Yeah.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

So I did my Btech from National Power Training Institute. In the year of 2011 in power engineering. Uh, then, uh, I joined. La Parantha. University of Technology.

Okay, so you started with a BTech in Power Engineering at National Power Training Institute in 2011, and then joined La Parantha University of Technology. Go on.

Which is in Finland. Uh, and completed it. No, I joined. My BTEC at. In 2007 and completed in. 2011.

Alright,

And I joined Labrador Universal Technology in 2014. I completed it in 2016. Then I started my PhD in 2018. From Gyeongsang. National University. And completed it in 2022.

Given your experience across different institutions and countries, what teaching environment have you found most effective for engaging students?

Yeah, I think.

Alright, you said you think—I'd like to hear a bit more. Can you give me a concrete example of a classroom or lab environment where you saw students really engage or learn effectively?

Not the very uh. Yeah, not just by learning the theories, but doing several projects. And presenting them. In the class and doing group projects. In a very realistic life problem, not just only the book problems. That helps the student to understand the theory very organically rather than to remember everything.

So you’ve seen that students learn best when they tackle realistic projects and present their work, not just memorize theory. I noticed your PhD thesis was on computational modeling of in-flight ice accretion and shedding on rotorcraft. Can you walk me through a time you had to break down concepts from that research for undergraduate students or a non-specialist audience?

OK, so I think.

Alright, you were about to explain how you simplified your PhD research on rotorcraft icing for undergrads or non-specialists. Go ahead.

Under undergraduate students, I'll take SO in the undergraduate. In the fluid mechanics. So in the undergraduate in the fluid mechanics, they learned the concept of Lagrangian framework and the Eulerian framework. So. Live architecture after dynamics, PhD. Was developing a solver. Where we are modeling the rotor wake. By. In the Lagrangian framework by. Cortex lattice particle method. And also in their undergrad in the fluid mechanics, they. Learned potential flow theory. Where the blade was mottled. By potential theory.

So you connected your PhD work on rotor wake modeling—using methods like the vortex lattice particle approach—to what undergrads learn in fluid mechanics,

And the flow filled around the fuselage was modeled by the original framework where we are basically using. Navier Stokes Theorem. So understanding the concept of the Eulerian framework is a bit difficult because you know like till the. High school, we are always. We always learn about the Newtonian mechanics where we think in terms of particles, so understanding the Lagrangian framework. Easier, uh. From the student perspective but just finished their schools but understand all area and framework is a bit different because they're. You have to learn Reynolds transport theorem. Which is not very easy for them to understand. In the first instant. And also like that the material derivative derivative concept of the local acceleration and the. And the and the convective term, which in the beginning can be bit. Nonlinear. For the. Hello.

And the flow filled around the fuselage was modeled by the original framework where we are basically using. Navier Stokes Theorem. So understanding the concept of the Eulerian framework is a bit difficult because you know like till the. High school, we are always. We always learn about the Newtonian mechanics where we think in terms of particles, so understanding the Lagrangian framework. Easier, uh. From the student perspective but just finished their schools but understand all area and framework is a bit different because they're. You have to learn Reynolds transport theorem. Which is not very easy for them to understand. In the first instant. And also like that the material derivative derivative concept of the local acceleration and the. And the and the convective term, which in the beginning can be bit. Nonlinear. For the. Hello. Hi Are you there? Are you there? Hi.

Right,

Yeah, you're right that the jump from particle-based thinking to the Eulerian framework and concepts like the Reynolds Transport Theorem can be a big leap for students. When you saw undergrads struggling with, say, the material derivative or convective acceleration, how did you adapt your teaching or labs to help them really grasp those ideas?

If you take the example. Of. I think Lagrangian framework and the Algerian framework are related with each other. So for example if you take a particle. Which is at rest and the the. Flowing through it and. That the fluid is unsteady so that the particle will experience. Different velocity or any scalar like concentration. With respect to time. Now, uh. We fix the time now we if the particle is at a different location. Then. Of phase that the concentration at at different. A different concentration or different spatial location? Now if you if we combine the time and the space together. Then what it becomes? You know, like that it's a summation of the. Local derivative on the. Convective acceleration. Of any quantity, let's say 5. So did you. That is basically what is. The Reynolds like the the total derivative or the substantial derivative. And that is what is the crux of. Reynolds transport theorem. Which actually. Bridges between the Lagrangian framework and the Eulerian framework.

Dr., given your experience guiding students through both theoretical and laboratory coursework, let's focus on pedagogical innovation. With emerging fields like Smart Manufacturing in mind, imagine you have a class of 200 students and can't use slides—how would you structure a session to keep everyone actively engaged and ensure meaningful learning?

I do not know what a smart manufacturing.

Alright, let's turn to something a bit different. Accreditation cycles can be pretty demanding—if you joined our department and noticed that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, what steps would you take to address that?

The outcome depends how is the culture. Organization if the culture of the organization is not good. Then obviously the outcome will be bad. And fixing that from the. Top of the tree is. Foolish idea. Fixing something from the root. Is. I think. Professors and the faculty should be given enough. Independence. So that they can conduct their research as well as they can do creative thinking. Otherwise it's just the data.

You’re pointing to organizational

Manipulation. Can you get faster? I think. Are you that much efficient?

Let's shift to a scenario that comes up in academic life. Suppose a student files a formal complaint saying your grading in a core course is biased, but at the same time, your department head is asking you to improve pass rates. How would you handle this situation, balancing fairness with institutional pressure?

No, I think. Throughout my life, I have been into government.

No, I think. Throughout my life, I have been into government. Institutes for my. I think in bag. In those times, government institutes. Uh, they used to deliver a. Deliver quite good quality of studying. So I think. That is what I am telling. I think I told before like. Institutional pressure? Based on. The student interest as like. An interest in the form which is not. Uh, very fair. Should not be done. Uh, because students are pre paying the money, that doesn't mean that. Like students should dictate what is fair. Like what is fair and unfair. It should be uniform A relaxing grading standard is fine because that is applied uniformly for all the student.

No, I think. Throughout my life, I have been into government. Institutes for my. I think in bag. In those times, government institutes. Uh, they used to deliver a. Deliver quite good quality of studying. So I think. That is what I am telling. I think I told before like. Institutional pressure?

So you mentioned your experience has been primarily in government institutions. In that context, if you ever faced a situation where there was pressure to change grades or overlook academic integrity for administrative reasons, how did you respond?

No, I think. Throughout my life, I have been into government. Institutes for my. I think in bag. In those times, government institutes. Uh, they used to deliver a. Deliver quite good quality of studying. So I think. That is what I am telling. I think I told before like. Institutional pressure? Based on. The student interest as like. An interest in the form which is not. Uh, very fair. Should not be done. Uh, because students are pre paying the money, that doesn't mean that.

You’re drawing from your experience in government institutions where, as you said, institutional pressure wasn’t always a factor and academic quality was high. But in a scenario where you’re being asked to make changes that could compromise academic standards—like altering grades or overlooking integrity issues—how do you respond if your department head insists?

Okay, so you're saying that just because students pay fees, institutional pressure to pass them shouldn't override academic standards—especially if it's not in their interest. But let’s say the department head directly disagrees with your approach and insists grades must go up, even if it means relaxing your standards. What would you actually do in that moment?

A relaxing grading standard is fine because that is applied uniformly for all the student. That is OK to some extent, but that will depend. On a very specific case and my judgement. On that. As the department head is saying. I will not do that. I will first. Understand the logic. If you have some meaningful logic, of course I will listen to him. After all, he is my colleague. There is no animated. But it should be backed by logic.

Given your background in rotorcraft aerodynamics and computational modeling, do you have existing industry connections—perhaps with aerospace, automotive, or simulation companies—that could translate into internship or placement opportunities for our students at VIT University?

So you’d only consider relaxing grading standards if there’s clear logic behind it, and you wouldn’t do it just because of administrative pressure. Let’s pivot to your industry alignment—given your background in rotorcraft aerodynamics and computational modeling, do you have existing industry connections—perhaps with aerospace, automotive, or simulation companies—that could translate into internships or placement opportunities for students?

Yes, I have some contacts in the industries. Because. As you see like I have. Finished my bachelor in 2011 so most of my. Friends are well placed in different sectors of the industries. So yeah, I do have contacts.

Alright, so you’ve got friends and contacts in various industries thanks to your graduating cohort. Can you give me one concrete example—say, a company or a sector—where you’ve actually facilitated a student opportunity, internship, or research project through these connections?

Well, I think your question is. In a bit baseless. Uh, because uh, I have not done uh, I have any faculty role after my PhD. So therefore, if I'm not a faculty, then this question doesn't mean anything. But most mostly in the power sector, I have the friends who have been working for. Many years, maybe like more than 12 years. So of course, like those are my real contact. Which I can see seek guidance and help.

Well, I think your question is. In a bit baseless. Uh, because uh, I have not done uh, I have any faculty role after my PhD. So therefore, if I'm not a faculty, then this question doesn't mean anything.

Alright, Dr., shifting focus now—tell me about your hands-on experience with mechatronics, smart manufacturing, smart vehicles, or semiconductor manufacturing. Out of those domains, which have you worked in most directly, and what’s a project or research problem you’ve actually tackled yourself?

Okay, so you haven't yet facilitated student placements since you haven't held a faculty role post-PhD, but you do have longstanding contacts in the power sector you could tap into for guidance. Let's talk about your research background—can you walk me through one of your published journal articles, focusing on the problem you tried to solve and the impact your findings had?

Yeah, one of my uh. Very interesting work is, uh, shock. Bubble interaction.

Yeah, one of my uh. Very interesting work is, uh, shock. Bubble interaction. In magnetohydrodynamic. Generally, what happens if you increase the magnetic field?

Yeah, one of my uh. Very interesting work is, uh, shock. Bubble interaction. In magnetohydrodynamic. Generally, what happens if you increase the magnetic field? Uh, it, it dampens the what is it? That is generally what is known. But we found. Incompressible flow where you have a very high compressibility. The magnetic. Uh, the the the the the magnetic field. Show the nonlinearity.

Yeah, one of my uh. Very interesting work is, uh, shock. Bubble interaction. In magnetohydrodynamic. Generally, what happens if you increase the magnetic field? Uh, it, it dampens the what is it? That is generally what is known. But we found. Incompressible flow where you have a very high compressibility. The magnetic. Uh, the the the the the magnetic field. Show the nonlinearity. It it decreases up to certain point. Then again. Start in quizzing. That means the depth like it first dampens the vorticity, then again start increasing the. Sharpness of the water. That is like that was done. First by us.

Alright, shock-bubble interaction sounds pretty specialized. Can you break down the main question your paper addressed and how your research moved the field forward?

Alright, so you were working on shock-bubble interaction under magnetohydrodynamics and looking at the effect of increasing the magnetic field. You started to explain—can you finish your thought? What exactly did you discover about how the magnetic field changed the interaction, and what was the broader significance or application?

So your research found some unexpected nonlinear effects of magnetic fields in highly compressible flows, not just the usual damping that textbooks describe. If you were teaching this result to a group of master's students—how would you structure the explanation to help them move from basic MHD concepts to understanding the significance of your findings?

Alright, so your group was the first to observe that the magnetic field doesn't just monotonically dampen vorticity in shock-bubble interactions—it actually decreases up to a point, then starts increasing the sharpness again because of nonlinear effects. If you were mentoring a grad student struggling to reproduce this result in their simulation, what are the first three things you'd check in their setup?

Yeah. So first I. And foremost thing is the mesh independent. Because you know the solvers that I am using is validated by me. For several problems. So obviously my grad student will be. Continuing from my solver. So most of the time the solvers will perform. Quite nice. For the same kind of problem. But the most important thing is the boundary condition and the mesh independent.

Yeah. So first I. And foremost thing is the mesh independent.

Alright, so you'd start by checking mesh independence—that's a solid first step. What would be the next two things you'd have the student look into to troubleshoot their simulation results?

So you’d have your student start by checking mesh independence and boundary conditions, since your solver is validated. What about physical parameters—how would you make sure they’re setting up the magnetic field and fluid properties correctly for the simulation?

So. I hope. Uh, you have some idea about? The numerical simulations. In CFD so generally 1 when. We train our students. Generally we give give a sample. Setup of the problem. In the first place. Then they work on that, then the. The the experience that. So obviously all those. Numbers, the physical parameters, are what you're talking about. And those are the the the fluid properties and all the things so. That's easy to find from the literature. Survey, right? I don't think like. Like that is how I started I think. Pull up the generation of the CFD. People who understand the CFD is starting. They have started that way What do you think? What do you think? Hi.

So. I hope. Uh, you have some idea about? The numerical simulations. In CFD so generally 1 when. We train our students. Generally we give give a sample. Setup of the problem.

So. I hope. Uh, you have some idea about? The numerical simulations. In CFD so generally 1 when. We train our students. Generally we give give a sample. Setup of the problem. In the first place. Then they work on that, then the. The the experience that. So obviously all those. Numbers, the physical parameters, are what you're talking about. And those are the the the fluid properties and all the things so. That's easy to find from the literature. Survey, right?

Okay, so you usually provide a sample setup to train students in CFD simulations, which helps them get the physical parameters right. Shifting gears a bit—when you're teaching either theory or lab courses, how do you structure a typical class session to help students understand complex topics like shock-bubble interaction?

Yeah, so you usually start your students out with a sample setup, and for physical parameters like fluid properties, you expect them to find those values through a literature survey. When you’re teaching a theory or lab course, how do you structure a class session to make sure students are both engaged and actually understanding the material as you go?

Dr., I’m not really here to give my opinion—you’re the expert, and I’m trying to understand how you’d approach these real-world academic and research scenarios. Let’s shift to your teaching: when you’re running a lab section, how do you structure the session to make sure every student actually engages and learns, rather than just following instructions passively?

Can you just, uh. Now tell which lab.

You want to know which lab I’m referring to—fair question. Let’s say you’re teaching an undergraduate mechatronics lab where students are building a simple sensor-actuator system. How would you make sure all students

I have no experience in mechatronics.

Thanks for being clear about your background. Let’s move to student evaluation—when you’re responsible for grading exams or assignments, what steps do you take to ensure the process is fair and consistent for every student?

Yeah, I think I'll mostly. I'm sorry, I mostly concentrate on the concept. If the concept is right, I think I am OK with it like. If the number. Is not exact. It's fine with me. But the concept must be right. Like most of the time. They can come up with the exact number, but the concept is not clear from their answer, so that is that makes no sense to me. Concept must be right.

Alright, so you focus on whether students grasp the underlying concept rather than just getting the right numbers, and you’re comfortable if they make calculation errors as long as their reasoning is sound. If two students submit similar answers but use different methods—one more traditional, one more creative—how do you decide whether both deserve full credit?

Yeah, like. Any problem can have more than one methods. As long as both the methods are right, so. Both deserve the full credit.

Alright, so you're open to different methods as long as they're correct, and you'd award full credit for either. Now, can you give me a concrete example from your past experience where you actually guided a student or junior researcher through a project, and walk me through how you helped them overcome a major challenge?

I haven't guided anyone.

Understood—so you haven't guided anyone yet, which makes sense if you haven't had that responsibility so far. Have you ever been involved in industry projects, consultancy work, or collaborations outside academia, even if only in a supporting role?

Yeah, I have very active industrial experience.

Alright, so you've had very active industry experience. Can you describe one project where you worked with an external company or client, and explain what your specific responsibilities were on that project?

Yeah, I was an engineer in Alstom. Where? I was in the department of supercritical. Boilers are. Customer was NTPC.

Yeah, I was an engineer in Alstom. Where? I was in the department of supercritical. Boilers are. Customer was NTPC. So I was in the. Section of thermal fluids where I was responsible. For the heat transfer calculation and the fluid flow. So I was in specific, I was in. Rotary air preheater. Where you have the hitting elements. Where the heat is being absorbed from the. The that the flue gas that is coming out of the. Stream generator. And with that heat. The heating elements are heated. And then the heated heating elements. Uh, release. Release the heat into the. Air that is going into the combustion chamber. So I was. Dealing with dispute dynamics and the heat transfer process.

Okay, so you were at Alstom, working with supercritical boilers, and NTPC was your client. What was a tricky problem you faced during that project, and how did you personally help solve it?

Okay, so you were handling heat transfer calculations and fluid dynamics for the rotary air preheater at Alstom, with NTPC as the client. What would you say was the most challenging part of communicating technical details to non-engineer stakeholders, like managers or customers, and how did you make sure they understood your explanation?

No SO. As you know. The engineering team is not in direct contact with the customer. For that you have the project management. And also sales team. In a very big MC SE. So we were not responsible for that.

Right, so in a large organization like Alstom, technical teams often don't interface directly with customers. Switching gears to your PhD—what was the focus of your dissertation, and how did you select that research topic?

I was given the topic by my supervisor. So I just did that.

Okay, so your supervisor assigned your dissertation topic and you followed through on that direction. Now, thinking about your communication with students or colleagues—how do you approach explaining a complex technical concept to someone who’s struggling to understand it?

I think by taking the real life example. It's very easy to understand that very complex problem because. Mathematics always have come later. Uh, than the problems. Just for an example, the IC engines were discovered first, then the Otter cycle rather. Or the the the the diesel cycle have come. So understanding the. The I think the ICE engine. Like by visualizing by animation or. Going to the workshop. Makes it easier. Follow the mathematics. What is? What is following that that machine?

Alright, so you’d use real-world examples and hands-on demonstrations to help break down a tough concept, then bring in the math after. When it comes to publishing research, can you share if you’ve had any papers published in peer-reviewed journals, and if so, how you selected the right journal for your work?

So just for your information my all the journals are in the preview journal. Then I, I, I, I see what is the like, what is the audience? Of my. Research based on the audience, I select the genre I think when you are starting your career in the. As a faculty, you do not design the course. It's it's already designed right? So. I think this is the. This this question is more relevant to. To an experienced faculty. Done me.

So just for your information my all the journals are in the preview journal.

So you mentioned all your journals are peer-reviewed, but can you give me the title or topic of one of your published papers and briefly explain what the main contribution was?

Right, so you’re saying that as a new faculty member, you usually deliver courses that are already designed, rather than creating the structure yourself. If you were eventually asked to design a new lab or theory course from scratch—what’s the first thing you’d do to make sure it’s both rigorous and accessible for students?

So very frankly, all the courses are not accessible to all the students. Like for example. The numerical methods in the hyperbolic PDE. That is not accessible to all the students. But does it mean that I will not teach the course? No, I will. It will be accessible to some of the students and this course is very, very, very. Useful if you want a want to understand how the shock works and if you want to understand how the mathematics. Behind the. Compressible solver and hyperbolic system. It depends again like. Who is my? Audience in the class and what I want to. Uh, what I want that they should know. Because some things are. Will be important for the future generation if if they are. They they did not learn it. It's it's it's. It's, it's, it's bad for the country actually I am done.

So very frankly, all the courses are not accessible to all the students. Like for example. The numerical methods in the hyperbolic PDE. That is not accessible to all the students. But does it mean that I will not teach the course? No, I will. It will be accessible to some of the students and this course is very, very, very. Useful if you want a want to understand how the shock works and if you want to understand how the mathematics. Behind the. Compressible solver and hyperbolic system.

So very frankly, all the courses are not accessible to all the students. Like for example. The numerical methods in the hyperbolic PDE. That is not accessible to all the students. But does it mean that I will not teach the course?

You're right, some advanced courses—like the hyperbolic PDEs you mentioned—just aren't accessible to every student, but they're still important to teach. When you have to evaluate students in a subject like that, what's your approach to designing exams or assessments that are fair but still rigorous?

So, you’re pointing out that not every course will be accessible to every student, especially advanced ones like numerical methods for hyperbolic PDEs, but the material is still important for those who need it. Shifting focus—tell me about your experience with student evaluation or exam duties, if you’ve had any. What role did you play in that process?

Before we wrap up, I need to touch on one more area. Can you walk me through a project or research experience where you applied your expertise in either mechatronics, smart manufacturing, smart vehicle technologies, or semiconductor manufacturing? Just pick the area that fits your background best and describe your hands-on involvement.

Nothing. I work in fluid mechanics. Hit transfer. Thermodynamics. CFD code development. This is my area.

Alright, so your work’s been squarely in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, and CFD code development—not the other listed areas. No problem. When you evaluate students—say, during an exam or a project presentation—what criteria do you use to judge whether they've actually mastered the material, especially in a deeply technical subject?

Yeah, sometimes a student can have poor communication skills because they're they're still in the. Phase of learning. That is fine. Like depends in which year they are if. If in the second year the combination skill is bad, it's fine, but in the fourth year it must be good. But rather than the communication skill, I will see the the slide material from the slide material, it will be clear. That whether they have worked on it or not, whether their concept is clear or not. Or after the presentation, the discussion makes it even more clearer. If they've understood the concept. If they have done the presentation by their own. If they have practiced enough. You there's so many things right so. This is how I understand.

So you look at the depth of the slides, whether the student really understands the concepts, and you use the follow-up discussion to see if they've actually done the work themselves. Alright, last quick one: have you ever contributed to an industry project or consultancy, or has your work mostly stayed within academia?

So I have total industrial experience of 3.5 years. So yes, I have. Actively worked in the industry where I was. Engineer than a senior engineer. And then I have also worked in academia. For around more than three years.

So you've spent three and a half years in industry as both an engineer and a senior engineer, plus over three years in academia. Based on your time guiding students, what's your approach for helping them develop their own research ideas, especially when they're unsure where to start?

OK, I think you missed my, uh, missed our earlier conversation. I told you I haven't guided any, any student till now, right?

You mentioned your research is focused on fluid mechanics and related areas, not mechatronics or smart manufacturing. Just to confirm—have you had any hands-on experience, research, or coursework in mechatronics, smart manufacturing, smart vehicles, or semiconductor manufacturing at any point in your academic or industry career?

I told no.

Thanks for clarifying, Dr. Just to fully confirm for the committee: you haven’t had direct research, teaching, or hands-on experience in mechatronics, smart manufacturing, smart vehicle technologies, or semiconductor manufacturing, either in academia or industry—is that correct?