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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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. 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 and durability investigations of 3D printable of stabilised earth materials.
Pitabash Sahoo
Doctoral researcher (PMRF )
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. 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. At IISc, his doctoral research focusses on water filtration and treatment using engineered porous materials.
Ashutosh Dwivedi
Doctoral Researcher
Mr. Ashutosh Dwivedi completed Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from RGPV, Bhopal and Master's degree in Construction Technology and Management from NITTTR, Bhopal. At IISc, he is working on carbon dioxide utilization to enhance engineering properties of conventional and 3D-printed materials.
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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. At IISc, his doctoral research focuses on carbon utilization to develop high-performing plastic-waste based building materials.
Sahana C M
Doctoral Researcher
Sahana C M holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, and a Master’s in Structural Engineering from NITK Surathkal. At IISc, she is investigating the development of engineered bio-based additives for low-carbon concrete.
Basithali E K
Project Associate
Basithali EK completed his B. Tech in Civil Engineering from Calicut University and M. Tech in Structural Engineering and Construction Management from TKMCE Kollam (APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Kerala). He is the founder of the startup "Naamearth," serves as director of Coearth Foundation (NGO). At IISc, his research is centered on maximizing carbon sequestration in earth-based constructions through material innovations
