold Animation, and DQ Entertainment.
Transitioning into academia, Vivek has held academic leadership positions involving curriculum design, programme development, faculty mentoring, admissions, academic administration, accreditation processes, and institutional development. His educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that while technologies continue to evolve, creativity, critical thinking, storytelling, empathy, and design thinking remain the core competencies of every successful designer.
A strong advocate of technology-enabled creative education, he actively integrates Artificial Intelligence into design pedagogy, encouraging students to use AI responsibly for ideation, research, visualization, rapid prototyping, content creation, and workflow optimization while preserving originality, ethics, and human creativity. His classrooms combine studio-based learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, real-world design challenges, and industry-oriented project execution to prepare students for rapidly changing creative industries.
Under his mentorship, student projects have earned more than 200 national and international recognitions, including awards, nominations, and official selections at prestigious film festivals worldwide. His students have also represented their institutions at internationally acclaimed platforms, reflecting his commitment to excellence in storytelling, design innovation, and professional practice.
Beyond teaching, Vivek actively contributes to curriculum innovation, faculty development, design education, industry-academia collaboration, and the adoption of emerging technologies in higher education. His broader vision is to create learning ecosystems where creativity, technology, research, and innovation converge to produce socially responsible designers capable of addressing complex global challenges.

• Master of Fine Arts (Applied Arts), Himalayan University, India, 2016 – 2018
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drawing & Painting) – Gold Medalist, I.K.S.University, India, 1999 – 2002

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• Associate Professor, School of Design Innovation, Mahindra University, June 2026 – Present
• Head – Animation & VFX, UPES, Dehradun, 2025 –Dec.2025
• Assistant Professor (Selection Grade), UPES, Dehradun , 2023 – 2025
• Associate Professor, Annapurna College of Film and Media, 2012 – 2023
• Showrunner / Creative Head, Eklavya Studio, 2020 – 2022

Animator | Quality Controller | Senior Animator | Layout & Background Artist, DQ Entertainment International, August 2002 – 2012

Professional Highlights

• Professional experience spanning 24 years in animation, communication design, and higher education. Contributed to 50+ internationally distributed animated television productions.
• Contributed to 50+ internationally distributed animated television productions.
• Worked with internationally recognized brands including Marvel, Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Universal Pictures, Rainbow, Moonscoop, Gaumont Animation, Toonz Animation, Green Gold Animation, and Al Jazeera.
• Academic leader with experience in curriculum design, programme development, faculty mentoring, accreditation, admissions, and institutional growth.
• Pioneer in integrating Artificial Intelligence into communication design, animation education, and creative workflows.
• Mentored student projects that have achieved 200+ international and national recognitions, including awards, nominations, and official selections at prestigious film festivals.
• Faculty Advisor for the Student Academy Awards conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
• Gold Medalist in Bachelor of Fine Arts.
• Recipient of the True-Blue Artist recognition by Wacom.

Vivek Pandey’s research explores the convergence of communication design, animation education, visual storytelling, artificial intelligence, and emerging creative technologies. His work investigates how AI can augment creativity, design thinking, visual communication, and experiential learning while fostering ethical, human-centered approaches to creative practice.

His current research interests include:

• Artificial Intelligence in Design Education
• AI-assisted Creative Workflows
• Communication Design
• Visual Storytelling
• Animation Pedagogy
• Design Thinking
• Interdisciplinary Design Innovation
• Curriculum Design for Creative Education
• Digital Transformation in Design Schools
• Cultural Heritage through Animation
• Emerging Media and Immersive Storytelling
• Industry-Academia Collaboration

His long-term objective is to develop educational frameworks that integrate creativity, technology, research, and innovation, preparing designers capable of addressing the evolving needs of global creative industries.