Leadership & Council (2026-27)

Professor Indranil Manna, the Vice Chancellor of BIT Mesra, an academic with a fourdecade-long career span and an active proponent of translational research in engineering is deeply involved in several national and international committees and initiatives on engineering education and technology mission, serves as a member of several national academies and policy-making initiatives, and chairs multiple review and monitoring committees on engineering sciences. By training, Professor Manna is a metallurgical and materials engineer associated with teaching, research and academic administration since 1984. He obtained his B. Engg. Degree from Calcutta University (BE College) in 1983, M. Tech. from IIT Kanpur in 1984 and PhD from IIT Kharagpur in 1990. He was a PremchandRoychand Scholar (1992) and a Mouat Medal awardee (1999) of Calcutta University and received Honorary Doctor of Science Degrees DSc (hc) from the University of Kalyani and KaziNazrul University, Asansol, West Bengal, both in 2017. He was an INAE Visvesvarya Chair Professor (2009-2011) and INAEAICTE Distinguished Industry Professor (2007-2009) at IIT Kharagpur. After a brief stint at Mishra Dhatu Nigam, Hyderabad (1984-85), he joined IIT, Kharagpur in November 1985 as a Lecturer and rose to the position of Full Professor in 2003 and HAG Professor in 2009. He continued to serve IIT Kharagpur until he joined CSIR-CGCRI as the Director on March 1 2010, which he continued till October 31 2012. Subsequently, he served as the Director of IIT Kanpur for five years between 7-Nov-2012 and 6-Nov-2017. During this period, he concurrently served as the National Coordinator of IMPacting Research INnovation& Technology (IMPRINT), a national technology development initiative of the MHRD, Government of India. He played an active role in several other MHRD initiatives like UAY, SPARC, UBA, RUSA, PMMMTTP, NamameGange, etc. He was the Chairman of the Research Council of CSIR-AMPRI, Bhopal and CSIR-NML, Jamshedpur, Member of the Research Councils of BHEL, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Society of IIM Indore, Board of Governors of IIM Lucknow, IISER Pune, IIEST Shibpur and IISER Kolkata. He was a member of the Governing Body of the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), Executive Council of AICTE, the Administrative Council of the Abdul Kalam Technical University (UP), and SAMAVESH, a NITI AAYOG Think-Tank Group. He has been actively associated with various Science and Technology (S&T) organizations in the country in various capacity like Chairman, INSA-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow Scheme (Engineering Sciences) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Chairman of the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) of the Metals, Materials, Mining Engineering Section of SERB-DST, Member of the Board of the Steel Research Technology Mission Initiative (SRTMI), PM Trophy Committee and R&D Board of the Ministry of Steel, and Member of the Research Council of ARCI, Hyderabad (DST) and Research Advisory Board of GAIL India and R&D of BHEL, Hyderabad. He was an active member of the committee on Science Technology Innovation Policy (STIP) of India and chaired the Surface Engineering (V12H3) group under the Advanced Manufacturing Forum of VaishvikBharatiyaVaigyanik (VAIBHAV) scheme inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 2nd October 2020. Earlier, he briefly served as an expert in NAAC and NBA. He was a Member of the Academic Council of HomiBhabha National Institute (Department of Atomic Energy), Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandir at Belur, and currently serves the National University of Study and Research in Law and Indian Institute of Coal Management in Ranchi in a similar capacity.

Academic and Research Contributions:

Before taking up administrative responsibility, Professor Manna taught subjects related to physical metallurgy, phase transformations, material characterisation, and surface engineering at IIT Kharagpur for 25 years (1985-2010). During this period, he visited diƯerent renowned R&D institutions and universities abroad as a guest scientist like Max Planck Institute at Stuttgart and Technical University of Clausthal (Germany), Unipress in Warsaw (Poland), Liverpool University (UK), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), EcolePolytechnic de Mines (France), National Institute of Materials Science at Tsukuba (Japan), University of Tennessee (USA), and University of Ulm (Germany) with teaching or research assignments. Professor Manna has been a renowned and prolific researcher with wideranging research interests concerning microstructure-property correlation and modelling in structural and functional materials, including additive manufacturing, nanometric metals/composites, laser/plasma assisted surface engineering, nano/ferro-fluid and bainitic steel. His significant contributions on amorphous Al-alloys, laser surface engineering of steel/Mg/Ti alloys and thermal and magnetic properties of nanofluid and ferrofluid received keen attention from the scientific community and are highly lauded. His early contributions in moving boundary phase transformation are still widely cited. Professor Manna has authored over 325 peer-reviewed research publications, supervised 30 PhD theses, conducted about 35 sponsored projects from agencies and industry in India and abroad worth over Rupees 25 crore ($ 3 million) and holds 3 patents. During his initial stint at IIT Kharagpur, he is credited to have developed various research facilities and laboratories in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department comprising characterization and processing tools like FEG-SEM, PLD, PIII, SOFC, electron beam welding, mechanical alloying mills, wear and erosion testing units, vacuum sealing set up, high temperature furnaces, plasma nitriding unit, etc. He was the Institute Coordinator for the Nanoscience and Technology Mission Project (2004-10), and the Vice Chairman (2004-06) and Chairman (2006-09) of the Central Research facility at IIT Kharagpur. With a major research grant from the DST, he has recently developed a well-equipped laser material processing facility at IIT Kharagpur in 2018 with a 6-kW fibre delivered diode laser with several allied analytical and processing equipment to develop structurally and functionally graded materials, composites, coatings and additively manufactured (3d printed) metallic components. Professor Manna is a passionate teacher. His teaching interest covers subjects related to physical metallurgy, phase transformations, material characterisation and surface engineering. Besides IIT Kharagpur (1985-2020), Professor Manna has taught at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (2000-01) and IIT Kanpur (2013-17). He continues teaching even now at BIT Mesra despite his administrative commitment. At IIT Kharagpur, he introduced two new courses on Introduction to Materials and Surface Engineering and took an active role in developing several new teaching laboratories and experimental manuals. His lectures on Surface Engineering, available in NPTEL, SWAYAM and SPARC platforms are widely referred to by the students and professionals.

Awards and Honours, and Professional Contributions:

Professor Manna is a recipient of several awards and honours, including the MRSI Distinguished Lecture Prize 2017, the Gopal Tripathy Memorial Lecture Award of Banaras Hindu University in 2015, the TWAS Prize in Engineering Sciences in 2015, and the Platinum Jubilee Medal Lecture Award in the 98th Session of the Indian Science Congress in 2011. Earlier, he was the Sectional President of the Materials Science Section in 2009-10 and Recorder in 1998-2000 of the Indian Science Congress Association. He received the G D Birla Gold Medal of IIM in 2008, MRSI Medal in 2000, Binani Gold Medal of IIM in 1999, AICTE Career Award for Young Teachers in 1995, and INSA Medal for Young Scientist in 1992. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Kharagpur in 2016 and from IIEST, Shibpur in 2014. He has been a JC Bose Fellow of DST between 2012 and 2022. He was elected a Fellow of all the National Academies in India: Indian National Academy of Engineering, Delhi (INAE-FNAE) in 2005, National Academy of Sciences in India, Allahabad (NASI-FNASc) in 2005, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (IASc-FASc) in 2008 and Indian National Science Academy, Delhi (INSA-FNA) in 2010. He is a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2001-2002), DAAD Fellowship (1988-1990), DAAD Honorary Advisor (2006-09) and GTZ Research Grant (1997-99) from Germany (for independent research). He is a former Vice President (2013-16) and President (2016-17) of the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM). He was felicitated by the Ministry of Steel with the Young Metallurgist (1991), Metallurgist of the Year (2002) and National Metallurgist Award (2018). He was elected a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2016 and a Member of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials (APAM) in 2014. Currently, he is serving as VicePresident (Science and Society), Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi. Professor Manna played a pivotal role as the 14th President of INAE to make the Academy both functionally and financially autonomous. Earlier, he served as the Vice President (Fellowship and Awards) between 2015-2020 and led the INAE delegation to the USA in 2014 and the Republic of Korea in 2018. He is currently the Chair of the Working Group on Engineering Education of the CAETS and a member of the CAETS Ad hoc Committee on Policy. Recently, he played a key role as the National Coordinator in establishing the Centre for Engineering Education & Excellence (CEEE), a unique initiative of the INAE with generous funding from the Infosys Foundation and in collaboration with the 5 premier IITs (at Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi) and the AICTE to improve teaching quality in Engineering Colleges under AICTE.

Prof. U. Kamachi Mudali is the Vice Chancellor of Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed to be University affiliated to Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Mumbai. He was earlier Vice Chancellor of VIT Bhopal University, Sehore (2021-23); Honorary Professor of Practice, IIT Madras (2021-22); and, Chairman & Chief Executive of Heavy Water Board (HWB), Mumbai (2017-2020). As an accomplished team leader, he has displayed excellent leadership at HWB for the production of heavy water and specialty materials by managing seven plants located at different parts of country. Prof. Mudali joined DAE in 1984 at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, and held many leadership positions upto 2017, lastly the Director of Materials Chemistry & Metal Fuel Cycle.

Prof. Mudali is a Distinguished Alumnus of both IIT Bombay & PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Adjunct Professor of Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai & Distinguished Professor of Eminence of PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, Coimbatore. He is a globally renowned researcher and has made pioneering contributions towards:
(i) development of advanced materials & coating technology for aggressive environments;
(ii) corrosion science, engineering and technology of materials used in nuclear industry;
(iii) non-metallic materials, process and equipment development for aqueous & pyrometallurgical reprocessing plants; and
(iv) failure analysis, consultancy, metallurgical heritage and societal applications.

Prof. Kamachi Mudali’s research achievements are evident from 478 journal papers, 25 edited Books, 5 patents, 347 invited honour presentations, with 15000 citations, h-index 58 and i-10 index 319. Dr. Mudali is recognised in the World’s Top 2% scientists in the field of Materials from India since 2021, and is decorated with many distinguished recognitions, including: Life Time Achievement Award & Metallurgists of the Year Award from Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India; GD Birla Gold Medal and Platinum Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals; Homi Bhabha Science & Technology Award & Group Achievement Award (5 times) from DAE; Gold Medal from Indian Nuclear Society, Society for Materials Chemistry & Chirantan Rasayan Sanstha (CRS); ONGC Excellence & Meritorious Contribution Awards in Corrosion, from NACE India & NCCI, Karaikudi; Mascot National Award & Life Time Achievement Award from Electrochemical Society of India, Bengaluru. VASVIK Award; AICTE- INAE Distinguished Visiting Professor of INAE; and, Frank Newman Speller Award 2019 of NACE International, USA, the first Indian to receive, for outstanding contributions in Corrosion Engineering. Prof. Mudali is a Fellow of: The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS); ASM International, USA; NACE International, USA; Asia Pacific Academy of Materials, China; International Federation of Heat Treatment & Surface Engineering, Switzerland; Indian National Academy of Engineering; National Academy of Sciences India; Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers; Academy of Science, Chennai; Institution of Engineers (India); Indian Chemical Society; Honorary Fellow, Electrochemical Society of India; Distinguished Fellow, Indian Institute of Metals; and Honorary Member of UDCT Alumni Association, ICT Mumbai.

Prof. Mudali was Senior Professor of HBNI, DAE, and taught 5 different courses for Engineering and Chemical Sciences disciplines. Dr. Mudali was Member, Board of Studies, Engineering Sciences of HBNI, Mumbai since inception for organising and conducting courses at various units of DAE; Chairman, Chemical Sciences (2014-2017) at IGCAR and Member of Coordination Committee of both Chemical Sciences & Engineering Sciences of HBNI, Kalpakkam (upto 2017). During his tenure at IGCAR, Kalpakkam, Dr. Mudali was Member, Board of Studies of many academic institutions and coordinated with them for 21 collaborative R&D projects. Prof. Mudali has guided/coordinated 162 UG/PG/PhD students from many academic institutions, including 12 PhD and 13 M.Tech. students of HBNI. In view of his academic excellence Prof. Mudali was honoured with Distinguished Faculty

Award of HBNI, Mumbai in 2015. Prof. Mudali is the Chief Editor of Journal of Electrochemical Society of India, and Editor-in Chief of IIM-Springer Book Series & CII-Corrosion Management Committee Booklet Series. As a Visiting Scientist Dr. Mudali visited leading institutions and laboratories in USA, Germany, Russia, France, UK, Japan, China, Malaysia, Israel, Bulgaria, Canada, and Singapore. He was the Chairman of Advisory Committee of DAE - ICT Centre, ICT Mumbai; Committee on “Strengthening Recycling of E-waste”, NITI Aayog, New Delhi; Corrosion Protection & Finishes Sectional Committee, MTD 24, BIS, New Delhi; CII-Corrosion Management Committee & Division, Chandigarh & Research Advisory Board of PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, Coimbatore; Board of Trustees of ASM International, USA (2021-24), and, President of The Indian Institute of Metals, Kolkata; Electrochemical Society of India, Bangalore; IIChE MRC, Mumbai; NACE International East Asia Pacific Area & India Section, Mumbai, and India Area Chair of the Association for Materials Protection and Performance, USA.

Dr. Amol A. Gokhale took over as Director of Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) in February 2013. Ever since he joined the DMRL (part of DRDO) in Hyderabad in 1985, Dr. Gokhale has been involved with the development of light alloys, metal foams and high temperature materials for aerospace and defense applications. He supported transfer of titanium sponge technology to public sector unit KMML in Kerala recently. He moreover, led collaborative projects with Russia and Belarus on advanced light materials.
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Besides a B.Tech. Degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from IIT Bombay, Dr. Gokhale holds an MS (1980) and PhD (1985) in Metallurgical Engineering, both from University of Pittsburgh, USA. During his second year at IIT Bombay, Dr. Gokhale was among the bottom 10% students of his class. However, good counselling and support from batch mates turned things around and he graduated with a second position in his class. A pep talk by Prof. G.S. Tendolkar on health management, during his IIT days, also made a lasting impression on Dr. Gokhale. “The stories of crocodiles in the Powai lake were making round, but never trusted till some of us came face to face with the aquatic tetrapod during one of the boating sessions! Friday night movies along with dinner and musical sessions on the terrace of H7 meant ultimate relaxation for us. The Mood Indigo of 1978 was another memorable event, when I played a little part as the Music Secretary of the Gymkhana. IIT Bombay was the first place where I ventured into singing in public. The hobby graduated to taking lessons in Classical Music,” he recollected. He also got into the habit of reading during this time.
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Dr. Gokhale has 90 publications, 25 technical reports and one patent to his credit, and has given more than 50 invited talks in various forums. A book titled “Aluminum Lithium Alloys: Processing, Properties and Applications”, co-authored by him and published by Elsevier Publications was released in October 2013. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and a National Council member of the Indian Institute of Metals. He has received the ‘Binani Gold Medal’ of the Indian Institute of Metals in 1993, the National Research and Development Corporation ‘Technology Innovation’ Award in 1994, the National Metallurgists’ Day ‘Metallurgist of the Year Award’ by the Ministry of Steel in 2000, the ‘DRDO Scientist of the Year’ award in 2008 and the ‘GD Birla Gold Medal’ from the Indian Institute of Metals in 2010.
Dr. Gokhale has forged strong links with IIT Bombay by promoting high quality research in Mechanical, Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering departments through collaborative projects related to advanced materials and process development. These interactions have proved to be mutually beneficial to the institute as well as to DRDO. He has several joint publications with faculty members of IIT Bombay to his credit. He played an important role in the initiation of two new DRDO- supported research projects in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Sciences (MEMS) Department. Besides these, several IIT students and DMRL scientists have been supervised or co- supervised by Dr Gokhale for their M. Tech. and Ph. D. thesis. “I have miles to go on this front, the possibilities of my contributing to the growth of my alma mater are endless,” he concluded.
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Mr T. V. Narendran is the CEO & Managing Director of Tata Steel Limited. As the CEO & MD, he has overseen the organic and inorganic growth of Tata Steel over the last decade. He has over 37 years of experience in the Mining and Metals industry.

Mr Narendran is currently on the Boards of Tata Steel Limited and Tata International Limited and he is the Chairman of Tata Steel Europe. He is serving as the President of All India Management Association (AIMA). He chairs the Boards of Governors of Xavier School of Management (XLRI) and Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is also a member of the Council of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has served as the Chairman of the World Steel Association from 2024-25 and as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 2021-22. He has also served as the President of the Indian Institute of Metals from 2021-22. He was the co-chair of the Mining & Metals Governors Council of the World Economic Forum from 2016-18.

Mr Narendran is a Mechanical Engineer from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy and did his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta. He is a recipient of Distinguished Alumnus Awards from both NIT Trichy and IIM Calcutta. He is a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineers. He is a Chevening Scholar and has also attended the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD, France.

Mr. Satish Pai has been the Managing Director of Hindalco Industries since August 2016. At Hindalco, he has been the driving force behind Hindalco’s journey from a metals commodity player to a value- added solutions provider in the aluminium and copper sectors. Under his leadership, Hindalco has evolved into a future-facing company with a Greener, Stronger, Smarter Purpose at its core and a focus on digitalisation, innovation and high performance. Mr. Pai also oversees the operations of Hindalco subsidiary Novelis Inc.

Some key transitions under his stewardship include adoption of large-scale renewable energy and path breaking responsible mining initiatives through India’s first Sustainable Mining Charter. He drove global-first circular economy solutions that utilise bauxite residue as an industry input rather than waste. Initiatives for carbon neutrality, water positivity, biodiversity and zero waste to landfill have contributed to Hindalco consistently ranking as the world’s most sustainable aluminium company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for four consecutive years, since 2020.

Mr. Pai received an Honorary Doctorate from Utkal University in 2024 for his extraordinary contributions to the metal industry, at the hands of Hon’ble President of India Ms. Droupadi Murmu. He was honoured as Fortune India’s Best CEO (Mining & Metals) for the second consecutive year in 2025. He was also recognised with the ‘BT-PwC India’s Best CEO’s 2024 - Super Large Companies’ award.

Mr. Pai holds a mechanical engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. In his personal capacity, he holds a patent in directional drilling. He was conferred the ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’ by IIT Madras in 2017.

Dr. Komal Kapoor is the Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) and the Chairman of NFC Board.

Dr. Kapoor is a Distinguished Scientist and a Metallurgical Engineer, joined the 33rd batch of BARC Training School, Mumbai in 1989. Subsequently, he was posted to NFC and served in various capacities for more than three decades. He has obtained Doctorate degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai.

Dr. Kapoor is an Adjunct Professor in Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai. As Head of the three Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities, Dr. Kapoor is contributing significantly to the Indian Nuclear Power Program. He was responsible in establishing a large Greenfield Project at Kota, Rajasthan to meet the fuel requirements of upcoming Reactors in the Country.

Dr. Kapoor possesses extensive knowledge of nuclear fuel cycles and materials. His initiatives have resulted in improvement of quality standards and fuel performance in Nuclear Reactors and also consistent improvements of radiological safety.

Dr. Kapoor was instrumental in manufacture and supply of a variety of seamless tubes for the strategic applications of DAE and that of the Departments of Space and Defence. His research work has led to the development of several critical nuclear materials which are of great technical importance.

Dr. Kapoor is also responsible for numerous research collaborations with various national and international institutions in Nuclear Engineering. For his invaluable contributions in this field, Dr. Kapoor has been conferred with the several prominent Awards and Honours, including NMD Young Metallurgist Award by the Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India. He has to his credit over 100 Publications in National/International Journals of repute and Symposia.

Dr. Kapoor serves on the Board of Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) and the Council Member of Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD)

Dr. Kapoor is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), Honorary Fellow of Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS), Honorary Fellow of the Indian Society for Non-destructive Testing (ISNT), President of The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), Vice-Chairman of The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) Hyderabad Chapter, , Past Chairman of ISNT Hyderabad Chapter, Vice-President of Society for Failure Analysis (SFA)-India, Life Member of Indian Nuclear Society (INS).

Dr. Komal Kapoor is the Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) and the Chairman of NFC Board..

Dr. Kapoor is a Distinguished Scientist and a Metallurgical Engineer, joined the 33rd batch of BARC Training School, Mumbai in 1989. Subsequently, he was posted to NFC and served in various capacities for more than three decades. He has obtained Doctorate degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai.

Dr. Kapoor is an Adjunct Professor in Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai. As Head of the three Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities, Dr. Kapoor is contributing significantly to the Indian Nuclear Power Program. He was responsible in establishing a large Greenfield Project at Kota, Rajasthan to meet the fuel requirements of upcoming Reactors in the Country.

Dr. Kapoor possesses extensive knowledge of nuclear fuel cycles and materials. His initiatives have resulted in improvement of quality standards and fuel performance in Nuclear Reactors and also consistent improvements of radiological safety.

Dr. Kapoor was instrumental in manufacture and supply of a variety of seamless tubes for the strategic applications of DAE and that of the Departments of Space and Defence. His research work has led to the development of several critical nuclear materials which are of great technical importance.

Dr. Kapoor is also responsible for numerous research collaborations with various national and international institutions in Nuclear Engineering. For his invaluable contributions in this field, Dr. Kapoor has been conferred with the several prominent Awards and Honours, including NMD Young Metallurgist Award by the Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India. He has to his credit over 100 Publications in National/International Journals of repute and Symposia.

Dr. Kapoor serves on the Board of Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) and the Council Member of Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD)

Dr. Kapoor is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), Honorary Fellow of Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS), Honorary Fellow of the Indian Society for Non-destructive Testing (ISNT), President of The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), Vice-Chairman of The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) Hyderabad Chapter, , Past Chairman of ISNT Hyderabad Chapter, Vice-President of Society for Failure Analysis (SFA)-India, Life Member of Indian Nuclear Society (INS).

Dr. Ashok Kumar Panda is technocrat-cum-finance expert widely recognized for his deep technical knowledge and domain expertise. After completing his B.E. in Electrical Engineering, he joined SAIL as Management Trainee (Technical) in 1992 but kept his zeal to enhance his knowledge alive, and completed his Full-Time PGDM and later also acquired Ph.D. in Business Management.

Dr. Panda has more than 3 decades of experience cutting across disciplines, and hierarchy in different Plants/Units of SAIL, a technology driven Company. He has major contributions to his credit in the areas of strategic planning and policy making, production, projects appraisal and execution, marketing and sales, procurement, EBITDA improvement, cost and budget, treasury management, taxation, etc.

Prior to taking over as CMD, SAIL, he had been working as the Director (Finance), wherein he took measures for improving operational efficiencies through technical interventions, boosting production with product basket enrichment, revamping of major policies and procedures in the area of Operations, Sales and Marketing, HR, Finance, etc. He has also held the charge of Director (Commercial) for a brief period of about 9 months, wherein he focussed on aligning operations with marketing and finance towards improving sales & reducing inventory, focus on branding and advertising, etc. Dr. Panda is also serving as a Nominee Director on the board of ICVL, a joint venture of SAIL and had been Nominee Director in other CPSEs.

Completely a people’s man, Dr. Panda has showcased exemplary leadership skills during his entire career. He has been influential in bringing about a cultural change at every place and level he has worked which has led to significant growth in performance. A self-driven leader, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional composure and clarity of thought, even in the most challenging and high- pressure situations. He has a keen sense of observation, strong analytical skills, pro-active approach, ability to make quick decisions and is always on lookout for innovative solutions.

Dr. Panda has envisioned strengthening the position of SAIL amongst the top steel producing companies during his tenure as CMD. He comes with focus on value creation for all the stakeholders through expansion of capacities, higher volumes, better operational efficiencies, raw material security, workplace safety, cost control and improved financial performance.

Dr. S. V. S. Narayana Murty holds a B.E. from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam; an M.E. from IISc, Bangalore; and a Ph.D. from IIT-Bombay, all in Metallurgical Engineering. He completed post-doctoral research at the Steel Research Centre, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan (2003–2006).

He joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Trivandrum in 1993, contributing to the development of ultrahigh-strength steels, Titanium alloys, Super alloys, and Aluminium alloys. Prior to joining MIDHANI, he was working at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO, focusing on the indigenization and supply of critical materials for India’s space program.

Dr. S. V. S. Narayana Murty is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Young Metallurgist Award (2001) and Metallurgist of the Year Award (2018) from the Ministry of Steel, Government of India; the AIDA Technology Innovation Award (2009) from the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity; the National Failure Analyst Award (2021) from the Society for Failure Analysis; and the G.D. Birla Gold Medal (2022) from the Indian Institute of Metals. He has been recognized among the top 2% of scientists worldwide by Stanford University and has authored numerous ISRO technical reports and over 325 publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

Mr. Sokkuraj Kanakanand is the President & Head of Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at Hindalco with an exceptional contribution of 33+ years in manufacturing and last 14 years in the field of non-ferrous metal. He is a Production Engineer and spent his earlier years with Hindustan Unilever. He joined the Aditya Birla Group in 2009 and has handled important portfolios like Unit Head- Alumina-Muri, Smelter Head - Mahan, CPP Head - Mahan and Unit Head- Birla Copper. He is known for his technical know-how, meticulously getting into details, great managerial expertise and a leader focussed on Quality, Safety and Sustainability.

His achievements and contributions in the field of metallurgy have been exemplary which includes projects like Usage of Low Density Alf3 for cost reduction, Copper Insert Cu Cathode for Energy Reduction, throughput improvement in Copper Smelter, etc.

Mr. Kanakanand led many important projects of Hindalco, including the brown field alumina plant expansion at Muri, setting up the AP 36 technology based 360kt Aluminium Smelter in Mahan and the upliftment and sustainability program at Birla copper.

He brought a paradigm shift in the operational philosophy of the metal industry across Aluminium and Copper, which resulted in embedding Customer Centricity and Sustainability at the core of operations.

Mr. Kanakanand is recipient of the ABG Chairman’s Exceptional Contributor Award and the IIM – Essar Gold medal for outstanding contribution to the Metallurgical Industry.

Mr Kanakanand is a Hons Grad from REC Trichy and has done a Management Programme for technologists from IIM Bangalore.

He often spends his free time traveling with his family to wildlife sanctuaries, where he has developed a knack for spotting rare bird species. He loves to capture their stunning beauty through his camera, making each trip a memorable adventure.

Prof. B. S. Murty is a distinguished Metallurgical Engineer, acclaimed researcher, and respected academic leader. He took charge as the Director of IIT Hyderabad on August 26, 2019, and was reappointed to the position on June 20, 2025.

Born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Prof. Murty began his academic journey with a Diploma in Metallurgical Engineering from Government Polytechnic, Vijayawada (1983), followed by a BE in Metallurgical Engineering from VNIT Nagpur (1986), where he graduated with distinction and first rank. He went on to pursue his ME (1988) and PhD (1992) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc), laying the foundation for a career dedicated to advancing Materials Science and Engineering.

Over the past three decades, Prof. Murty has held several key academic and administrative roles at premier institutes such as IIT Kharagpur and IIT Madras, before taking charge as the Director of IIT Hyderabad in 2019. He has also contributed nationally by guiding institutions like IIIT Raichur, IIITDM Kurnool, and NIT Andhra Pradesh in leadership capacities.

Prof. Murty is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in Nanomaterials, High Entropy Alloys, bulk metallic glasses, aluminium-based composites. He has been instrumental in establishing national-level research facilities such as the National Facility for Atom Probe Tomography (IIT Madras) and the Centre for In-situ & Correlative Microscopy (IIT Hyderabad)—both first of their kind in India.

A prolific researcher, he has authored over 550 publications, written influential books including High Entropy Alloys and Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and guided more than 50 PhD scholars. With an h-index of 82 and 29,250+ citations, he ranks among the leading metallurgists/materials scientists worldwide.

Prof. Murty's contributions have earned him some of India's most prestigious scientific honours, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (2007), the National Metallurgist Award by the Ministry of Steel (2021), the JC Bose Fellowship (since 2018), the INAE Outstanding Teacher Award (2019), the GD Birla Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of Metals (2015), and lifetime achievement recognitions from both EMSI (2023) and IIT Madras (2016). He has also received the Distinguished Alumnus Awards from IISc Bengaluru (2020) and VNIT Nagpur (2010). His early brilliance was marked by the INSA Young Scientist Award (1995), the INAE Young Engineer Award (1997), the Young Metallurgist Award (1994), and the ISCA Young Scientist Award (1992), alongside the AICTE Career Award for Young Teachers (1997-2000) and the Professor A. A. Krishnan Gold Medal for Best ME Thesis (1988).

On the international front, Prof. Murty has been elected a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (2018), the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials (2013), and ASM International (2010). He has been recognized as a Professor Extraordinarius by the University of South Africa (2021) and conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Deakin University, Australia (2017). His academic engagements include positions as Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University of Technology (since 2025), Associate Faculty at the University of British Columbia (2016-2022), and Adjunct Professor at Ryerson University, Canada (2011-2020). He has also served in influential roles such as Member of the Nominating Committee of ASM International, ASM-IIM North America Lecturer (2014), Member of the International Advisory Committee on Rapidly Quenched Metals (2008-2017, 2017-2026), and Steering Committee Member of ISMANAM (since 2019). In addition, he has significantly contributed to the advancement of materials research as Editor of the Journal of Alloys and Compounds (2020- 2024), Key Reader for Metallurgical and Materials Transactions (since 2001), and most recently, Advisory Member of the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (since 2025).

Prof. Murty is a Fellow of all the leading Science and Engineering academies in India, including the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE), the Indian National Science Academy (FNA), the Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc), and the National Academy of Sciences (FNASc). He is also a Fellow of several professional societies such as the Indian Institute of Metals (FIIM), the Electron Microscopy Society of India (FEMSI), the Powder Metallurgy Association of India (FPMAI), the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences (FAPAS), and the Telangana Academy of Sciences (FTAS).

Beyond academic honours, Prof. Murty has held several prestigious national leadership roles. Member of the National Security Advisory Board (2023-27). He is Co-Chair of the Indo-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), Chair of the Indo-US Global Challenge Institute, and Chair of the Empowered Committee for Industry and International Collaborations (ECIIC), Government of India. He has served as Vice President of the Indian Institute of Metals (2022-25) & currently serving as its President. He currently chairs the Boards of Governors of JNTU Hyderabad and Osmania University College of Engineering and leads the Research Council at DRDL.

Prof. Murty has also contributed extensively to policy, governance, and academic advancement through memberships in the IIT Council (SCIC), Boards of Governors of NIFFT Ranchi and NIT Warangal, and as Visitor's Nominee to IIT Kharagpur, IIT Jodhpur, and several NITs. He has played key roles in research councils of premier CSIR laboratories, the DST-SERB committees on Materials and Young Scientists, and editorial responsibilities as Chief Editor of Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals (2017-2022). His contributions to engineering education include leading the AICTE-INAE Travel Grant Scheme, serving on the INAE Governing Council, and supporting young innovators through various INAE and DST committees.

Beyond his academic and administrative achievements, he is passionate about nurturing the next generation of Engineers and Innovators, aligning his efforts with national missions such as Atmanirbhar Bharat and promoting engineering solutions for a sustainable world.

His leadership extends beyond research into institution-building. At IIT Hyderabad, Prof. Murty has introduced transformative initiatives that emphasize interdisciplinary learning, deep-tech innovation, Entrepreneurship, and skill development. He has been instrumental in strengthening the iTIC Incubator, launching the BUILD (Bold & Unique Idea Led Development) and BHARATI (Bold Hearted Aspirants RAising to Transform India) programs to foster student innovations, and promoting a strong skill-development culture among technical staff. His philosophy of “learning by doing” has reshaped the academic ecosystem at IITH, encouraging project-based learning, industry internships, and global collaborations. Under his guidance, IIT Hyderabad has risen rapidly in national and international rankings, carving a niche as a hub for innovation-driven education.

As Director of IIT Hyderabad, Prof. Murty has championed flexibility and innovation in academics, promoted industry-linked and interdisciplinary research, and nurtured a thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Under his leadership, IITH continues to grow as one of the country's most dynamic institutions, contributing to the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047 and making a global impact.

Brigadier Arun Ganguli (Retd) is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Pune and graduated from prestigious Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun in December 1984. He is an ex-Army Officer from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in Indian Army having done his M.Tech from Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad affiliated to Jawaharlal University, New Delhi. He has been a Tank Technology qualified Officer in Indian Army.

The Officer has been very energetic, competent, self-assured decisive leader with high integrity, managerial skills and motivating abilities. Professionally very competent, technically well qualified, possesses well developed conceptual and executive skills with good organizational and administrative abilities.

He has over thirty-seven years of diverse experience in the Indian Army in the field of Inventory Management, Operational Readiness, Repairs & Maintenance of Vehicles and Equipment, Management of Personnel and Resources, Dean of an Engineering Faculty in MCEME, Commander of Training of Cadets into Officers as Technical Graduates at Cadets Training Wing at Secunderabad and Chairman of Army Public School.

Possess right balance of Maturity and Experience having sympathy, firmness and tact in man management skills with clarity of thoughts and analysis. He had done all mandatory courses of Army and EME with distinction and outstanding grading. He had the privilege of serving in units and regimental appointments, both in EME and General Staff tenures. As an instructional appointment, he has served in MCEME, Secunderabad twice. He also had a unique distinction of raising new EME units twice in trying conditions of semi-dessert and jungle terrain as part of Southern and Eastern Army Commands respectively. He had been Colonel (Administration) and Brigadier General Staff (Information System) in Eastern Theatre of Indian Army.

The officer has the honour of having been awarded twice Army Commander’s Commendation while serving in Western and Training Command respectively.

He has also been a qualified Independent Director having done a course at MDI, Gurgaon and Fellow of Institute of Engineers, Kolkata.

Arun to his repute has been an Outstanding Squash player having represented India/Services and recipient of award from Govt of India for achieving outstanding excellence in the game of Squash in the year 1985,1987 and 1991 respectively.

Managing Director Metalist Consultants P Ltd

Prof. U. Kamachi Mudali is the Vice Chancellor of Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed to be University affiliated to Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Mumbai. He was earlier Vice Chancellor of VIT Bhopal University, Sehore (2021-23); Honorary Professor of Practice, IIT Madras (2021-22); and, Chairman & Chief Executive of Heavy Water Board (HWB), Mumbai (2017-2020). As an accomplished team leader, he has displayed excellent leadership at HWB for the production of heavy water and specialty materials by managing seven plants located at different parts of country. Prof. Mudali joined DAE in 1984 at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, and held many leadership positions upto 2017, lastly the Director of Materials Chemistry & Metal Fuel Cycle.

Prof. Mudali is a Distinguished Alumnus of both IIT Bombay & PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Adjunct Professor of Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai & Distinguished Professor of Eminence of PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, Coimbatore. He is a globally renowned researcher and has made pioneering contributions towards:
(i) development of advanced materials & coating technology for aggressive environments;
(ii) corrosion science, engineering and technology of materials used in nuclear industry;
(iii) non-metallic materials, process and equipment development for aqueous & pyrometallurgical reprocessing plants; and
(iv) failure analysis, consultancy, metallurgical heritage and societal applications.

Prof. Kamachi Mudali’s research achievements are evident from 478 journal papers, 25 edited Books, 5 patents, 347 invited honour presentations, with 15000 citations, h-index 58 and i-10 index 319. Dr. Mudali is recognised in the World’s Top 2% scientists in the field of Materials from India since 2021, and is decorated with many distinguished recognitions, including: Life Time Achievement Award & Metallurgists of the Year Award from Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India; GD Birla Gold Medal and Platinum Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals; Homi Bhabha Science & Technology Award & Group Achievement Award (5 times) from DAE; Gold Medal from Indian Nuclear Society, Society for Materials Chemistry & Chirantan Rasayan Sanstha (CRS); ONGC Excellence & Meritorious Contribution Awards in Corrosion, from NACE India & NCCI, Karaikudi; Mascot National Award & Life Time Achievement Award from Electrochemical Society of India, Bengaluru. VASVIK Award; AICTE- INAE Distinguished Visiting Professor of INAE; and, Frank Newman Speller Award 2019 of NACE International, USA, the first Indian to receive, for outstanding contributions in Corrosion Engineering. Prof. Mudali is a Fellow of: The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS); ASM International, USA; NACE International, USA; Asia Pacific Academy of Materials, China; International Federation of Heat Treatment & Surface Engineering, Switzerland; Indian National Academy of Engineering; National Academy of Sciences India; Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers; Academy of Science, Chennai; Institution of Engineers (India); Indian Chemical Society; Honorary Fellow, Electrochemical Society of India; Distinguished Fellow, Indian Institute of Metals; and Honorary Member of UDCT Alumni Association, ICT Mumbai.

Prof. Mudali was Senior Professor of HBNI, DAE, and taught 5 different courses for Engineering and Chemical Sciences disciplines. Dr. Mudali was Member, Board of Studies, Engineering Sciences of HBNI, Mumbai since inception for organising and conducting courses at various units of DAE; Chairman, Chemical Sciences (2014-2017) at IGCAR and Member of Coordination Committee of both Chemical Sciences & Engineering Sciences of HBNI, Kalpakkam (upto 2017). During his tenure at IGCAR, Kalpakkam, Dr. Mudali was Member, Board of Studies of many academic institutions and coordinated with them for 21 collaborative R&D projects. Prof. Mudali has guided/coordinated 162 UG/PG/PhD students from many academic institutions, including 12 PhD and 13 M.Tech. students of HBNI. In view of his academic excellence Prof. Mudali was honoured with Distinguished Faculty

Award of HBNI, Mumbai in 2015. Prof. Mudali is the Chief Editor of Journal of Electrochemical Society of India, and Editor-in Chief of IIM-Springer Book Series & CII-Corrosion Management Committee Booklet Series. As a Visiting Scientist Dr. Mudali visited leading institutions and laboratories in USA, Germany, Russia, France, UK, Japan, China, Malaysia, Israel, Bulgaria, Canada, and Singapore. He was the Chairman of Advisory Committee of DAE - ICT Centre, ICT Mumbai; Committee on “Strengthening Recycling of E-waste”, NITI Aayog, New Delhi; Corrosion Protection & Finishes Sectional Committee, MTD 24, BIS, New Delhi; CII-Corrosion Management Committee & Division, Chandigarh & Research Advisory Board of PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, Coimbatore; Board of Trustees of ASM International, USA (2021-24), and, President of The Indian Institute of Metals, Kolkata; Electrochemical Society of India, Bangalore; IIChE MRC, Mumbai; NACE International East Asia Pacific Area & India Section, Mumbai, and India Area Chair of the Association for Materials Protection and Performance, USA.

Vice President, JSW Steel Ltd.

Prof. Prodyot Kumar Mitra obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering and MTech degree in Physical Metallurgy from IIT Kharagpur in 1972 and 1974 respectively and PhD degree in Engineering from Jadavpur University. Between 1974 – 2016 he was a faculty member of Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata for 40 years, 20 years of which was as professor. He served the Department as head of the department for two terms. He is a Fellow of Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF), Life member of IFO (Indian Foundry Organization) and Indian Institute of Metals (IIM). He has about 70 publications in National and International Journals, majority of which is in the field of Corrosion and Corrosion protection. Some of his papers are repeatedly cited in International journals.He has received Pandya Medal from IIM and Certificates of Merit from Institute of Engineers (India) for his papers published in their respective journals. Prof. Mitra has organized large number of National and International technical Seminars and Workshops. He has recently been felicitated on National Foundrymens’ Day by Eastern Region of Institute of Indian Foundrymen.

He has been Chief Editor of Indian Foundry Journal for over 10 years and has been member of Editorial teams responsible for publishing quite a few technical transactions.

He has also published a book entitled ‘Characterization of Materials’ by PHI Learning and another entitled 'Casting Technology's by Narosa Publishing House.

Presently he is Controller of Examination of IIM, an honorary position.

Vijay Kaushik is a Metallurgical Engineer and Senior Scientific Officer who currently serves as the Deputy General Manager and Scientific Officer/H of the Melt-shop and Special Materials Plant at the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in Hyderabad, India. Born on April 23, 1975, Mr. Kaushik has dedicated over two decades of his professional career to advancing nuclear science and metallurgical engineering, playing a pivotal role in the indigenization of critical alloys for India’s strategic and defense sectors.

Mr. Kaushik completed his Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) in Metallurgical Engineering from the Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, in 1999. He then graduated from the prestigious 44th Batch of the BARC Training School in 2001, completing an advanced course in Nuclear Science and Engineering. He went on to earn his Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, in 2002.

Mr. Kaushik began his career at NFC as a Project Engineer (2001–2004) for the Zirconium Sponge Plant, where he mastered the planning, execution, and commissioning required to scale up zirconium production. Demonstrating strong leadership and technical acumen, he moved into crucial managerial roles, serving as the Production In-charge for zirconium chloride, Kroll’s reduction, and vacuum distillation operations between 2012 and 2019.
Promoted to his current position as Deputy General Manager in 2023, he is an expert in pyrometallurgical operations, high-temperature chlorination, metallothermic reduction, and refining refractory materials. He holds specialized expertise in production & processing high-RRR Niobium, process debottlenecking, maximizing material recovery, and enhancing plant efficiency.

Awards, Affiliations, and Publications

Throughout his career, Mr. Kaushik’s contributions have been heavily recognized by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and NFC. His major honors include:
• Prof. BaldevaUpadhyaya Memorial Gold Medal (IIT Kanpur, 2003)
• Republic Day Award for Consistency in Performance (NFC, 2007)
• Scientific & Technical Excellence Award (DAE, 2019)
• Group Achievement Awards for Record Production (2014, 2016), the Development, Installation & Commissioning of TDU (2017), and the Development of an Indigenous 180kW Plasma Melting Furnace (2020).

He is a Life Member of both the Indian Nuclear Society (INS) and the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), and he has contributed 5 scientific publications to his field.