Scholar, editor-publisher, translator, lexicographer, bibliophile, Samik Bandyopadhyay is currently the Rabindranath Tagore National Fellow at the School for Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi (2015-2017) and Member, Publication Committee, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi (2016–). He was Visiting Professor, SAA, JNU, New Delhi (2005-2012, 2014); Visiting Professor: ICCR Chair at the Department of Theatre Studies; Freie Universität, Berlin (April-July 2014); Vice-Chairman, National School of Drama (2006-2010); and Member National School of Drama Society (2005-May 2014).
Mr. Bandyopadhyay has lectured extensively in the USA, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and England; he gave a series of lectures on Indian cinema at Pittsburgh University 1988; a seminar on Indian Culture at Brown University, Providence 1990. He was also Lecturer, Departments of English Literature and Drama, Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta, 1966-73.
Additionally, he was Regional Editor, Oxford University Press, Calcutta, 1973-82, and was Founder-Editor, Seagull Books, 1982-88. More recently he was Founder-Editor, Thema, a small publisher based in Kolkata (estab. 1988).
His vast experience includes stints as Producer Emeritus, All India Radio and Doordarshan, 1989-92. Research Professor, Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 1995-97; Member, General Council, Sangeet Natak Akademi (2 consecutive terms) and Central Board of Film Certification (1970-80); Member, 14-Member Indian Delegation to the East-West Theatre Seminar organized by the International Theatre Institute, New Delhi 1966; Panelist at seminars on Indian Theatre as part of Festivals of India in USSR (Tashkent 1987) and Germany (Berlin 1992).
He has translated plays and fiction by Badal Sircar and Mahasweta Devi; contributed introductions to plays by Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Elkunchwar, G P Deshpande, Satish Alekar; and reconstructed for publication, filmscripts for films made by Shyam Benegal and Mrinal Sen. He has contributed several essays in numerous film and theatre periodicals in English and Bengali, has interviewed Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Mahasweta Devi, Richard Attenborough, Natalie Sarraute, Salman Rushdie, Derek Malcolm, Reinhard Hauff, etc. for Film Society periodicals and All India Radio and Doordarshan; several of these interviews have been later included in books.