Category: 2018 Speaker

Professor Muralidhar Miryala is Board of Councilor and former Deputy President at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Operational Board Chair, World Technology University Network and Professor at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering / College of Engineering.

Prof Miryala’s main task is to transform SIT into a high rank university. To accomplish this goal, he has been working and further designed several innovative programs to enhance global initiatives for SIT. For instance, global project based learning (gPBL), advanced project based learning (aPBL), Ph.D innovative program, publication based internship program, high school internship program as these programs are crucial towards global ranking projects.

On the other hand, interested in applications and technology of bulk single-grain superconductors; thus, Prof Miryala had developed a new class of mixed LRE-123 system which can be used up to 15 T at 77 K and high temperatures up to 90.2 K. He developed a novel technology to produce a RE-123 type silver sheathed wire on the basis of solid state / liquid phase reaction. Prof Miryala has developed bulk MgB2 with enhanced superconducting properties, paving the way to affordable superconducting magnets for medical and transportation applications. Successful in his intellectual mindset enabled him to produce a small type superconducting bulk magnet which is useful to magnetize both high-Tc superconducting materials and magnetic materials in a variety of industrial applications. Prof Miryala also contributed to develop technology for the development of DC Superconducting Cable for Railway system applications. Prof Miryala has authored and co-authored more than 500 research items including patents, books, review-articles, articles, press release etc., and delivered over 150 oral presentations including plenary and invited ones.

Prof Miryala holds several Japanese national and international patents. Awards: Young Scientist Project Award, DST-Govt. of India (1995), Director’s Award, SRL-ISTEC (1998 and 2003), 1999 PASREG Award of Excellence (1999), Best Presentation Award at the IWCC11 (2003), Best Researcher Award, ISTEC-SRL (2007 and 2008), Best Researcher Award, Railway Technical Research Institute (2012), the Amity Global Academic Excellence Award (2017), Engineering Education Award for Contribution in Higher Education (2018), SIT Excellent Education Award (2019) by President. IAAM Fellow (2020), Vebleo Fellow (2021), Best Faculty Award (2021), Pravasi Bharatiya Summan Award by President, Govt. of India (2021). SIT Chairman’s Award (2021), Incredible Academician of World Award (2022). He is an Editor-in-Chief and Editorial board member of several international journals. Currently I am adjunct professor, visiting professor and international advisor for several universities in worldwide.

Zainuddin A. Manan is a professor of chemical engineering and the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academics and International of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He is the founding director of UTM Process Systems Engineering Centre (PROSPECT) and the founding Dean of UTM Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering. He started his career as an process engineer and has since then been an academic leader, educator, researcher, consultant and professional coach for more than 25 years. As the UTM Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International), Prof Zain founded the UTM Synergy 4.0 transformation program to advance the mission of widening access to UTM quality engineering education. UTM Synergy 4.0 involved the historic consolidation of 18 UTM subdiscipline-based faculties into 7 faculties based on UTM key thrust areas; advancing flexible & 4IR-ready curriculum, future-ready educators and life-ready graduates; and providing access to UTM lifelong education programs delivered through various digital and distance learning modes such as MOOCS, blended, fully online as well as remote supervision, apart from residential modes. Zain has been the chair of global/regional committees such as the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Global Award for Computer Aided Process Design, the Board of judges for ASEAN Energy Awards for commercial and industrial sectors, and the Chair of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act Drafting committee under the Malaysian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. He has delivered over 400 invited talks in professional courses, conferences and seminars across the world and has coached professionals from more than 500 national and multi-national companies.

Dr. Mullika Sungsanit is the vice rector for engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship, with more than 15 years of experience in HRD and entrepreneurship development. Dr. Sungsanit has developed many entrepreneurship development activities for SUT students and for other universities. Besides working for SUT, she served as the consultant for the InfoDev-Worldbank developing and delivering training programs for Women Entrepreneurs in the Mekong (Mekong Women Entrepreneurship Challenge Program: MWEC Program), the Caribbean (Women Innovator Network in the Caribbean: WINC, the GyB (Grow Your Business Program), and Nepal (Nepal Agri-Food Business Growth Program). Dr. Sungsanit holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota, USA.

Dr. M. M. Ramya is currently a Professor in Centre for Automation and Robotics (ANRO) at the Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science. She has over 20 years of teaching experience. Her research activities focus on artificial intelligence and soft computing techniques, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence and image processing applications. She has over 35 publications in academic journals and conference proceedings. She has received funds worth Rs. 150 lakhs for her research projects from different agencies like DRDO, UGC etc. She is frequently invited as a resource person to deliver lectures, to conduct training workshops, and chair track sessions at conferences. She regularly reviews manuscripts submitted to peer review journals and conferences. She is also an associate editor of an international journal “Image Analysis & Stereology”.

Prof. (Dr.) Kuncheria P Isaac assumed charge as the third Vice Chancellor of Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS) on 1st March 2018. Prior to joining HITS, he was the Founder Vice Chancellor of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University (initially Kerala Technological University), the Member Secretary of All India Council for Technical Education, Govt. of India and Director of Technical Education, Government of Kerala. He completed his Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from College of Engineering, Trivandrum (Third rank in the University of Kerala), obtained his Masters Degree in Transportation Engineering (Civil Engineering) from IIT, Madras (Gold Medalist) and Doctorate from Bangalore University. He has profound experience in the academic field spanning across 40 years. He began his career as a Lecturer in the Technical Education Department of Kerala and rose to the position of Director of Technical Education. Most of his career, he has served at College of Engineering, Trivandrum as a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering. His specialization is in the field of Transportation Engineering, he is also instrumental in establishing a Transportation Engineering Division at College of Engineering, Trivandrum. He is a leading Consultant and Researcher in this area of specialization. He has shown keen interest in collaborating and partnering with industries. He was involved in the process of manufacturing Sand-M Sand, an alternative to river sand. He was the coordinator of State Technical Agency for PMGSY scheme in Kerala. He has coordinated a large number of training programmes for the Engineers of Kerala in the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Roads. His research contribution comprises more than 50 publications in reputed national and international journals. He has coordinated several research projects and has produced five Ph.Ds. As Principal and Director of Technical Education he is instrumental in establishing the Centre for Engineering Research and Development in Kerala, Research Park at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum and several new initiatives for the development of Technical Education in the State of Kerala. As Member Secretary, he has implemented various new schemes for improving quality of Technical Education in the country. During his tenure he has been instrumental in establishing a regional office for Kerala and also accomplished the construction of four storeyed building within a short span of six months. The AICTE headquarters building in New Delhi at a cost of Rs. 150 Crores was also constructed under his leadership. He has served as a member of Boards of several National institutions like IIT, IIM, SPA, NITTR, CBSE, NIPER, NITIE, etc. As a Founder Vice Chancellor of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University, he has established the University on an e-governance platform and developed the academic curriculum with emphasize on Outcome Based Education and project based learning. Innovations and reformation of curriculum has been his forte and he was instrumental in formulating the Student startups policy. He had reformed the Engineering, B.Tech and Post Graduate courses during his tenure as the Founder Vice Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. He is the recipient of Prof. M.V. Pylee Award for distinguished academician of India instituted by Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala and Sangama Grama Madhava Award from Govt. & Aided Polytechnic College Teaching Staff Association (GPTSA) Kerala.

Uduak Archibong is the Pro Vice Chancellor [Equality, Diversity and Inclusion], directs the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity and provides strategic oversight for equality, diversity and inclusion [EDI] across the institution. She obtained a BSc (First Class) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria in 1990, a PhD from Hull University in 1995 and promoted to Professor of Diversity with a cross-disciplinary and institutional portfolio in 2004. She is a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing and a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing. She was listed in the New Year Honours list 2015 and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to higher education and equality.

She has been recognised as a foremost authority on inclusion and diversity and became the first ever UK Professor of Diversity with a cross-disciplinary and institutional portfolio. She has a sustained, distinguished presence in the field of diversity management, she is currently leading in setting agenda to drive research, learning and knowledge exchange activities internationally and has published extensively on inclusion and diversity. Informed by over 30 years’ experience of working in the health and higher education sectors, her academic and professional work has major impacts locally, nationally and globally. Key among these impacts is that the body of her research work has provided the evidence base for, and a robust understanding of, the development and application of cultural solutions and diversity interventions in public, private and third sector organisations.

She is at the forefront of transforming organisational culture for sustainable diversity and inclusion approaches. Her research has provided a unique international definition of positive action and application for representational and participative diversity. She led to completion a major multi-million European Commission funded gender equality research project, GENOVATE, across 7 European Universities and led the EDI elements of a multi-million European Horizon 2020 project, RRING, in collaboration with 20 international partners. Her research projects – Disrupting the disproportional disciplinary proceedings in the UK NHS and Cracking the concrete ceiling for the advancement of UK BME Academic staff have made a major contribution to shaping the agenda on race equality, and informed global debates on systemic racism and other forms of structural inequality.

A multi-award winner, Uduak has been honoured as one of the top 100 Nigerians in the UK to receive a Centenary Award, one of the top 50 Inspirational Women in Healthcare in the UK, a Distinguished Nurse Leader in 21st century in Nigeria, and one of the 70 most outstanding Nigerians in the UK Health Sector. She featured in Northern Power Women Power List, 2019 and Phenomenal Women – Portraits of UK Black Women Professors in 2020. She was listed in the Black WHO’S WHO in the Millennium. Uduak is an Ecumenical Canon of the Bradford Cathedral, UK.

Uduak has founded AFfIH [Affiong Etuk Foundation for Inclusive Health] to help her determination to make Nigeria a Dementia Responsive Country. Her outstanding leadership for the development and promotion of a movement to forge community unity against dementia in Akwa Ibom State has led to the conferment of numerous high chief titles in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria.

A senior leader with a background in strategy development, collaborative working and knowledge management. At Coventry University Jo is the institutional lead on national and international policy engagement. She is responsible for coordinating our engagement with relevant bodies, national regulatory bodies and HE networks such as University Alliance and the World Technology Universities Network (WTUN). Through her work she has a wide network of HE, industry and policy contacts. Jo has led on a number of organisational change programmes within the university, the two most significant involved (i) establishing two new professional services departments to support our growing research aspirations, as well as our continued engagement with industry and (ii) the launch of a formal Location Independent Working programme. She is a CMI accredited coach and supports colleagues with their personal development through our university’s coaching and mentoring academy. Jo strongly believes that collaborative working is key to economic and societal growth and that the Higher Education sector has a key role as a catalyst for collaboration. Experience: HE policy in the UK; developing business cases for investment; chairing and facilitation of large and small groups; public speaking; networking and building influence; project management; public funding bid writing and development; flexible working practices; business-university collaboration; public funded research and enterprise programmes; business and enterprise support; managing complex budgets; information and knowledge management.

Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi Director Indian Institute of Technology Madras Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi got his B.Tech in Electronics from IIT Madras in 1980, and his M.S. and Ph.D is Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara, in 1982 and 1985 respectively. After working at AT&T Bell Laboratories for a couple of years, he joined the faculty of IIT Madras, his alma mater, in 1986. He took over as Director, IIT Madras in September 2011. His areas of specialisation are Communications and Signal Processing. His research work is in Wireless Networks, Modulation, Wireless Data, and Audio and Video Compression. He is a founding member of the TeNeT group of IIT Madras, active in developing telecom and networking technologies, and incubating companies to develop and market products based on these. He is currently also honorary Director of the Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology, a public-private initiative at the IIT-M Research Park to make India a wireless technology leader. He is on the Board of Bharat Electronics Limited. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is also an Honorary Fellow of the International Medical Sciences Academy. He was awarded the Vasvik Award for Electronic Sciences and Technology for the year 2000, the Tamil Nadu Scientist Award for Engineering and Technology for the year 2003, India Semiconductor Association TechnoVisionary Award for the year 2011, Doyens of Madras Award for the year 2014 and ACCS–CDAC Foundation Award for the year 2015.

Professor Preeti Aghalayam Preeti is a professor in the Chemical Engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. She was on the faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, & a post doctoral researcher at MIT, Cambridge, prior to this. She has vast experience in the area of Chemical Reaction Engineering, and has worked on problems of automotive NOx reduction, underground coal gasification, carbon black production, and soot formation in flames. She has several international papers & conference publications, and has recently authored a book on Underground Coal Gasification. She was presented with the Indian National Academy of Engineering ‘Young Engineer’ award in 2007, and the Amar Dye Chem award in 2008.