Our Research Group
The mission of the MatERIAL Group is to contribute to India's stride of transitioning into low-carbon economy through innovation in material development and design. The long-term vision of the group is to create a lasting impact on the built environment through enhanced durability and reduced environmental impacts.
MatERIAL Group is rightly positioned to continue efforts in developing sustainable material technologies that support the country's push towards a "green" future.
The group focuses on innovations in low-carbon concrete and smart constructions. We have expertise in formulating cementitious composites using a range of synthesized biomaterials and inorganic fillers for additive manufacturing, carbon sequestration and durability under aggressive environments. The group PI has led developments of several cutting-edge building material technologies, to name a few, i) engineering additives and material porosity to enhance carbon sequestration, ii) modifying composition to enhance self-healing of cracks under multiple loading cycles, and iii) tailoring particle size distribution of bio-based and lightweight additives to improve rheology, hydration and durability of constructions.
Building up on the existing expertise, the group is now involved in additive manufacturing of materials of special designs and compositions (for example, using alternative binders), that can remediate the environment, improve durability and promote smart functionalities in buildings.
The Team
Dr. Souradeep Gupta
Group leader
The group lead, Dr. Souradeep Gupta (Assistant Professor) obtained PhD from National University of Singapore (NUS) followed by post-doctoral research at NUS and The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney. Dr. Gupta was awarded the prestigious Discovery Early Career fellowship (DECRA) by Australian Research Council (ARC) during his tenure at UNSW. He is the recipient of Ssangyong cement Gold medal for his work in the area of advanced concrete technology.
Dr. Gupta has obtained USD 700,000 in research and start-up funding (as PI), and founded a technology company based in Singapore. For publication details, please visit Link.
Dr. Bhanu Pratap Rathod
Research Associate
Dr. Bhanu Pratap earned his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Calicut. He then pursued his M. Tech. and Ph. D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Indian Institute of Science with specialisation in Structural Engineering. His research areas include fibre reinforced polymer laminates, earth-based construction building materials, and bio-char concrete. His key expertise is on the mechanical properties of fibre reinforced cement stabilised rammed earth. He is a co-author for three journal publications, two conference proceedings, and a TATA MOTORS Research Fellowship awardee. The publications are available here
Pitabash Sahoo
Doctoral researcher
Pitabash completed B. Tech in Civil Engineering from Government College of Engineering, Kalahandi, and further, earned M.S. by research in Environmental Engineering from NIT Tiruchirappalli. His research interests include smart construction technologies, carbon sequestration and utilization of hazardous wastes from industrial streams. At IISc, he is working on development of low-carbon “cement-free” materials for additive manufacturing.
Vardhman Manoj Lunawat (co-supervised)
Doctoral Researcher
Vardhman completed Bachelor's in Civil Engineering and MTech in Water Resource and Environmental Engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University. His research interests include Water and Wastewater treatment, Desalination and Brine management, Solid waste management and green building products. He has been awarded "Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship" for the year 2021-2022 by the principal scientific advisor office under Govt. of India. At IISc, his doctoral research focusses on water filtration and treatment using engineered porous materials.
Ashutosh Dwivedi
Doctoral Researcher
Ashutosh completed Bachelor’s degree with Hons. in Civil Engineering from RGPV, Bhopal and Master's degree with Hons. in Construction Technology and Management from NITTTR, Bhopal. At IISc, his research focusses on carbon storage in 3D printed building members. Before joining IISc, Ashutosh was involved in projects encompassing additive manufacturing in construction, development of agro-waste based alkali activated concrete and improvement of disaster resiliency of structures, which were supported by multiple ministries.
![myphoto_550kb (1)[2].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f81b60_c4c99b28737141f8af155de41500f4d7~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_10,w_413,h_511/fill/w_216,h_267,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/myphoto_550kb%20(1)%5B2%5D.png)
Kushagra Singh
Doctoral Researcher
Kushagra completed B.Tech in Civil Engineering from NIT Uttarakhand and M.Tech in Structural Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. His research interests include future construction technologies, new generation building materials and carbon capture. At IISc, his doctoral research focuses on “Carbon Capture and Sequestration from Plastic Waste and utilization as efficient building material”. His hobbies include vocal singing (Sangeet Visharad), photography and cricket.