RESEARCH
Research Interests
Product Design and Manufacturing: Design creativity [journal>10]; Sustainable design [j>10]; Sustainable machining and manufacturing (including life cycle management) [j>10]; Bio-mimicry in engineering design [j>3], Aesthetics in engineering [j>1]
Google scholar profile: http://scholar.google.co.in/citations?hl=en&user=k9oa6zIAAAAJ. Citations: >2700, h-index = 23, i10-index = 40
Externally sponsored grants (total about 115 crores INR, 15.5 Million USD equivalent)
2020- 2022 Stubble Burning: Health impacts and social perception - an explorative study for prevention
Funding source Swedish Research Council (SRC)
Level of support 7,46 000 SEK ( ≈ 63,00 000 INR)
Organizations involved IIT Ropar and Mid Sweden University
Role Co-PI (IIT Ropar: Dr. Samaresh Bardha (HSS), Dr. Parwinder Singh (HSS), and Dr. Prabir Sarkar (ME). Foreign PI: Prof. Koustuv Dalal, Professor in Public Health Economics, Mid Sweden University, Sweden.)
2020-2025 Establishing of Agriculture and Water Hub under National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS): Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs)
Funding source Department of Science and Technology (DST), Gov. of India
Level of support 110 crores over 5 years
Organizations involved IIT Ropar
Role Co-PI (Co-PIs: Dr. Pushpendra Singh, Dr. Prabir Sarkar, Dr. Mukesh Saini, Dr. Neelkant, Dr. Vijay Anand, Dr. Suman Kumar, Dr. Neeraj Goel)
Domain coordinator: Stubble management and urban farming
2019- 2022 Micro Green Roofing
Funding source IMPRINT- 2, MHRD, GOI and ELT India
Level of support About 75 lakhs (58 lakhs from MHRD+ 17 lakhs from ELT India)
Organizations involved IIT Ropar, IIT Kharagpur, ELT India, industry
Role Principal Investigator (Co PI- Dr. Putul Haldar, IIT Ropar and Dr. Chirodeep Bakli, IIT Kharagpur)
2017-2020 Big Data Analysis: A key to understand the Dynamics of Collaborative Knowledge Building
Funding source Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI), Department of Science and Technology (DST), India
Level of support INR 14,40,600 / USD 22142
Role Co-Principal Investigator (PI, Dr. Sudarsan Iyenger)
2016-2019 Experimentation and simulation assisted enhancement of energy efficiency & pollution reduction in hand tool industries
Funding source Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises under Uchhatar Aviskar Yojana
Level of support INR 99.58 lakhs/ USD 147616
Role Co-Principal Investigator (PI, Dr. Dhiraj Mahajan)
2016-2019 Study of aesthetics in product design using eye-tracking equipment from a cognitive view
Funding source Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI), Department of Science and Technology (DST), India
Level of support INR 16.26 lakhs/ USD 24,440
Role Principal Investigator
2014-2019 Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (FIST) Program
Funding source Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India
Level of support INR 235 lakhs/ USD 380,000
Role Co-Principal Investigator (PI, Prof. Harpreet Singh)
2015-2016-2017 Grant for strengthening of IPR cell
Funding source Patent Information Centre, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology
Level of support INR 0.2 lakhs/ USD 330/ each year
Role Principal Investigator/ Nodal officer
2014-2015 Grant for setting up and strengthening of IPR cell
Funding source Patent Information Centre, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology
Level of support INR 0.2 lakhs/ USD 330
Role Principal Investigator/ Nodal officer
2014-2017 Engineering Driven Sustainable Supply Network Design
Funding source Department of Science and Technology (DST), India and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK
Institute involved IIT Ropar, IIM Lucknow, and University of Cambridge
Level of support £ 1 million / USD 1,517,300, IIT Ropar’s share: INR 48,00,000/ USD 70,021
Role Co-Investigator (Prof. Jag Sarai, U Cambridge, Prof. Harpreet Singh, IIT Ropar)
Internally sponsored grants (total about 1 crore INR)
2020 Development of vertical garden under multidisciplinary agriculture research initiative
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 100 lakhs (my share 14 lakhs)
Role Co-Principal Investigator
2020 Aesthetically design and development of electric two-wheelers under multidisciplinary electric vehicle research initiative
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 100 lakhs (my share about 20 lakhs)
Role Co-Principal Investigator
2019 Development of machines to stop stubble burning
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 11.5 lakhs
Role Co-Principal Investigator
2013 Establishment of Design studio
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 10 lakhs/ USD 18,699
Role Co-Principal Investigator
2012 Establishment of Design research laboratory
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 5.7 lakhs/ USD 11,181
Role Principal Investigator
2011-2012 Purchase of Eye-tracking equipment (Research Grant)
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 45 lakhs / USD 67400
Role Principal Investigator
2011 Establishment of sustainable design and manufacturing laboratory
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 49 lakhs / USD 120,000
Role Co-Principal Investigator
2011-2012 Creative sustainable product design methodology with standards compliant, and a support for measuring product sustainability in early design (Institute seed grant)
Funding source Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Level of support INR 9.8 lakhs / USD 21,777
Role Principal Investigator
Consultancy projects (17 lakhs INR)
2019- 2022 Micro Green Roofing
Funding source ELT India (under IMPRINT 2 scheme)
Level of support 17 lakhs
Role Principal Investigator
Dec 2015 Bone alignment measuring system
Funding source IIT Ropar and PGI Chandigarh joint initiative
Level of support Financial expenses borne by IIT Ropar
Role Principal Investigator. Product developed in collaboration with Dr. Chawan, of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER)
Dec 2015 Improved surgical cutter for plastic surgery
Funding source IIT Ropar and PGI Chandigarh joint initiative
Level of support Financial expenses borne by IIT Ropar
Role Principal Investigator. Product developed in collaboration with Dr. Sunil Gaba of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh along with Dr. S. S. Padhee and Mr. Sameer Mishra, a summer internship student, 2015
Invited talks and presentations
2021 Prime panelists, round table discussion about Intellectual Property Rights and Patents on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, 2021. National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), an enterprise of DSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology, Gov. of India.
2021 Invited talk AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy sponsored 5 day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Advancement and Futuristic Trends in 3D Printing and Design. February 1-5, 2021. Introduction to 3D printing and Standards, Norms and Regulations for 3-D Printing.
2020 Invited talk. Sustainable Product Design: Towards a better future. Five-day Short-Term Training Program (STTP) funded by TEQIP III on "Sustainable Manufacturing for Atma-Nirbhar Bharat" from Dec 21 - 25, 2020. Department of Management Studies. MNIT Jaipur
2020 Invited talk. Standards in Design and Manufacturing. 8thInternational Conference on Advancements and Futuristic Trends in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, December 19-20, 2020.
2020 Delivered a talk on Post-harvest Stubble Removing Machine (SRM). Agriculture Technologies presentations facilitated by the office of Principal Scientific Adviser, GOI in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation.
Agriculture Technology Presentations - Phase 6 Friends of the Farmers.18 Jul 2020
2020 Delivered a lecture on Intellectual Property Rights as the Chairman of IPR cell, IIT Ropar. Faculty development program on "Research trends in science and engineering" in Institute of Engineering & Management Salt Lake, Kolkata on 29th July 2020.
2020 Guest online lecture on “Approaching education related issues using creative problem solving techniques” for faculty members of G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering and Technology, Pune on 6th June 2020.
2020 Guest Lecture, on "Reverse engineering" for ME student of GLA University on 23/04/2020.
2019 Invited talk. Sustainable Design and Manufacturing. 7th International Conference on Advancements and Futuristic Trends in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, December 5-7, 2019.
2019 Expert talk delivered on “Product development and bio mimicry in design" in Chandigarh University on 19.7.19.
2019 Expert talk on Sustainability standards and standards for Industry 4.0 on 15th July 2019. One-Week Workshop on Manufacturing for Industry 4.0 under Advanced Knowledge in Nutshell (AKIN), July 15th-19th, 2019, IIT Ropar.
2019 Expert talk on "Sustainability standards" in One-Day Workshop on ‘Sustainable Manufacturing’, March 19, 2019; Main Campus, IIT Ropar. Sponsored by: Materials & Manufacturing Panel, Aeronautics Research & Development Board.
2018 Guest of Honor. Addresses on academic collaborations. CSIR-CMERI, 28th Sep 2018.
2018 Expert lecture on aesthetics, Chandigarh University, Oct 8th, 2018.
2018 Invited talk on ‘Creative Problem Solving Techniques for Engineering Projects.’ MNIT Jaipur, 13th Aug 2018.
2018 Key note speaker, Biomimicry, Design Inspired by nature, in International conference on Futuristic Development in Mechanical Engineering. Kautilya Institute of Technology and Engineering and School of Management (KITE-SOM), Sitapura, Jaipur, India, Feb, 21, 2018.
2016 Invited speaker in Global Initiatives on Academic Networks (GIAN) program on Introduction to Sustainable Manufacturing, at MNIT Jaipur, 19-23 December 2016. Talk title: Sustainability standards.
2016 Invited speaker in One Day Meet of Medical Device Innovation Cluster at CSIO, Chandigarh, organized by DST Centre for Policy Research, Panjab University, Chandigarh on November 12 2016. Talk title: Innovation and manufacturing of Medical devices at Design research lab of IIT Ropar.
2016 Invited speaker for the Faculty Development Program on “A look into the future” being organized by Dr.SSB University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Panjab University under TEQIP-II (A World Bank Project). October 25, 2016. Talk title: Sustainable Product Design.
2016 Invited speaker for Indo-US dissemination workshop on design of sustainable systems, 20-22 June 2016, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Talk title: Understanding sustainability in pharmaceuticals companies through a case study.
2015 Guest of honor and expert inaugural lecture on “Sustainability and Eco design”, in short term training program on “advances on quality management practices in industries, 10th July, 2015 at National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, HP, organized by Mechanical Department, NIT, Hamirpur.
2015 Expert talk on sustainability and eco design in ISTE-PTU Sponsored Faculty Development Programme on, “Emerging Trends in Mechanical Engineering (ETME-15),” Rayat Institute of Engineering & Information Technology, June 8, 2015.
2014 Panel member, the need of product design course in undergraduate study in an international symposium on product design, Chandigarh University, 16 July 2014.
2014 Key note speaker, creative problem solving techniques in product design at an international workshop on creative product design, Chandigarh University, 15 July 2014.
2014 Panel member and invited talk, industry academia collaboration at Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Chandigarh, 5th March 2014.
2012 Invited lecture on sustainability and eco-design at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, 2012
2012 Invited lecture on automobile design, Society of Mechanical Engineers (SME), IIT Ropar chapter, 2012
2011 Invited lecture on ‘Approaching education related issues using creative problem solving techniques,’ faculty development program, Rayat Institute of Engineering and Information Technology, Ropar Campus, on July 19th, 2011
2009 Invited talk on design of new products, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, 2009.
Research guidance
PhD guidance completed (degree awarded and defended)
1. Gyanendra Singh Goindi (co-guide). Title: Investigation of Ionic liquids as metalworking fluids in minimum quantity lubrication machining. January 2012-October, 2015. Defended: 8/11/16. Degree awarded on 21/11/16. Current position: Professor and Dean, Department of Mechanical Sciences, Chandigarh University, Mohali.
2. Sagar Dhage (co-guide). Title: Investigation of surface textured cutting tools for machining of medium carbon steel, January 2012-March 2017. Submitted: Nov 2017. Defended: Nov 2018. Degree awarded: 3/12/18. Current position: Assistant Professor, JSPM Narhe Technical Campus, Pune.
3. Umesh Chaturvedi (co-guide). Title: Sustainability in Indian pharmaceuticals companies. Joined under External Registration Program in MNIT, Jaipur. January 2014- July 2019. Submitted on 15th July 2019. Defended on 7.2.2020. Current position: Assistant Professor, in an engineering college near Mathura
4. Bijendra Kumar (guide). Title: Assessing and improving sustainability of products during conceptual design. August 2013-2018. Synopsis completed on 22.02.19. Submitted on 26th June 2019. Defended on 14.5.20. Current position: Working for National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited.
5. Rachit Kumar Sharma (co guide). Title: Assessing and improving sustainability in supply networks of manufacturing organizations. Through DST (India) -EPSRC (UK) funded Engineering Driven Sustainable Supply Network Design project. January 2016-2021. Synopsis completed on 12.10.2020. Submitted on 8.12.2020. Defended on 29.6.2021. Current position: Post-Doctoral Fellow at IIT Ropar.
PhD guidance completed (submitted)
6. Prashant Kumar Singh (guide). Title: Understanding and Developing Eco design Support for Environmentally Conscious Product Development. August, 2016-2021. Synopsis completed on 8.9.2021. Submitted: 9.12.2021.
PhD guidance (pursuing)
1. Sunil Sharma (guide). Title: Understanding and supporting bio inspired design in packing. Joined under the External Registration Program. August 2016-present. Open seminar completed.
2. Jitender (guide). Through DST, CSRI funded project. January 2017.
3. Anil Baliram Ghubade (guide). Joined as a part-time student. Aug 2018.
4. Harmanpreet Singh (guide). August 2019- present.
5. Vikalp Sharma (guide). Jan 2020-present.
6. Alok Bihari Singh- External Joint Supervisor, MNIT, Jaipur.
7. Kamalpreet Sindhu (guide)- Part time. August 2021-present.
Post doctoral (completed)
1. Rachit Kumar Sharma (co guide). Supply chain management.
Masters guidance (completed)
1. Suraj Goala (guide). Design-Assist Tool - Deciding the Efficacy of Additive Manufacturing Processes and Assisting Product Designers using DfAM. Completed, 2021.
2. Suraj Gururani (guide). Analysis of design fixation and its mitigation with the help of bioinspired design. Completed, 2021
3. Abhishek Chauhan (guide). Design Aesthetic of an Electric two-wheeler. Completed, 2021.
4. Sai Teja Pothuri (guide). Development of an automation module for Microgreen Roofing, 2019.
5. Sarang E Tayade (guide). Understanding the relationship between stock and performance of companies, May 2018.
6. Rohit Bamne (guide). Study of driving behaviour on the basis of distractions, July 2018.
7. Jitender (co-guide). Development of a method for benchmarking sustainable products (external: NIT Srinagar, J&K), completed, 2016.
Research Fellow-JRF (completed)
· Geo Raju (co-guide). Funded by DST (India) -EPSRC (UK) funded, Engineering Driven Sustainable Supply Network Design project (April 2015- January, 2016).
· Rachit Kumar Sharma (co-guide). Funded by DST (India) -EPSRC (UK) funded, Engineering Driven Sustainable Supply Network Design project (September 2015-January, 2016).
· Jitender (guide). Through DST, CSRI funded project, Study of aesthetics in product design using eye-tracking equipment from a cognitive view (August 2016-December 2016).
· Yuvraj K. (co-guide). Project, micro green roofing. Funded by DST- IMPRINT 2.
· Rishish Mishra. (co-guide). Project, micro green roofing. Funded by DST- IMPRINT 2.
Research Fellow-JRF (pursuing)
· Shivam Panday. (co-guide). Project, micro green roofing. Funded by DST- IMPRINT 2.
Undergraduate guidance (B.Tech. main project, completed)
· Development of a Multiphonics system. Sonu, 2020
· Expert review web site, Asish Dhingan, P Mukesh, Ravi Mohan Meena, and Alok Mishra, 2015
· Real estate website development, Navneet Singh, Naveen Kumar, Honey Singla, and Naman Chhabra, 2015
· Prediction of the effect of design changes on company’s performance, Siddharth L., 2015
· Seed oil extractor, Javed Khan and Nishant Kumar (co-guide, Dr. Harpreet Singh), 2014
· Handy machine to extract oil from mustard seeds, Ajay Kumar Verma and Pareep Singhroha (co-guide), 2013
· Development of particle board using Rice/Wheat Straw, Ankush Kumar and Lal Singh (co-guide), 2013.
· Development of software tool for sustainability evaluation in product design, Parteek Singla, Prashant Yadav, Praveen Kumar Sah, and Raj Narayan Saha (co-guide), 2012.
· Regenerative braking system for human powered vehicles, Raj Narayan Saha and Prashant Yadav (co-guide), 2012.
Summer internships guidance
· Many summer internship projects - completed.