Good day, Dr. M. Chellapandian. 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?

I'm ready to start.

Yeah, hi. Thank you very much for the opportunity to present about myself for the faculty interview at VIT Vellore myself, Doctor M Chalapandyan. I am currently working as a senior grade assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering Web course Link Engineering College, Sivakasi. I completed my BE Civil Engineering in the year 2013 from Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli. I'm a university rank holder.

Completed the degree with first class distinction.

Then in the year 2015, I completed my ME Structural Engineering degree from Government College of Engineering, Salem. I am a gold medalist after my ME. I completed my PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India in the year 2019. The topic of my PhD thesis is Axial compression Bending interaction behavior of square RC columns strengthened using hybrid FRP composites. After my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral fellow at IIT Hyderabad for a period of nine months and.

At the University of Stuttgart for a period of six months.

From the year 2020 I'm working at MAPCO as a assistant professor. Then in 2023 I am promoted a senior grade assistant professor. My research area of interest includes passive energy strategies for improving the energy efficiency in buildings, seismic and fire retrofitting strategies for reinforced concrete members, structural health monitoring, use of advanced non destructive evaluation techniques like acoustic emission, piezoelectric transducers for structural health monitoring and.

Uh, development of advanced composite materials, uh, with the low cost and sustainable, uh prompt based. Uh, I'm a recognized supervisor. I'm going to specify some of my achievements. Uh, I'm a recognized supervisor for guiding PhD scholars under Anna University, Chennai. Currently 2 PhD scholars completed uh, doctoral thesis under my supervision and four more research scholars are working in different. Interdisciplinary areas as well as core areas of structural engineering.

I'm guiding currently 4 PhD scholars and till date I have about 80 international publications in peer reviewed international journals and conferences and I'm I'm an active reviewer who is reviewing for about more than 60 international journals and also I am serving as an editorial board member for two international journals Sustainable Developmentville and Fibers MDPA. I am very passionate about research and I got about 1 industry based.

Research project worth rupees 10,00,000 from an ALCO submits and two minor science and technology projects from Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology and Institution of Engineers India. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian, for the introduction. Your academic and research background is impressive. Let us begin discussing your experience, skills, and qualifications in detail to better understand your fit for this role. To start with, could you provide more insight into your contributions to the project on the development of strain-hardening cementitious composites for retrofitting? Specifically, I’d like to understand the innovative aspects of your work and its potential applications in earthquake engineering and retrofitting.

Yeah. Thank you for this question.

1st the use of engineered semi tissues composites was begin in the late 90s developed by Professor Victor Lee. The main the main advantage of using this engineered cement is composites for earthquake resistant applications is that it is very highly tactile material. The strain at which the ECC going to fail at tension is about 300 times higher than what a conventional.

And concrete does. So the strain of tensile strain of ECC is about uh three to seven percentage, whereas the tensile strain of conventional concrete is about uh .01 percentage, which is uh, 300 times higher when compared to conventional concrete. However, the main drawback of using ECC for practical applications is the cost of ECC is about 3 times higher when compared to the conventional concrete because ECC UH is prepared by the mechanics of UH micro. Particle packing theory and micro mechanics based application.

Where you're going to pack the material in a very dense manner. So it is going to be a very stiff and stronger. So it is very costly when compared to the conventional concrete. So our research team at MEPCO, we developed a low-cost ECC or strain hardening composite using the locally available natural fibers. For this project, we used two kinds of natural fiber. One is the flax and.

Is the hemp. So these two natural fibers possess uh, very high strength, similar to that of the conventional fibers, uh, like PVA or steel fibers, which are used for developing commercial ECC. So by using the natural fibers after treatment, we are able to achieve sufficient strain and high strength similar to that of the artificial fiber waste engineered semanticious composite. Uh, this project I have communicated to institution of engineers India and got funding.

For my master student. So the main application of this natural fiber based cementitious composite is that the cost of the ECC is also significantly low without compromising the performance which can be used either for structural retrofitting application or for.

The development of seismic resistant members like beams or columns.

That’s a fascinating project, Dr. Chellapandian. It’s impressive how you addressed both the cost and performance issues, which are key challenges in earthquake engineering. I have a follow-up question: what specific steps did you take in the evaluation process to validate the mechanical properties of the ECC, especially its performance under seismic loading?

So thank you very much for the question. Uh, first, the ECC which we developed using the natural fibers are evaluated under both compression and tension because once it performs similar to that of the commercial ECC, then we can deem that it is suitable for the application in seismic resistant or earthquake prone regions. So we evaluated the properties of, uh, the natural fiber based.

Stain hardening semiticious composites under tension as per the standard ASTM standard. So the samples are tested under tension and we found that the flags are hemp fiber based. ECC was able to generate a high tensile strength of about 10 megapascal along with an ultimate strain of about 3:00 to 4:00 percentage which is similar to that of the commercial PVA or steel fiber based ECC. Similarly in compression also we tested.

The natural fiber waste ECC. We are able to observe the behavior was very well suited and to make like to prove the practical application of this natural fiber based ECCR SEC.

We retrofitted the severely damaged and corrosion damaged.

Sorry, severely damaged and corrosion damaged reinforced concrete members. So first the members are tested under static 4 point bending test and.

They're completely tested till failure. After that they're retrofitted using this natural fiber based SEC and they are again tested under the same loading condition. Whether we checked whether the retrofitting material is able to restore the original performance. Similarly, we tested this for the corrosion damaged reinforced concrete members. Also we found that the natural fiber based SAC is able to restore the original performance of the damaged members whether it is severely damaged or corrosion.

So due to limited testing facility available in my current laboratory, I'm not able to do the seismic testing or earthquake testing of the full scale members. So that is under that is a plan as a part of my future works which I'm planning to do.

Thank you.

Thank you, Professor Chellapandian. It’s clear that your work has the potential for real-world impact, especially in retrofitting and seismic applications. The retrofit testing with severely damaged members is a meaningful step toward demonstrating applicability. Let’s shift focus slightly. Could you elaborate on how your teaching philosophy integrates with your research interests? For instance, how do you approach teaching complex structural engineering or earthquake engineering topics to students, ensuring they understand both theoretical foundations and practical applications?

So thank you. My philosophy of teaching is that I doesn't believe I am the one who doesn't believe that teaching is just a part of a commercial conventional blackboard teaching. Rather, I integrate most of the applications where we use. For example, whatever the topics we teach, I usually integrate them with a practical applications. For instance, I take the subject of mechanics of solids usually. Teach the students when I teach the topic of either shear force diagram or bending moment diagram, what is the real application or what is the real significance of studying or creating this shear force diagram and bending moment diagram? For example, the shear force diagram helps us to identify the location of the stairs wherever you have the maximum intensity of the load. Where you have the minimum intensity of the load, you provide the stirrups or design the stirrups accordingly. Similarly, you draw the bending moment diagram for locating the longitudinal.

So I usually integrate whatever the.

Concepts I teach we along with the practical applications and secondly, in order to improve the understanding of the students with the practical aspects, what I usually do is I usually give a project for each and every subject. For example, in the case of reinforced concrete design, I insist the students to do a design project as a curriculum related to my theory subject so that they can be easily able to apply. Or apply whatever they study for example.

I asked the students for reinforced concrete design to do modeling or.

Are coding so that they can design the entire components of the building whatever they study as a part of their curriculum. So my usual part of teaching is I always integrate whatever I teach with the real world applications. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing, Professor Chellapandian. It’s evident that you are committed to fostering a strong connection between theoretical knowledge and practical application, which is crucial for preparing students in engineering fields. Your emphasis on integrated projects and bridging theory with real-world examples indeed reflects a student-focused teaching philosophy. You also mentioned developing an interest in structural health monitoring and retrofitting strategies. How do you involve students in your research, and what strategies have you found effective in guiding them through independent or collaborative research projects?

Thank you for the question Actually integrating students. I always believe that the teamwork is a key part of success and I usually involve my undergraduate and postgraduate students for majority of my research projects. I always trust them because I give them the fundamental aspects of what is the objective of the work and what needs to be done and the students will be able to completely cope up with the work. And one such example is that.

My undergraduate students did the project of retrofitting this severely damaged reinforced concrete members using the strain hardening natural fiber based strain hardening symmetricious composite. Since they're able to integrate whatever they do with the practical application, they want the best thesis award for the bachelors, which our college awards so. They are the examiner who examined the work. He is able to practically comply with whatever the students have.

Studied and whatever they have done, so the I usually involve the students very well as a part of my team to focus on the research as well as the academia.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian. Your approach to involving students directly in impactful research projects like retrofitting damaged members demonstrates both leadership and mentorship. It’s commendable that your students have achieved recognition for their work under your guidance, which reflects the quality of the learning experience you provide. Let’s now discuss your experience with securing research funding. Could you walk me through the process you followed for obtaining the industry-based research project worth ₹10,00,000 from Nalco and how you ensured its success?

Yeah, Thank you. Uh.

Since we wanted to do an industry based research, we initially approached We were initially approached by the Nalco cements to develop an advanced composite material. So we proposed them the topic of developing an engineered geopolymer composites for retro.

Engineered geopolymer composites for highly ductile applications. So engineered geopolymer composites were developed using commercially. They were developed using the binding materials like cement, fly ash and Ggps. Instead, the Nalco Simmons wanted us to use the aluminum powder which they produce as the outlet of their work. So they wanted to introduce aluminum powder as a binding material along with the other binders for the development of engineered Geo.

Composites that that was the main objective of that proposal. We gave a proposal for that and what are the practical applications where we are going to apply that and they were satisfied with the proposal and they funded us with the rupees of 10,00,000.

Thank you for the question. This is the recent project which we got from Alco Simmons and we are yet to initiate the project. But I have handled another two projects from Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology which is very similar to this industrial project where I had the challenge of aligning with the goals of TNSE and with the goals of our institution and to achieve the objectives whatever I propose as a part of my research.

Understood. Your ability to align the proposal to Nalco’s industrial needs and incorporate their by-product, aluminum powder, shows strong collaboration and problem-solving. It’s a great example of integrating academic research with practical applications. As a follow-up, how did you manage the project deliverables and ensure that the research met the expectations of the industry partner? What challenges, if any, did you encounter during the execution of this project?

So there, uh, like challenges, uh, but in that project I got a complete freedom to perform whatever the objectives I stated. And I was able to achieve whatever the objective stated as a part of my original proposal. And as an outcome of the work, I was able to publish four or five quality international journals also and one, uh, Indian patent also, which, uh, the Funding Agency gave me complete freedom to do it.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian. It’s commendable that you successfully navigated the objectives of the funding agency while maintaining academic freedom and achieving tangible outcomes like patents and high-quality publications. This demonstrates your ability to manage research projects effectively and produce impactful results. Let me now move to another area of interest. Based on your experience as an active reviewer for over 60 international journals and your editorial positions, how do you evaluate the quality of research publications? Additionally, how does this experience influence the way you guide your PhD students on publishing their research?

Active peer reviewing and it is a very, very important process when we are a part of a research community because this reviewing mostly I tell my research scholars are masters students. Whenever we write a paper first we have to see in the perspective of the third person because we are very confident about that work, but the third person knows what are the mistakes in that. So whenever I review a paper.

Thank you for this important question because.

I always, uh, I mostly don't commend them in a negative manner. Instead, I see what are the advantages or positive outcomes from that particular paper. And I always suggest improvements, uh, for that particular work and to take it forward to my work. What I do is whatever the thing I miss or whatever the improvements I can make by keeping that as a benchmark, I always instruct my students or for myself, I always keep in my mind that these are the improvements that.

Be done as a part of our work from the peer review, whatever we do. So peer review is very, very important because that helps us to update, keep us updated in that particular field and it helps us to improve ourselves and it helps us to improve the work of others for the betterment of the society.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian. Your approach to peer review is thoughtful and constructive, emphasizing both critical evaluation and a collaborative spirit to advance research quality. It’s valuable to hear how this process not only strengthens your guidance to students but also enhances your own scholarly contributions. Let’s now discuss the teaching aspect further. In the role of a professor, you’ll likely supervise a diverse student population with varying levels of preparedness. How do you adapt your supervision methods to cater to students who may struggle with understanding the core concepts of structural or earthquake engineering?

My my concept of teaching is that I go to the level of the students. So it is not that I just go on teaching and teaching so that I always take care of the students and I I always ensure in my class that each and every student of my class understands all the concepts thought by me. So to make the most of it I usually give repetitive. Comments to the students I. Encourage the students to ask more questions whenever I teach so I just does not rush whenever I teach any concepts or whatever the important questions or design as a part of the thing. But I ensure that each and every student from my class understands whatever I teach and to improve the listening capabilities of the students. I question the students intermittently so that.

Thank you very much for the question.

I will make sure that every student in my class understands or listens to my teaching and as a part of the learning capability I I give them surprise quizzes, also surprise quizzes or some lectures, seminars so that all the students of my class are attentive when they are able to cope up with the concepts that I teach for the subject. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian. Your student-centered approach, with emphasis on participation, questioning, and active learning strategies like quizzes and seminars, demonstrates a commitment to inclusion and engagement in your teaching. These methods are excellent for ensuring that no student is left behind. Now, to address another important teaching responsibility: how do you approach the design and evaluation of exams and coursework to ensure they accurately assess not only theoretical understanding but also practical skills in structural and earthquake engineering?

To improve the practical applications of whatever the concepts we teach, actually we go for the either we go for the case study based design where we take a real time example. For example, whenever I took the course Structural Dynamics, I give them a project of real time application like I asked the students to develop MATLAB code for design spectrum. For a real earthquakes scenario like the Bhuj earthquake or whatever, the.

Earthquakes which happened in India. So I give them a real time scenario I ask them to develop a response design response spectrum whatever the response spectrum output and I asked them to compare with that of the standard available in the IS 1893 so that the students are able to compare whatever they study. So they are able to compare that with the real time one. Suppose if a real earthquake happens, whether. The performance is as per the is.

Code or whether it will not perform so they will be able to easily understand or distinguish the concepts between the practical one as well as the textbook ones. So I give some special examples or special.

Special assignments in the form of UH coding so that the students are able to integrate both the practical knowledge as well as the conceptual knowledge.

Thank you, Professor Chellapandian. Your method of incorporating real-world scenarios, such as designing response spectra for actual earthquake events using tools like MATLAB, adds a level of depth and applicability to coursework that is truly commendable. This approach not only reinforces conceptual grounding but also prepares students for future industry or research challenges. Let's now touch upon your publication strategy. With 80 international publications to your credit, how do you ensure that your research maintains high impact while balancing your teaching and administrative duties?

OK, thank you for the question. Uh, I am more passionate towards research right from my PhD. Uh, I am very, very much passionate about research and uh, publishing is very, very important because whatever the hard work we do as a part of whatever the outcomes, we should publish in high quality, uh, high quality journals or renovate conference proceedings. That is the main objective of doing research. So whatever the high quality.

Whatever the work or research we do, I always ensure that we maintain the global international standard so that it matches with the international standards. And the second thing is the numbers. I never mind numbers, I always ensure that the work is standard and it should be commendable when you compare it with the global level. So I always does not compromise on the quality of the work. I always ensure that the work is of sufficient quality and does not.

Compromise on the quality.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian. Your commitment to maintaining high-quality research standards over merely focusing on numbers is noteworthy. This approach reflects academic integrity and ensures that your contributions have lasting impact in the field. Balancing such a rigorous research commitment alongside teaching and administration underscores your dedication to the academic profession. Now, transitioning slightly, could you share your perspective on guiding interdisciplinary research? In particular, how do you encourage students or collaborators to navigate the challenges of integrating knowledge from diverse disciplines in structural or earthquake engineering?

Our scheduled time for the interview is now up. Before we conclude, do you have any questions related to the role or the company?

Yeah, I have, uh, no additional questions. Uh, to answer this question of interdisciplinary research. I would like to add that my first PhD scholar, uh, did his work on, uh, development of form stable phase change, phase change material for improving the energy efficiency in buildings. This was integrative, uh, with the collaboration of chemistry department, mechanical department and civil engineering department, where we developed a form stable phase change material using lauric acid and formatic acid.

Along with the expander perlite powder to develop a phase change material for improving the energy efficiency in building, for regulating the internal thermal control inside the building and reduce the use of the commercial cooling methods like air conditioners. So I'm always interested in doing interdisciplinary research and that's what I used to mention that my one of the strength is to work as a team.

We work as a team, we usually achieve more than whatever we desire, so that I like to work as a part of a team.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Chellapandian, for sharing your insights and for providing an in-depth overview of your research, teaching philosophy, and interdisciplinary approach. It has been a pleasure discussing your impressive journey and contributions. Before we conclude, could you confirm if there’s anything further you’d like to add or ask, or should we formally end the interview?

Yeah. Thank you very much for the time and opportunity to have this meeting. I'm very, I'm very happy to give whatever the inputs that I had as a part of my career. So thank you for the opportunity. I have no further questions, Sir.