Good day, Dr. Lekshmi M S. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

So I'm Doctor Lakshmi, Ms. Currently, I'm working as the assistant professor in the department that Applied Electronics and Instrumentation with Trajectory School of Engineering and Technology Coaching. I'm also serving as the head of the Department of Applied Electronics and Instrumentation. I've completed my PhD from NIT Caliphate in the area of gas materials and that is metal oxides for gas sensor, particularly acetone sensing for diabetes protection.

And basically, so how I'm sitting for the VIP is that I have a very enthusiastic mind for teaching a fellow professor.

And I feel, uh.

Teaching, yeah, I think it is the best place that I have seen greatly excelling academically and dissatisfied, which is excelling in the in its performance.

To take both research and.

And I feel very much fit for the for the faculty role in the organization.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor. Let's delve into some specific topics to better understand your expertise and alignment with the role. First, could you describe your approach to teaching both theory and laboratory courses in a way that keeps students engaged and ensures they grasp complex concepts effectively?

Uh, for theory courses, what uh, I do is, uh, particularly I take more of the electronics, uh, courses, even though my background is instrumentation, I take more of electronics courses. So what I do is I take lecture for them and also make sure they get a different complex engineering problems that they can relate to the real world. Such that they'll be more enthusiastic to do the problem and solve it in with based on.

And also we give, uh, micro projects, uh, where they can show their expertise for that particular courses. The students can choose their own projects based on that. They have to do the hardware for the electronics. Of course, they have to do the software part and then they have to do the hardware part and then show the results. And the Viva will be conducted based on the micro projects. And also some of our questions will be asked on the other topics particular to that.

Their knowledge that they are gaining from the class.

Even like how that particular topic can be connected to the micro project even though it is not coming into play. Well, they're doing the.

Outcome and for the lab courses, it's like we have.

Learn it by themselves and they have to come and do the project for the lab experiment and Viva will be asked based on the analysis like what are what are they understanding after performing that particular lab experiment and based on that they'll be asked to write a report they're understanding like why that particular.

We give them a content like to be done and they have to.

Experiment relates to and why it is working like that. It's like what they understand from that experiment. Not rather than doing the experiment and getting the values, we'll be focusing on how they are getting the knowledge and what did they gain after doing that particular experiment.

So this is how I ordered, but in some cases, uh, for the subjects like nanoelectronics, what I do is uh, I make them simulate, uh, open where I'll, I'll ask them to do openware software where they can design their own Mosfets or change the values of the parameters like oxide thickness. Those things will be changed and they can analyze like how the threshold voltage is varying and what is influence of such values on the device performance.

So this is how I handle my theory as well as my laboratory course.

Thank you for that comprehensive response, Professor. Your emphasis on connecting theoretical concepts to practical applications and fostering independent learning is indeed commendable. I want to probe a bit deeper—when designing microprojects or lab activities, how do you ensure they cater to students with varying levels of aptitude while maintaining academic rigor?

Uh, for them, what uh, we do is, as I told after the micro projects, they have to do it, uh, because they will be doing it, uh, in a group size. And then they will be asked to do few students who have felt like they are not performing well for the group work, they will be given a chance to do it individually so that they have to, uh, show their expertise on that rather than working in a group.

And also they will be given minor versions, that is that they can give a testimony like giving a different scenario that connects to the same projects, a different scenario will be given and based on that they will be asked to design their substitute.

As I'm focusing on electronics, they'll be asked to design A particular circuit based on the new scenario. Maybe it is an updated version of the micro project they have already done. So this is how we make sure that every student get a chance to do their project. And it's not that it's a group work alone and few of students are opting out from the project are not interested. We give them each of them and make them.

Enthusiastic to do that particular project so that it's it's like they have to do it and we see that we are given real world problems they can relate to and how they can modify the existing micro projects to that level so that.

We can make sure that they have understand even all the students have got the concepts behind that particular topic.

Understood, Professor. Your structured approach to balancing group dynamics with individual accountability and tailoring real-world scenarios for diverse student levels is quite thoughtful. It’s also evident that you emphasize inclusive learning and encourage active participation. Switching focus slightly—can you elaborate on how you manage student evaluations, particularly for both theory and practical components, to ensure a fair and holistic assessment?

Theory assessment. Right now we have a structure here in my institute where I'm working now.

So what we do is we have assignments where the assignments will be given on an application level. It's not likely I'll be giving a topic and they'll be writing it. This is not the way that I do that.

I make sure, again, it is in a way that they have, uh, they have to develop their thinking process to approach that problem, that assignment. So that is one of the evaluation. I do that and I make sure that each one of the student will get a different problem. Maybe it is a kind of similar thing, but it will be a different so that they cannot copy from somebody else. It's like they have to do it based on their thinking process.

And the written exams also all the questions will be given on the application level. It's nothing like they cannot simply mark up the theory and come and write exam. The questions won't be asked on that way. We are framing the questions based on the application of Mlites level.

And laboratory.

I think what we are doing is we are.

Slightly changing the questions that we are asking for the lab from the regular lab activities, we we have a set of experiments that will be done for the labs and on daily basis we have daily evaluations. That is the students have to prepare the experiment before coming to the lab. They should know what they're going to do based on that. Such we'll be asking daily like we'll be daily evaluating the lab sessions.

And after that, an exam will be done, but the questions won't be direct again. We'll be giving a slight variation from what we have done so that we can make sure that the students have understood the purpose of that particular experiment to be done. So it may be we'll be combining 2 experiments that will can be related and will be update. We'll be giving that new problem to the students too solve for the label. So this is how we are doing the evaluation.

Thank you, Professor. Your approach to student evaluation clearly emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of the subject over rote learning. Tailoring assignments and lab exams to foster individualized creativity and comprehension is an approach that aligns well with innovative pedagogy. Let’s now explore another area of importance: guiding student research projects. Can you share how you ensure students stay motivated and aligned during long-term research projects, particularly at the undergraduate or master's level?

So, uh, regarding, uh, the project, that is the most important thing as excellent to the theory when they are handling the project. So the, usually I have seen a tendency of the students to stick on their comfort zone where, uh, they'll be just doing the previously, uh, done projects, which will be repeated every year. So I make sure that my students are not doing.

Students assigned to me are not doing the same.

I say my PhD work was in the material science area. I make sure that even though they are the UG students, they start working in the material science area where they can bring into some.

Real world applications that is they are working for. So my focus was on my PhD work was on gas sensors. So I have my students working in the gas sensor area. I've made them research they.

Approach. The problem in a resource is that they get more aspects rather than sticking on to the traditional AML problems that are done by the previous students. I never do that and I'll be giving a new problem approach for me. For them it is a new problem approach because they're not available. They know how to use the sensors, what they don't know, how they're made, how the sensors are made.

So we are starting from the scratch where the students will be, starting from the material study where stage by stage process they will be doing.

Making their own sensor. Maybe they cannot fabricate the entire thing, but they know what this the thing happening inside the sensor and how the sensor is working so.

They will be starting from their mini project that is during the 6th semester they have their mini projects. So they will be starting working on this project from the 6th semester and the final year also. So they get almost 1 1/2 years. So it's kind of they'll be working with new materials. So gas sensor is one of the application they are working.

And other application is I've given them neuromorphic devices like how they are working. They'll be encouraged to study new tools that is available.

In the openware or and or. Also we have some MATLAB Simulink software and I'll ask them how they can use such tools for their project so.

So make sure they are learning a new tool as well as they have an opportunity to go through some papers.

And replicate the same? Or how can they modify that paper and bring a new novel work?

So in that way they know what is happening in their research and they have more options to do critical thinking or more options to explore beyond their comfort zone. So this is how we do that. I make sure they are not doing the same old projects done previously. They will be.

Like encouraged to do the latest research topics that is happening and have few students right now working on their hydrogen gas sensor which is entirely new for them incorporated with embedded systems and how they can bring into AIML. So this is how.

Combining 3 different areas into single projects so that students can get expertise on each different area.

So this is how I do that.

Thank you, Professor. Your approach to guiding student research projects not only pushes boundaries but also introduces students to interdisciplinary work, which is crucial for addressing contemporary challenges. Encouraging students to delve into novel areas, explore cutting-edge technologies, and blend different domains fosters innovation and critical thinking. Let us turn now to your research background. Could you summarize the contributions of your PhD work and how that has shaped your subsequent academic and research activities?

Uh, so as I have already mentioned, my PhD was in the area of material science. That is, I've been using metal oxides for acetone gas detection.

So starting how I approach the work with I learned a new tool Console Multiphysics, where I've used the software to simulate a gas sensor that is a sink oxide based gas sensor.

After that I started with experiential work where I was using nickel oxide as my main material and I have done the gas calibration studies and also I have such a gas sensing calibration set up in my institute where particularly for BOC gas sensing.

And the gas after the gas calibration study was done for nickel oxide to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the material, I have to update it with thin sulfide so that I'll get a new heterostructure. So the new material is selective and sensitive only to acetone gas sensor even if there is other gases present in the measuring environment. As my research was focusing on acetone which is a breath marker for.

Diabetes detection when we are using the sensor for breath analyzer analysis, it is more chances that there are more gases in the sensor and human breath, so our sensor should be particularly.

Response. Response should only respond to this exception. So after doing my PhD, I had more project ideas. Or maybe I was able to relate the knowledge that I've gained from my PhD work into almost all the subjects that I'm taking in the class, so I was able to explain the concept more.

With real life examples so that the students can easily connect with.

Different project ideas so that they can do that and are also they are also very comfortable with the data contents that I've given. So that is I was more for confident to guide more projects even from outside my gas sensor applications. I was able to go for neuromodpic devices like membristers on the materials side.

So that was 1 aspect and also I made I am also more confident to give the students.

And I was able to I have I can write papers better publications. I've already have 5 publications from my PSU work alone and both conference papers and also I have recently published.

2 conference papers Papers of my.

UC students was working on the gas centre and one group student was working on the micro infusion pump. That is a different area where control system is being used. So students get an approach like how control system subject can do this for that project. So I was able to come out of my comfort comfort zone and to guide, give better idea or project new project ideas to the students.

So that they are also confident to approach to new new things even when they are outside the campus like.

We are going to really learn something new which is not available in their textbooks or something, but they are able to approach the projects without any fear.

Thank you, Professor. You’ve emphasized how your PhD research in material science has directly influenced not only your scholarly contributions but also your ability to mentor students effectively—bridging academic knowledge with impactful real-world applications. Your ability to expand beyond your core expertise and promote interdisciplinary research is a strength that aligns well with fostering a vibrant academic environment. Next, research publications are often a key measure of academic rigor. Could you highlight the significance of your most recent publication and how it adds to the body of knowledge in your field?

Umm, so the last paper, uh, SEI index the publication was done on.

The heterostructure that have already discussed that is nickel oxide and sync sulfate structure being used for acetone gas sensing under optical activation where I was using UV light for the sensing activation method and the contribution was that a new combination of material and noble material has been.

Discovered for acetone is more sensing and also the study of the optical how much optical activation that is UV light can influence the sensing pattern of the combinations and how it is relevant for the gas sensing, particularly when most of the sensors are working under high thermal temperature activation. I was focusing more on the room temperature based sensing.

Where there's nickel oxides in sulfide was a suitable combination.

And also I have worked on micro infusion firmware. Student have developed a microinformation pump for insulin.

Delivery where the constantly we have a glucose sensor that we will be monitoring the sensor on the body based on the need the.

And that was done by my UG students. And also as I already mentioned, I have a group that is working on the hydrogen sensors and they have also simulated a micro hot plate that is will be used for the hydrogen sensor sensing material application activation where I'm focusing more on the 2D materials that is a most of moldenum disulfide will be used as a main material.

Insulin will be injected into the portion that was published as a conference.

And that also the simulation they have published for they'll be presenting for a conference and also I have working on some review papers for that and those two hydrogen sensor. So these are my.

Contributions for the research.

Thank you, Professor. Your detailed explanation of your recent work highlights the real-world applicability and significance of your contributions. Your research, particularly on acetone gas sensing through heterostructures for diabetes detection and on student-led projects, showcases innovation and a strong drive toward practical applications in healthcare and energy domains. Additionally, integrating simulation-based insight into undergraduate research demonstrates your commitment to advancing both scholarship and pedagogy. Lastly, let us touch upon your experience in consulting or collaboration with industry. Can you describe any industry projects or consultancy work you've been involved in, and what impact these had, either academically or professionally?

So I have a very little exposure for collaborating with industry. Right now I have I'm working on a consultancy project where I'll be developing.

POS device that is we have the billing system that is being used. In short, I have to make a hard pair where the data from the computer before going to the printer, the data has to go to a hardware where it will be sent to the cloud.

So the company doesn't have a electronics background. So we have to make a hardware for that particular thing where the data from the computer rather than on the memory, it should go through this device through the normal printing printer that is available in the supermarkets. And this data should be sent to the cloud so that the data can be retrieved later on. So this is one of the industry projects that I'm working. And also.

I have contacted gas sensor company where they are focusing on hydrogen sensor so that is an inline discussion with them to support my research work to where I'll be developing the hydrogen sensor for their company.

In addition to that, I have I mean touch with foreign universities that is to you Dresden and also Access Maxilla University of France where I'm planning to collaborate with them for research funding as we have India, German fundings and also CFRA where they are funding into into France collaborations. So right now there are two projects that is being discussed.

It will happen in another two or three if all the criteria is met.

So these are my expertise with respect to the research and industry, as well as collaboration with foreign.

Thank you, Professor. While you acknowledge limited industry experience, your initiative in consultancy projects like the development of a POS device demonstrates your ability to address practical, real-world challenges. Equally impressive is your proactive approach to international collaborations, especially with recognized institutions like TU Dresden and Aix-Marseille University. These initiatives not only enhance your own research but also highlight your potential to create significant partnerships that integrate academic and industry ecosystems. With this comprehensive overview of your research, teaching, and collaborative efforts, I now have a well-rounded view of your academic and professional pursuits. Before I move forward, is there anything additional you would like to share about your contributions or aspirations in academia?

I have been selected for the Women's Scientist Leadership program funded by DSP and British Council in victory that have happened in 2000, 2020 25 and I attained I attained indoor and also I have been selected for the Research Explorer rule program conducted by school.

University Boham Rural University Boham so I was able to visit their campus in two.

Weeks, which was fully funded.

Taken 16 of my students through that funding to German universities, University of Freiburg and Hokesville College.

And also I have.

These are the major contributions that I have, other than it's kind of academic activities, but my interaction, the communication with external world.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor. Your selection for prestigious programs like the Women Scientist Leadership Program and the Research Explorer Ruhr Program, as well as your effort to leverage these opportunities to benefit not only yourself but also your students, speaks volumes about your commitment to academic leadership and global engagement. Taking students to German universities showcases your initiative to provide them with international exposure, broadening their academic and cultural horizons. I believe we’ve covered a comprehensive range of your experiences and achievements. Unless you’d like to highlight anything else, we can conclude the interview here. Let me know your preference.

We can conclude the session.