Prof. Debdeep Mukhopadhyay is a distinguished and well-recognized leader in the field of hardware security. His research is focused on hardware security and cryptographic engineering bridging the gap between theory and practice. He has made pioneering contributions through his work on side-channel attacks that exploit information leakage channels beyond what normal software attacks use as well as in the development of strong device unique identifiers for semiconductor chips. His fault attack on AES performing the fault attack with a single fault and subsequent following works on fault tolerance and automation are outstanding pieces of research which have triggered several follow-up results from top schools in premier venues demonstrating the impact of his research. He has built a state-of-the-art laboratory on hardware security called Secured-Embedded-Architecture Laboratory (SEAL). It is the foremost hardware security laboratory in India. Prof. Mukhopadhyay has served as the Principal Investigator for projects worth around INR 28 Crores. He is a recipient of Swarnajayanti Fellowship and the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Engineering Sciences. Read more

Prof. Arun Kumar Shukla is one of the brightest young scientists in the country whose research work carried out in India has made a mark at the national and international levels. Prof. Shukla’s research program is focused on understanding the largest class of cell surface proteins in our body which are referred to as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The overarching theme of his research is to understand the structure, function and regulation of GPCRs, and leverage this information to design and discover novel therapeutics with minimal side-effects. His research at IIT Kanpur has elucidated the details of how clinically prescribed drugs for a range of human disorders interact with and regulate the function of their cognate receptors in human body. His research has also discovered previously unappreciated mechanisms that GPCRs utilize to receive the information outside the cells and relay the message across the cell membrane. This relay of information across the cells lies at the heart of specific cellular and physiological outcomes such as brain function, cardiovascular regulation and our ability to fight pathogenic organisms. Another key focus of Prof. Shukla’s research is to design synthetic proteins such as antibodies that can be utilized to better understand and modulate GPCR functions in human physiology. This has direct implications for developing novel therapeutics against a range of human diseases with minimal side-effects. Prof. Shukla is the recipient of various prestigious awards including the Swarnajayanti Fellowship and the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences. Read more

Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra’s contributions towards Ganga rejuvenation are pathbreaking, manifold and sustained over a very long period of time. They are marked by his passion, personal attention, scientific approach and most importantly ability to take along people at the grassroots level as well as the political leadership. He has shaped government policy for Ganga rejuvenation in a manner that the impact is visible on the ground. Mr. Mishra has conceived and lead the implementation of a unique approach which was required for the rejuvenation of Ganga. Under his leadership, NMCG has developed a comprehensive approach to address the challenges posed to Ganga through different sectors, namely, wastewater management, solid waste management, industrial pollution, river front development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, river management planning, wetland conservation and involvement of the masses. Ganga River Basin Management Plan and Namami Gange bear the imprint of the strong impact of Mr. Mishra’s leadership for the rejuvenation of Ganga. His most recent effort in this direction is a book on Ganga co-authored by him.

Prof. Suman Chakraborty is a pioneer in developing microneedles for blood extraction and drug delivery by exploiting mosquito’s blood sampling mechanism. He has also been the first researcher to develop a fundamental theory on electrically modulated movement of blood in a capillary, and to translate the same towards the development of an original medical diagnostic device for blood pathology. His recently patented diagnostic device, premised on fractal structures of blood patterns formed on a simple paper strip on account of newly discovered instability mechanisms, has opened up new vistas for chemical-free rapid screening of low haemoglobin level blood samples, acting as a ultra-low cost preliminary decision making tool in resource-limited settings. Prof. Chakraborty has been the inventor of ‘Paper and Pencil Microfluidics’- opening up a new class of miniaturized devices that have evolved globally under his scientific leadership. The backbone of this technology is a simple piece of paper cartridge having pencil-sketched electrodes controlling fluid flow in printed channels. This has made a breakthrough in manufacturing lowcost medical diagnostic devices for the underserved rural population. He has patented several devices of this kind that can do rapid multiple pathological tests from a single drop of blood on a low-cost platform. His team has also patented a novel paper-based device for assessing antibiotic resistance in a patient. Many technologies developed by him have been transferred to the industry. Prof. Chakraborty was conferred with the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences. Read more

Prof. Arun Kumar has made significant contributions towards championing the advancement of hydro power plants, both within the country as well as internationally. He has established a major state of art hydraulic turbine research and testing laboratory at IIT Roorkee with a sponsored funding of INR 27 crores. He has also established a laboratory for Sediment Monitoring and Impact Analysis Studies in hydro power plants and a facility for performance testing of small hydropower stations - the only nationally recognized independent organization for testing and evaluation of small hydropower stations. He has undertaken a large number of important studies on small hydropower development. Prof. Kumar has developed 27 standards for small hydro power through a consultative process. He was a member of the Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by a Member of Planning Commission, which was set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2012-13 on issues related to river Ganga. He is a Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of the Board of International Hydropower Association. Read More

Mr. V.N. Heggade, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), STUP Consultants Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai and a former Executive Director of Gammon, has worked for over three and half decades in the design and construction of a large number of unique structures in the country. He has immensely contributed towards the design and construction of special structures like long span bridges on rivers and creeks, elevated transportation structures on land (fly overs and rail transport systems), Hyperbolic Natural draft cooling towers, induced draft cooling towers, chimneys, intake structures, marine jetties, wharves and berths. He has been responsible for the design of many firsts in the country like longest span bridge by cantilever construction method, the tallest NDCT, the tallest single and multi-flue chimney, indigenously designed and constructed extra-dosed bridge by cast in situ cantilever construction method, hydraulic structures like bridge cum aqueducts (Narmada & Temur), sea and river intakes (Bhavini and Brahmini), under the sea tunnels (Bhavini), asymmetric cable stay bridge (Signature Bridge at Delhi) etc. Mr. Heggade is a Fellow of INAE.

The research group lead by Prof. Boominathan has worked widely in the field of seismic hazard assessment for the prevention of disasters. They have determined the dynamic properties of the soil to develop seismic microzonation maps based on the site response analysis. In order to accomplish this, his research group has carried out extensive field, laboratory and numerical tests for Chennai city. The field investigations include Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves MASW test and standard penetration test SPT; the laboratory tests include the bender element test and the cyclic triaxial test. The shear wave velocity of the soil was measured by employing MASW technique using a 24-channel seismic recorder with 4.5 Hz geophones. An NEHRP based seismic site classification map has been developed under his leadership. The local site effects were studied rigorously by carrying out site response analyses considering the intensity characteristics of earthquake motion at bedrock level and nonlinear characteristics of the soil. He has also carried out studies for the Kutch region of Gujarat. Read more

Prof. Amit Prashant is involved in fundamental research on microfabric effects and rate effects in soils, soil instabilities. Aligning with the infrastructure needs of the country, his research has mainly focused on nailed slopes, monopoles and duo-piles, seismic design of caissons, retaining structures and pipelines, GPR in archaeological applications, and Geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls. He has earned significant sponsored funding from DST, MHRD, RDSO etc. and has published more than 30 high impact journal articles, peer-reviewed conference papers, two edited volumes of proceedings, and a well-cited report on soil nailing adopted as RDSO guidelines for railways. Prof. Prashant has worked with industry on challenging consultancy projects related to Riverfront work, Alternative design for ashdyke (including guidelines), Geotechnical study of hill-cut, Rehabilitation of canal in cuts, Remedial measures for Roads, Designed-filling for Airport site, etc. He is also contributing to BIS/IRC committees for codes/guidelines about earthquake engineering, use of waste in road-embankments and geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls. Read more

Dr. Olympa Baro is a faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering at National Institute of Technology, Silchar. She has completed her PhD from the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati. Through her research in PhD, she has contributed significantly towards the understanding of the seismic hazard potential of the Shillong Plateau (SP) in northeast India. Her research contributions include identification and characterization of the four seismic source zones effecting seismicity of the SP. Findings from this study were published in reputed journals in the area of seismology. Another part of her research contributes to the assignment of proper weights to Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) for assessing Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) values across the SP. This study showed that seismic hazard analysis for a significantly large area has to be done in parts and not as a single study area due to the varying weights of GMPEs. Read more