Meet The Mentors

Dr Shiv Singh is a Scientist and Assistant Professor at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Advanced Materials and Process Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur in 2015 and earned his postdoctoral from the Korea Institute of Materials Science, South Korea. Then worked as a DST INSPIRE Faculty in CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow for 3 Years. He is having ~8 Years of Experience in the field of Nanomaterials & Electrochemistry. His Area of Expertise includes: Microbial fuel cell, Microbial electrolysis cell, CO 2 reduction, Electrochemical sensors etc. He is the author of approximately 50 prestigious journals with an average Impact factor ~9, Also recipient of many Grants, awards etc from International and National authorities (DST, CSIR, European Union etc).

Akshata Yashwant Patne is a dedicated Quality Assurance (QA) Specialist with over 4 years of hands-on experience in document review, regulatory compliance, and quality control within clinical and pharmaceutical environments. She holds a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from NMIMS University, India. Her professional expertise focuses heavily on ensuring operational alignment with ISO, GMP, and quality system standards through rigorous internal audit support, CAPA implementation, and cross-functional quality management. Additionally, she is an active researcher with peer-reviewed publications exploring the intersection of nanomedicine, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Dr. Pooja Devi is a Principal Scientist at CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh. She is affiliated with the Materials Science and Sensor Application Department of CSIR-CSIO. She received her Ph.D. Degree in Engineering (Materials) from the Academy of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi in 2018. She has been working as a scientist at CSIR-CSIO since 2010. She is having 12 years of experience in the field of materials. Her major research interest includes materials design for green hydrogen production, water/air pollutants degradation, and water pollutants monitoring, materials engineering, techniques, and associated affordable and portable devices development for water pollutants detection, degradation, green hydrogen production, air purification, etc. She has filed 03 patents, 02 design registration, 01 copyright, transferred 02 technology, published 84 international high-impact publications, edited 07 books, 22 book chapters, 90 conference papers, and delivered 60 invited/oral talks. She has received funding/fellowships from DST, SERB, CSIR, ACS, IUSSTF, etc., for various projects. She is also a recipient of several prestigious awards and fellowships including NASI Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Award (2021), IEI Young Engineer Award, INAE Young Engineer Award (2020), SERB Women Excellence Award (2020), Young Associateship of Indian Academy of Science (2019-22), Haryana Yuva Vigyan Ratan Award (2019), Young Scientist Award (2019) from Indian Science Congress Association, Young Scientist Award (2019) from International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, IUSSTF Water Advanced Research and Innovation (WARI) fellowship (2017), Canadian Commonwealth Fellowship (2010), GC Jain Memorial Award (2020) by MRSI, PITTCON- Travel Grant (2018) from American Chemical Society, SERB International Travel grant, etc.

Ms. Neha Sawal is a Legal Analyst in Apex Fund Services Ltd. Company/Organization located at Bangalore. She received her L.L.B. Degree from Mody University, Laxmangarh in 2016 and earned her postdoctoral in Business law from university of Indian Law, Pune in 2021. Then worked as an Assistant Professor –Tax Law in Christ University Bangalore Institute/University. She has 2.5 Years of Experience in the field of Corporate Law. Her Area of Expertise includes: Business Law, Startup incorporation, constitutional law, Legal studies, Human rights law, Startup funding and legal procedures, family laws, criminal and civil law.

Dr. Indra Neel Pulidindi works as an assistant professor at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) & Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Thandalam, Chennai, India. He serves as a Scientific Consultant at JSCIAR, India. He has also been rendering his services as a Visiting Professor at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, in the research group of Professor Sabu Thomas. His specialisation lies in Composites (CFRPs), Biofuels and Biochemicals, Catalysis, Fuel Cells, Carbon materials and Heteropoly Acids. He has published 79 research papers, 8 books, 14 book chapters and secured a patent (6 patents filed). He has guided several PhD, Master’s and Undergraduate students. Given his vast teaching and research experience, Dr. Neel looks forward to adding value to esteemed institution, namely, SMCH and SIMATS where he is currently employed.

Dr. Siva Mohan Reddy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.She/he received his/her Ph.D. Degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Science in 2013 and earned his/her postdoctoral from York University. Then he is working as a Faculty in Department of Chemical Engg, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee from 2015 onwards. He/she is having 10 Years of Experience in the field of nanomaterial synthesis, bio- nanomaterials, nano-carbon materials for energy and environment. Her/his Area of Expertise includes: Nano carbon hybrid materials, H2 production from biomass, Biofuels, Bio- nanomaterials, Waste water treatment, Solid and liquid waste management, Nanocatalysts for energy and environment applications. She/he is the author of 50 international peer review journal papers, has ongoing/completed more than 3 crore grant from different funding agencies, and recipient of Young Influential Researcher – Asia 2023 by ACS.

Ayan Chawla is a Cloud Solution Architect specializing in Data & AI, with a proven track record of assisting at Top reputated Global MNC.

Dr. Ali H. Wheeb is a Professor in the Computer Engineering College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad. He earned his PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (2024) from UKM University and brings 10 years of experience in computer engineering along with 16 years in academia. His expertise spans computer engineering and networking, UAV systems, UAV routing protocols, and machine learning, including reinforcement learning. He has published widely and has received research grants and awards.

Prof S. A. Abbasi has been a Full University Professor and centre director during 1987-2015 and is an Emeritus Professor since then. Prior to it he was Head-in-charge of the Water Quality & Environment Division at the Centre for Water Resources, Kozhikode (1979-87), and a Visiting-cum-Adjunct Professor at California State University (1984-1987). He has also been a Visiting Professor at the universities of Minnesota, Florida, California−Berkeley, Malaya and Al-Ahsa. With 46 books, over 400 papers in indexed journals, 10 patents, over 19,500 citations and a Hirsch Index currently at 75, Prof Abbasi is among the world’s foremost experts in the fields of process safety and environmental engineering. In the recent Stanford University study, he was ranked among the world’s top 0.5% scientists, and among the top 100 Indian scientists, independent of the area of specialisation. Among numerous coveted honours and awards received by him are the National Design Award in Environmental Engineering, the IPCL award for Safety and Hazard Management in Petroleum Industries, the National Hydrology Award, the International Desalination Association’s prize, and fellowships of the National Academy of Sciences and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers

Manyara Bonface Baraka is a Data Engineer and Machine Learning practitioner with experience in building ETL/ELT pipelines, data infrastructure, BI analytics solutions, cloud deployment, and scalable data architectures. He is currently completing an MSc in Engineering AI at Carnegie Mellon University Africa and has worked on aviation data engineering, machine learning, cloud-based data systems, and technical mentoring.