Good morning, Arjun. Yes, we would like to begin.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

I read my B.Tech. In electrical and electronics engineering. From Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. From 2011 to 2015.

Okay, so you started with your B.Tech.

Later on. I wrote. The GATE exam. After my undergraduate degree. I wrote. Uh, gait exam. In electrical and electronics engineering.

Alright, so after your B.Tech. you sat for the GATE exam in electrical and electronics engineering. Did you pursue postgraduate studies or take a research position after that?

And a secured uh. Kids score of 554. Which?

Professor, before we get into research, can you tell me about a foundational topic in electrical engineering that you enjoy teaching the most? What makes it rewarding for you in the classroom?

My favorite topics are. Circuits and networks.

My favorite topics are. Circuits and networks. Power system analysis.

Alright, circuits and networks—those are foundational for electrical engineering. What’s one technique or classroom activity you use to help students really grasp circuit concepts when they’re struggling?

Alright.

Uh, signals and systems. So application of network theorems. Like. Thevenin's Theorem. Superposition Theorem. Reciprocity theorem. These theorems actually simplify a lot.

Okay, so you use network theorems like Thevenin's and Superposition to simplify things for students.

And and uh. They don't. Trouble, uh. Btech students much if right. Theorem is applied. I repeat. The uh. Thevenin's theorem and Nordon's theorem, and even after the. They don't get. I usually. Prefer any audio visual. Uh, technique like. Suggesting them links. Uh, like NPTEL courses? And uh. Some YouTube. Uh, lectures.

Alright,

And some MIT. Free lectures as well. So actually. I have recently completed my PhD degree and I'm waiting for my peer review. So for. This is the first step towards mining. A teaching career.

Alright, so you supplement your teaching with MIT and other online lectures, and you're just finishing your PhD. Since you're aiming for a teaching career, what do you think is the most important quality for an educator in power systems or circuits?

So, uh. Still I have. I haven't.

You were saying you haven't—go ahead and finish your thought.

So according to me. The most? Important quality that an educator should have. To teach power systems. Is having an interdisciplinary approach. Connecting the dots from 1:00. Area to to another area. Say a theorem in circuit and networks. You should try to apply it in machines or. Power systems. And there are certain things which you need to. Take from signals and systems and apply it to the power system domain as well. So even though power systems. Domain. Uh uh. Is a specific. But uh. There is a lot of interdisciplinary. Nature.

Professor, I noticed your recent article in the International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research titled "Extending the Hopf bifurcation Limit Using Power System Stabilizer in a Two Area Power System Having Huge Industrial Loads." How did that research influence the way you teach stability concepts in power systems to your students?

I think next to it. So the interdisciplinary quality. Is a very important thing which a. Yeah, so. So this is an advanced topic which. PhD students. Uh, understand, but the elementary ideas. Are stemmed from. The B.Tech curriculum, so Btech 6 M students. In our university. They have power system analysis. As a. And in that. Power system stability is. Unit and. Control systems is also linear control system subject. Also there to them. So as you can see, my recent article spans both. Systems and. Uh, control system set. As you can see that the half bifurcation. It is the. Point where the eigenvalues. Uh, they transition from uh, left half of the Esplanade to the right half.

They explain uh. While. The loading is increased beyond. A certain level.

Alright, so you’re linking power system stability to control theory,

Right, so you're describing how stability changes as loading increases and the eigenvalues shift. When you teach this to undergraduates, how do you connect those advanced ideas like Hopf bifurcation back to the basics they've learned in B.Tech?

OK, so since the B.Tech students aren't very much groomed. To know the advanced concept. So what I would like to do is. Since in the linear control systems curriculum they do have a concept known as root locus.

So you use root locus as a bridge between basic linear control concepts and advanced stability topics like Hopf bifurcation. That approach sounds practical for undergrads who aren't ready for nonlinear systems yet. Is there a specific classroom activity or example you use to show students how root locus connects to real-world power system stability?

So in root. Elementary Btech students. What they read is. If the. Yeah. Say for example if I have developed it transfer function. For a. Nonlinear system by. Converting that into a state space model. I would. If I if I had developed a. Uh, 6th order model. I actually. Approximate it by a second order model. The second order model is quite easier to understand by AB Tech undergraduate student. So. That same example. I would like to teach them as well.

Because. The second order system is a bit easier for a Btech student. This and I. Oh yeah OK, so before I present. Them with a 6th order model. I would definitely state the underlying assumptions for OK, so before I present. Them with a 6th order model. I would definitely state the underlying assumptions for. After stating the underlying. Present underlying assumptions.

Because. The second order system is a bit easier for a Btech student.

Alright,

Right, so simplifying to a second-order system makes it easier for B.Tech students to grasp. When you present that approximation, how do you check if students truly understand the limitations of reducing a complex system to a simpler one?

I would then. Present the results.

Okay, so you make sure to lay out the assumptions before presenting a simplified model.

Makes sense. Let’s shift gears a bit. Given your work in power system stability, where do you see the most fundable research directions over the next three years? What kinds of grants would you pursue to support your projects?

The work and then. So to support my projects. So, uh. Definitely. The system area is a huge interdisciplinary.

Okay, you’re emphasizing how interdisciplinary power systems can be for funding. Are there particular agencies or grant types you’ve identified as promising for your research—maybe government, industry, or international collaborations?

I I would usually. Uh, suggest?

You were about to suggest something—go on. Which agencies or grant programs do you usually recommend for interdisciplinary power systems research?

So, uh. Nowadays, uh, electric vehicles are uh, gaining a lot of boom.

Alright, you mentioned electric vehicles are booming,

And and when we place electric vehicles in the interdisciplinary, already interdisciplinary. Yeah, first. I would look for a. Uh, a grant which allows. Green energy programs because. They are actually a broader. Uh, they have a uh. Broader way of allowing. Grants to happen. And uh. As we know that. The there are so many. Uh, say. Programs launched by the Government of India.

Alright, let's shift to teaching. You mentioned using root locus to connect advanced concepts back to basics for B.Tech students.

So if. There are any specific grants regarding to that? I would also consider that as well. It is not that. Yeah. I would ask them, uh. A couple of questions to make them engaging first and foremost. Uh, uh, and. Uh, I would actually if, uh, some students couldn't answer. At that moment in the class. I would ask them to prepare for that question and. Uh, reproduce the answer in the next class with. A certain clarity. So I would do that first And. I would also recommend certain.

So if. There are any specific grants regarding to that? I would also consider that as well. It is not that. Yeah. I would ask them, uh. A couple of questions to make them engaging first and foremost. Uh, uh, and. Uh, I would actually if, uh, some students couldn't answer. At that moment in the class. I would ask them to prepare for that question and. Uh, reproduce the answer in the next class with. A certain clarity.

You said you’d ask students questions in class and have them prepare answers if they couldn’t respond right away, which encourages engagement and accountability. When you use that approach, how do you handle students who are consistently quiet or disengaged—what strategies do you use to bring them into the discussion without putting them on the spot?

Alright, let’s talk about the department side. Accreditation cycles can be pretty demanding—if you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, how would you approach fixing that?

So to fix the outcomes of the undergrads and post undergrads. For postgraduates. So. Definitely there will be certain. Makeup classes which I would take. To help the disengaged students either in online or either in offline. So. So I would, you know, we would actually form a certain group.

You mentioned forming a group and offering makeup classes, either online or offline, to help disengaged students. When it comes to fixing inconsistent outcome assessment data across courses, what practical steps would you take to standardize how faculty report and track those outcomes—especially when every instructor has their own style?

And and only, uh, the students. Who would? Uh, uh. You know, try to improve their. OK, so, uh. Even if every instructor has a. Unique style. There are certain uh. Aspects. Uh, are specific. A teacher.

Uh, who? Can teach the concept.

You’re saying even with unique teaching styles, there are aspects that can be standardized.

Okay, so you're thinking about standardizing aspects related to who can teach the concept. When it comes to department-level governance—like serving on curriculum committees or program reviews—what role do you see yourself playing there?

So as I'm as I am a beginner in the field, I would first see at the curriculum level itself. What are the hurdles the Btech students are facing in their curriculum? Is there any? Chance. To reduce the amount. The quantum of curriculum that is the first aspect I would like to see and other is do they have? Necessary seat. Uh, say for example. If you need to have. Better understanding of control system engineering. It's mandatory that. You should know. Mathematics 1-2 and three.

Along with. The certain physics aspects. And. Uh, signals and systems as. Because these are tried.

Alright, Professor, let’s consider an ethical scenario. Imagine a student files a formal complaint, alleging your grading is biased. At the same time, your department head is pressuring you to improve pass rates. How would you handle that situation?

You were saying—signals and systems, physics, all foundational for control systems. But back to that ethical scenario: how would you respond if the department head disagreed with your approach to handling the grading complaint and pressure for higher pass rates?

Generally uh. Because we are looking at the real world scenario. What I have observed? During uh. My uh. Life as a student. At my university at both undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD level.

Let’s shift gears, Professor. Given your background in control systems and power electronics, do you have any industry connections that could translate into internship or placement opportunities for students at VIT?

No matter how much. Better a teacher. Teachers in the classroom. There is always a complaint on the. So currently. Say, for example, in Andhra Pradesh, the Andhra Pradesh government is organizing skilled desired programs. And recently, quantum computing. UH programs also. Have.

Right, so you brought up Andhra Pradesh’s skill development programs and quantum computing initiatives. Have you personally collaborated with any industry partners or government bodies on these kinds of projects, or do you have concrete contacts you’d leverage for VIT students looking for internships or placements?

Uh, evolved. By the. Government of Andhra Pradesh. So I would like. Them to. So right now. Because I'm a beginner I don't have contacts now, but. Uh, I will definitely build up. The contacts and let the students. Utilize. Those.

Expertise of the industry experts as well. I would, I would, I wouldn't hesitate. To collaborate.

Okay, so you’d build up contacts for the students as you gain experience. Let’s talk about research visibility for a moment—how do you plan to contribute to the department’s publication goals,

You’ve mentioned both control systems and power electronics in your earlier responses. If you were teaching a power electronics lab course, how would you structure the practical sessions to make sure students actually understand the circuit behavior rather than just following the manual?

So before. Starting the practical session. I would. Uh. Just, uh. Revisit those concepts first. In a very. A quick manner. And later. When they come with their lab reports.

So you’d start by revisiting concepts before the practical session and then review lab reports after. How do you ensure students actually understand why a circuit behaves the way it does—rather than just writing down results—especially if they’re struggling to connect the theory to what happens in the lab?

So before. Starting the practical session. I would. Uh. Just, uh. Revisit those concepts first. In a very. A quick manner. And later. When they come with their lab reports. I would. A certain questionnaire. So that. They would, they wouldn't feel. OK, so first I would like to ask them certain questions. I would I would get the sense whether they have really understood or just they are just simply acting in front of me.

So you'd use quick reviews and targeted questions to check their real understanding, not just their ability to follow instructions. When students seem lost on a topic—say, in a control system course where the math gets tricky—how do you adapt your teaching style to help them connect the dots?

So. I would actually teach them to a certain level. Before they. Uh, visit, uh. Actually, I would. I would ask them whether how well and how conversant they are in the. Courses of a particular. Uh, course. So just I have uh, told that in the control systems class, the prerequisites Laplace trans. Could ask them how and they are with the laptop.

Transform and. Theorem. Even if they. Don't know everything.

Alright, so you’d check their comfort with prerequisites like Laplace transforms and tailor your teaching from there. When it comes to evaluating students—say, preparing exam questions or grading lab work—how do you make sure your assessments test real understanding rather than rote memorization?

Mm-hmm.

So to test that I would use Bloom taxonomy which has. 5 to 6 levels. The basic level. Then uh. It goes till the advanced levels. So say for example I. Use different adjectives, say for example. Uh draw the phasor diagram can be a question.

A problem. Uh, which uses 2 to. Equations.

A problem. Uh, which uses 2 to. Equations. Can be given.

Okay,

You mentioned problems involving two equations—sounds like you’re designing assessments that require students to synthesize concepts. When you’re guiding student research projects, what’s your approach if a student is struggling to frame a clear research question?

Alright.

So say for example, if a postgraduate researcher comes to me. And uh. Uh, ask me, uh. Uh, regarding. Uh, I want to do. Specifically in this area itself, I wouldn't you know. Discourage him from doing that as long as we follow the university guidelines. And. Because. The the student. Passion, actually. Professors. Intonation, uh. I believe. That if a student is very much passionate. I would, uh. Encourage him to do. That project as long. The university guidelines are being obeyed. And considered. The Btech projects. However, because they are beginners in the field.

Okay, so you’re open to student passion and make sure projects follow university guidelines, especially for postgraduates. Switching gears—when it comes to exam-related responsibilities, how do you handle setting fair grading policies and addressing student concerns about their marks?

And and since they don't know the directions, I would actually take a step. I would. Suggest some for them. Definitely I would take feedback from them. Regarding. The test papers which I evaluated. And I know that. If these teachers make. Sure, that. Uh, the grading is uh.

Say students do have certain. Uh, what do you call? Uh, yeah.

Alright, Mr., we’re wrapping up. Is there anything you’d like to ask about the role or the team?

You’re talking about students having concerns—sounds like you’re thinking about how to address their grievances. If students challenge their marks or feel a grading decision was unfair, what’s your process for reviewing and resolving those situations?

Definitely, I would like to bring that concern to the head of the department.

Right, you’d escalate to the department head if needed for fairness. That covers the exam responsibilities well. So, Mr.,

And if the head of the department. Uh tries to constitute a commit. Coming to my questions. So, uh.

If the department head sets up a committee, that’s usually a fair way to resolve grading disputes. Sounds like you’re thinking through the process. So, Mr., any questions you’d like to ask about the Assistant Professor role or the faculty team before we wrap up?

I would like. To see that I have a very good.

You were saying you’d like to see that you have a very good—did you want to finish that thought, or is there a specific question you have about the role or the team?

So I would like to ask. Uh, that, uh. The teachers need to be treated very well. So, uh. So the most of the discussion. Was regarding the student overall being overall well-being. But uh. I I would like to ask how how are the teachers treated? Are they? Uh, good enough. On par with the students. So because in most of the engineering colleges what I have observed is that. Uh, most of them are concerned about the B.Tech and M Tech students itself. So how much pressure the faculty undergoes? Uh, even the those points need to be addressed and.

Okay, so you’re really focused on the well-being of faculty as well as students. That’s an important question. In this department, faculty are valued and supported through regular professional development, peer support, and transparent workload policies. There’s a conscious effort to ensure teaching and research responsibilities are balanced,

If any, if any assistant professor brings. Concern so even those. Yes.

If any, if any assistant professor brings. Concern so even those. Yes. Yes.

Mm-hm. If you had another question about the role or the team, feel free to ask. Otherwise, I'm ready to wrap up when you are.

Mm-hmm.

I would like to even ask the team. Regarding if. Uh, a professor wants to do. In a particular research area. So would. In a particular research area in electrical and electronics engineering.

Alright, you’re asking whether faculty get support when pursuing research in a specific area within electrical and electronics engineering. The department encourages independent research, and there are mechanisms to request resources or collaborative opportunities through faculty meetings and research committees. If there’s a gap in funding or facilities, it’s typically discussed openly with leadership. Anything else on your mind, Mr., or are you all set?

So so uh. Will there be? Very open to. One more thing I would like to ask is if the faculty is given any additional work. Uh, other than uh. You know, sometimes, uh. It does happen that. In a team, only one person does 90% or 80% of the work. And the remaining persons are just there. Solely for. You know the other reasons. So is it that only certain teachers? You know they do most of the work and. You know, do they get any additional? Uh, income.