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.
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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.
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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.
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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. S. Prabhath Ranjan Kumar
Research Associate
Dr. S. Prabhath Ranjan Kumar (post-doc scientist) holds a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology, Guntur. During his Ph.D., his research focused on the self-healing of micro cracks using Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). Following his academic pursuits, he served as an Assistant Professor for three years at Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore.
Currently, Dr. S. Prabhath Ranjan Kumar's research areas encompass development of 3D printable materials utilizing natural soil and carbon sequestration in concrete structures, emphasizing on low carbon materials. As a scholarly contributor, he is the primary author of five publications and two conference proceedings.
Pitabash Sahoo
Doctoral researcher (PMRF awardee)
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
Mr. Ashutosh Dwivedi (PhD. scholar) 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. Currently, he is looking into the prospects of carbon dioxide utilization to valorize industrial wastes and alteration to micro-structural and bulk properties of cementitious materials due to interactions with CO2.
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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.