Good morning.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Good morning I I'm Urbani Sahithi. I'm. I have done my PhD in National Institute of Technology Rourkela and I have two years of experience in research in industry and also in academia. I have worked as assistant professor in Malaredi University. I have taught 8 courses related to food engineering, unit operations, waste management, food science and. And also I have also mentored the students.

Technology from the one month.

I have done my PhD in on the topic on the topic of design and development of Apple shell, D Sheller and D Sheller and also have done extraction encapsulation for the extraction of the biotic compounds from the shell and incorporating for the product development I need. My M tech I have done from Nifty Azure where I have done on the radio frequency sterilization for the oats.

Where we have uh, uh, interacted and collaborated with the industry Marico and we have completed the project successfully. So I'm very interested in joining the bits since I have other research and also academic both experience, I can really help the students for their journey. Thank you.

Thank you, Professor Murakonda. Let us delve deeper into your expertise. I'd like to start with specific areas related to this role. Can you elaborate on how your expertise in radio frequency technology has driven innovative outcomes in food process engineering or product development?

Radio frequency really helped. It's not only for the sterilization, it also can help in the product, in the drying and also.

Like I have done for the oats we can use for different, we can use for the different products like rice, wheat and also radio frequency can also help in or also can help in the pulse milling. So it can be very useful.

And also for the.

Technology for the students also, since I have done already, we have done on at different Electro speeds. It really showed the mortality rate for the.

Mortality rate for for the insects which I have done like Tribolium, castanium and we have exposure time was also 5 minutes. So it really and it it really helped for the sterilization process. So it also can be done for various other processes also. Thank you.

Thank you for explaining the outcomes of your work using radio frequency technology. Let us now shift our focus to your teaching approach. Given that you have both research and practical experience, how do you design your theoretical and laboratory coursework to ensure that students grasp complex concepts effectively?

Students I, I'm really I, I really help in the collaboration. I designed my theoretical laboratory courses by strongly linking concepts with the real world applications. In theory classes, I begin with the fundamentals and then connect them with the practicals. Since I have the research experience also and also from the industry, I can give the case studies and also industry visits so the students understand not.

Only theoretically, but also the practical view. Elaborate courses are focused on the experimental learning. Before experiments, I clearly explain the objective and underlying theory and after the experiment encourage the student to analyze the results and relate them back to the real world. Since I have both the experience, I also can give the mini projects case studies to improve the practical knowledge for the students. This approach I think it will help the students to develop a strong.

And also practical skills for their well-being and also for the complex theoretical. So also it can really help. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your thoughtful approach to teaching. Considering your emphasis on experiential learning, how do you evaluate students' understanding and ensure their progress, especially in practical and project-based settings?

I think students I can interact with them and also for them I can view the I can I can evaluate students understanding through the outcomes how they give by assessing the methods in practicals like project based settings. I I I only not focus on the finest result. I will also focus on the learning how they will do and I will also how they are performing the lab experiments and also how they are.

The data in printing and through the Viber discussions and we can use the stage wise evaluation problems literature literature also I'll ask them to review.

And data analysis and also increased in the discussions among can improve the discussions among the students and also identify gaps and for the improving the continuity. So this helped to engaging the students and also to further developing the practical and the study progress in both understanding and the applications. Thank.

Thank you.

Thank you for detailing your evaluation methodology. Shifting to research, can you outline how you guide student research projects to ensure both academic rigor and practical impact?

I do in I first analyse the students industry based problems and also what problem will you. While guiding students I focus mainly balancing between the academic and also practical values. So I help the students in the research problems and objectives like what is a real problem and scientifically help them in the further real world.

Industry for the for. Their better next if they go for the industry also they can, they can also it can help them. So I'll go away. I'll starting from the literature review, then experimental design like there are statistical tools like design experts. And also I'll also give appropriate methods and also research ethics. And I will say the research ethics also for them. And I'll continue monitor the progress and if they encounter any challenges.

I'll help them and also I'll encourage the results. I'll encourage the students to do statistical analysis and also for the optimization case studies and also help in the presentation for their project. And so it can, it can also ensure the meaningful. I think it can ensure the meaningful research outcome. Thank you.

Thank you for that detailed explanation, Professor Murakonda. Research guidance is indeed crucial, and your approach shows depth. Now, turning to communication, how do you simplify complex scientific topics when addressing a varied audience, such as undergraduate students or individuals without a technical background?

First, I will, I'll ask their, uh, what, uh, what is their, uh, research. I've been addressing the audience. I'll focus on really on the quality. Then I'll understand the background level of what, what kind of background level of audience, like how their expertise is there. Then I'll introduce the complexity. Then I'll go for the real life examples, visuals, visually, I will show the videos.

And also I'll explain the scientific principles in the food food related and I'll give the daily related examples. Like for the undergraduate students I'll break the complex topics into small logical steps and also I'll help frequently check the understanding through discussions and questions. For non-technical audience I explain ideas through. Real daily life problems like benefits applications. What are the practical outcomes?

I also encourage the feedbacks and interaction which will be helpful for me to adjust my explanation in the real time. I think this can really help for the complex scientific concepts and also clearly clarity for the technical background which for the audience. Thank you.

Thank you for elaborating on your communication strategy, Professor Murakonda. Let us now discuss your research. Could you share an example of a specific research publication or project you're most proud of, and why it stands out in your academic career?

My research, I think I have done a PhD in the machine development which I have acquired, which I have done from NIT Rourkela on the woodapple shell. For the design and development of D shell. I have also acquired a patent which I'm proud of. So this, this this really addresses the real life problem like we know the wood apple shell, it is very difficult for the breaking. So generally for the small scale industries there are many.

Likes developed on the apple shell there are so it's very complex fruit so it is very hard to break manually. So it can harm the hands of the labor or it is very time consuming so I have developed.

A machine that can cut the fruit and also remove the pulp and seed from it, which will really help the small scale industries and also large scale industries, even the farmers or entrepreneurs who want to start the business. So I have incorporated.

Various sensors, it's, it's not, it's fully automatic equipment. There is no manual, the only manual loading is there. Rest all the equipment will be taken care of. So I have it will avoid the real, reduce the labor and also increase the efficiency. And I have acquired really good efficiency for the machine about 95 percentage. Apart apart from this, I have also done on the extraction encapsulation of bioptic components from the shell.

I'm converting into a value added ingredients and product development. This approach really combined the engineering or also valuation. So I have also published various research papers from my PhD project and all which will help for the rural applications and also impactful for the academic academic career. So the shell waste I have utilized the whole fruit not only the pulp and have utilized the shell part which is 40% wastage.

So I'm really, I have a really proud of this and I have I'm satisfied for my research. Thank you.

Thank you, Professor Murakonda, for sharing such a meaningful and impactful project. It demonstrates both innovation and real-world application, especially in addressing challenges for small and large-scale industries alike. Lastly, given your robust background, how do you aim to integrate your industry collaborations, like the one with Marico, into the academic environment for enhancing student learning and institutional research goals?

Since I have done both in the research and also the academic really help the students for their integrate for their for their placements also or their academic challenges can be improved. So I aim to integrate the industry collaborations into the research enrollment in the structured way based on experience during my Mtech with the I have collaborated with the Marico. So how they I know how the industrial problems are there.

And also I have worked in the industry so I know what problems they're really. So I'm teaching. I incorporate the real industrial cases, case studies and processing challenges and data based examples in the classroom discussions and also so that students may understand how theoretical concepts are applied into the practice. I also increase the industry-oriented mini projects and internships that expose student to the real-world constants such as quality, standard safety and scalability from the.

Research perceptive I see industry collaboration to generate application driven research topics. Joint projects like interdisciplinary projects also like funded research opportunities. So hotel enhance the employability for the students and also can help for when they get placed into the industry trail. You can help further development and also for the industry related outcomes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Professor Murakonda, for sharing your insights and approach. It’s clear that your experience bridges academics, research, and industry effectively, and your integration strategies can greatly benefit both the students and the institution. With all required topics covered, would you like to end the interview here, or is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

Thank you, really thank you for your interview. I have really meaningful con conversation and have also covered my key answers, aspects of my teaching and research. I would like to just add, I'm generally enthusiastic about contributing to a bit academic and research ecosystem through particularly through student mentoring, industrial research, industrial collaboration. I really look forward. For the possible working opportunity with the institution. Thank you once again for your time and consideration.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Professor Murakonda, for this enriching discussion. Your enthusiasm for contributing to the academic and research community is evident, and it has been a pleasure hearing about your experiences and vision. Just to confirm, may I proceed to officially conclude the interview?

Yes, If, uh, if there is no question, if, uh, there is no questions from your part, uh, uh, it's, it's uh, we can end the interview. Thank you.