Yes, sure.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

Sure. Thank you, Arjun. So. I started I completed my masters from Red Office and Electronics, University of Calcutta and PhD.

Sure. Thank you, Arjun. So. I started I completed my masters from Red Office and Electronics, University of Calcutta and PhD. In 2012 and 2020 respectively.

You mentioned completing your master's at the University of Calcutta and then your PhD — could you tell me what drew you into academic research after your master's?

Okay, so you finished your master's in 2012 and your PhD in 2020 — what was your area of research focus during your doctoral studies?

And I. That is mostly in the time of M tech. Masters of technology, that is mostly. Remote sensing data analysis, satellite data analysis at the time of. PSG, that is. Satellite communication, Remote sensing, Data processing. Uh, uh, wave propagation. Propagation, uh, in rainy medium. These are my topics. Resume my PhD topics after that I also. Acquired some knowledge for data processing from remote sensing. Data analysis, that is ground waste remotes in data analysis.

So during your work with remote sensing and satellite data, did you have the chance to teach any of those concepts to students? If so, what aspect of teaching those topics did you find most engaging?

And then? So after that I went for postal. Yes, definitely. We have wireless communication. Subjects and also we have remote sensing subjects. And I. Published several papers. I also went for poster. In Europe.

About two times I went for post doc.

Okay,

You mentioned two postdoc experiences in Europe — was there anything about teaching or mentoring students during those postdocs that stood out to you?

And and I. No, at the time of postal there is no teaching or maintaining. Options are there, so that is mostly. Postdocs means only research are there.

Right, so your postdoc work was focused entirely on research, no teaching or mentoring responsibilities. Before we move on, when you were teaching wireless communication and remote sensing,

But I have some. Into the means teaching. He is Matlab. I used. I used Matlab and. I have some teaching experience. Also I used Matlab. Mostly Matlab. I use mostly. Matlab is a. Uh, software. It's a tool subtract tool that we can do some. Mathematical Programming. Uh, and different kinds of programming you can. Used for this And uh. Yes that is and also I use excel and sometimes other softwares also are there And uh. Yes that is and also I use excel and sometimes other softwares also are there.

But I have some. Into the means teaching. He is Matlab. I used. I used Matlab and. I have some teaching experience. Also I used Matlab. Mostly Matlab. I use mostly. Matlab is a. Uh, software. It's a tool subtract tool that we can do some. Mathematical Programming.

Alright,

Okay, so you’ve used MATLAB, Excel, and other software in your teaching. Focusing on that IEEE Geo Remote Sensing Letters paper you published, when you’ve shared those real-world research findings with students, what’s one approach you’ve used to help undergraduates connect the complex theory to hands-on analysis?

OK, fine. Nice question. So that is mostly related to the channel modeling and as it is related to channel modeling, so. Uh, channel modeling of the communication, channel modeling, propagation communication channel modeling and I use some. Matlab code.

Alright, so you used MATLAB code to help students understand channel modeling and its connection to your research. When students struggled with the concept of signal propagation in a rainy medium,

Uh, how the? Practical scenarios would be so using some quotes I. Them the. OK. So in the rainy medium there are mostly the attenuation happen and there are other things are there. So simulations also there. So for attenuation I assume that. I found them. How the attenuation time series will be like that?

And means how that single processing will be for the determination tax series and how the. Uh, different, Uh. What can I say different?

Alright, let's talk about your research productivity and where you see things going. Given your background in remote sensing and satellite communication, where do you see the most fundable research directions over the next few years,

You were describing how signal processing for attenuation time series works in different scenarios. Go on.

OK, so fine. Basically. There are some. Funding agencies are there like PST, AI City. SCLP, all these funding agencies are there so. Uh, definitely I will try for some project uh funding. So I received 2 project funding, 1 is from CRB DST. Add another list from AICT And that. This actually. For the wireless communication. I am coming to your question for the wireless communication. The next fundamental or next direction of the communication that Definitely. So first I'll set some objective. Maybe 3 to 4 objectives?

OK, so fine. Basically. There are some. Funding agencies are there like PST, AI City. SCLP, all these funding agencies are there so. Uh, definitely I will try for some project uh funding. So I received 2 project funding, 1 is from CRB DST.

So you've already secured project funding from CRB DST, which is great. Given your experience, how do you plan to leverage your publication record to mentor students at VIT University in writing and submitting their first research papers for reputed journals?

For 62 Ford. Batch of students and then I'll. Tell them to. Go for some literature survey. And whatever be the things already published so. Uh. Just, uh. Take a note and after that. OK, well. So if I want to start, I will tell that uh. There is a problem. That is water level. OK. So water level is a very big problem in India. Because. Because the sea level water is rising. Or due to that climate changes? Right, right. So. So what? I'll say that Right, right. So. So what? I'll say that. Yeah, So what else?

You’d start with three or four objectives when mentoring students on writing research papers. Can you give me an example of how you’d help a student go from a research idea to actually submitting a paper, especially if they’ve never done it before?

For 62 Ford. Batch of students and then I'll. Tell them to. Go for some literature survey. And whatever be the things already published so. Uh. Just, uh. Take a note and after that. OK, well. So if I want to start, I will tell that uh. There is a problem. That is water level. OK. So water level is a very big problem in India.

Right,

Mm-hmm.

I what I. What I do generally that is I give some small projects, uh. And I asked the student to perform them.

Maybe. Π gives some open data set. Open source data set that is from Kaggle or from others. There are many open source datasets available set.

You mentioned assigning small projects—so how do you design your evaluation methods to make sure they accurately assess both the technical and practical competencies of students, especially in theory and lab courses?

Mm-hmm.

So basically my target is to publish at least one conference paper. So whenever they will do some data processing, whenever they will do some. Prototype SO. At least one conference record that is my target and if the work is good then we can. Think for the for the group channel. That is my target and. That is related to, but, uh, actually The thing is that, uh. They have some well known syllabus. They have to follow the syllabus and they have to pass in their exam. So some dedication, some theory parts that will be. There and parallelly. Some small projects that will help. Them to understand uh. How the things are going on and also. Uh, publish some conference because that will also helpful in their CV. India Data.

So basically my target is to publish at least one conference paper. So whenever they will do some data processing, whenever they will do some. Prototype SO. At least one conference record that is my target and if the work is good then we can. Think for the for the group channel. That is my target and. That is related to, but, uh, actually The thing is that, uh. They have some well known syllabus. They have to follow the syllabus and they have to pass in their exam. So some dedication, some theory parts that will be. There and parallelly. Some small projects that will help. Them to understand uh. How the things are going on and also. Uh, publish some conference because that will also helpful in their CV. India Data. And and if they want to continue with their research, that is also good. Sorry, I couldn't forgot that. Sorry I couldn't follow the question.

Okay, so you're balancing course objectives, small projects, and aiming for at least one conference paper per student group—that's ambitious. Beyond teaching and research, what role do you see yourself playing in department-level governance, like curriculum committees or program reviews?

Alright, Professor, let's talk about something that comes up in every academic career. Imagine a student files a formal complaint alleging your grading is biased, and at the same time, your department head is pressuring you to improve pass rates. How would you navigate that situation?

Alright, so. I'll ask, I'll I'll directly ask the student, I'll call the students and I'll request my height of the instrument of the department. To sit together and I first I. Understand what is the problem.

So you’d bring the student and the head of department together to understand the problem directly. Let’s say after listening, you’re convinced your grading was fair, but your department head still insists you need to increase pass rates next semester. How would you handle that kind of institutional pressure without compromising your academic standards?

So if. That problem is that only biasing the marks. So definitely. I will not follow directly to that, uh, institution, but, uh, whatever I think that what is the? Proper. What is the appropriate?

So, you’re saying you’d stick to your principles and grade appropriately, even if there’s pressure to change.

So I'll give that marks on the events. I'll not without with knowing, with listening. No, that will not affect the requirement of funding. In the if, some students are there and if. They are just. Below the customers and if I. Seen that if? You can I can give some more marks that they can. They will be passed, then it's OK, then there is no problem I can give it.

You’ve talked a lot about student research and projects. Given your background in image processing and embedded systems,

But but if the students are below. Means very below the average. Then it's not possible, uh, to. Gives him Marks and to. I have uh not so direct uh connection with for embedded systems, but I have some collaborations with uh mostly in foreign universities and in India also. I have a professor I have a connection in. With an professor in vit. We published one paper already in a very good essay in this journal, Water Resource Management. And we're we're planning to publish more apart from that I have. Collaborations with the. Sapirinda University.

But but if the students are below. Means very below the average. Then it's not possible, uh, to. Gives him Marks and to. I have uh not so direct uh connection with for embedded systems, but I have some collaborations with uh mostly in foreign universities and in India also. I have a professor I have a connection in. With an professor in vit. We published one paper already in a very good essay in this journal, Water Resource Management. And we're we're planning to publish more apart from that I have. Collaborations with the. Sapirinda University. Then in the Malaysia University in Malaysia University in Turkey.

Malaysia University in Malaysia University in Turkey. And serious.

Alright, Dr., let's talk a bit about your hands-on experience.

You mentioned papers with VIT and collaborations with universities in Malaysia and Turkey. When it comes to embedded and communication systems, can you give a concrete example of a hands-on project where you guided students through hardware selection and system integration?

Got it.

Well, so actually. I am working on a project with the industry in Coimbatore.

Okay,

So that. At least the Salmonshire monitoring. Uh. That that is very in. In that is an initial step, so that is. Capturing the soil master.

Using. Drone using. Hyperstick hyperspectral imaging.

Alright,

Using drones and hyperspectral imaging for soil moisture is pretty cutting-edge. When you guide students on the communication side, how do you help them explain this technical work to non-experts, like industry partners or local stakeholders?

Uh, sorry, I could not follow that question.

You mentioned using drones and hyperspectral imaging for soil moisture analysis. How do you guide your students to present those findings in a way that makes sense to people outside of engineering, like farmers or community leaders?

Well, some. Some. Products, uh, some products in terms of some products and then after that. To communicate to the farmers, you need to go to that. Particular fields and then. It's some practical. Investigations.

We can. We can. Help the farmers.

Alright,

So you actually go out into the fields and help farmers directly. When you're teaching both theory and lab courses, how do you make sure students can connect what they learn in class to these kinds of real-world applications?

Yes, yes.

Alright, you’re focused on the real-world impact for students. For your theory and lab courses, can you give me a concrete example of how you structure a lab session so students actually get hands-on skills that tie back to the core theory you’re teaching?

Uh, hands on example is that, uh, whenever I. Pitch electromagnetic. So I used one software. That name is Emanuel. Using that, I shown them how the Uyghur propagating webs are propagating, how the magnetic waves are propagating and how.

Alright, so you use Emanuel to show how electromagnetic waves propagate, making the theory more tangible. When you're running that kind of lab, how do you check that students not only follow the steps, but actually understand and can explain the concepts behind what they're doing?

After, uh, that, uh. Polaris, what are the different effects? That's a. Yes, exactly.

Okay, so you mentioned software like Emanuel for labs, and earlier you talked about working with industry and field visits. Shifting gears a bit, when it comes to evaluating students—exams, projects, or practical assessments—what's your approach to making sure the evaluation is both fair and actually measures what they’ve learned?

Uh, what's the so? There is not only me, but. Some of my colleagues will be. Also there and some externals.

So you mentioned evaluations involve your colleagues and some external members too. Can you give a specific example of how you'd handle a situation where a student's project work is strong, but their written exam performance isn't as good?

For that. Lab exam or?

Okay, you’re asking if I meant lab or written exam. I’m thinking about both, but let’s focus on the lab exam for a second. Suppose a student shows really strong experimental skills but struggles to clearly communicate their process or results in the viva — how do you approach grading or providing feedback in that kind of scenario?

Definitely there are different. Region of the Mars.

You mentioned different regions of Mars, which sounds like you might be referencing planetary science, but just to clarify—if a student has excellent technical skills in the lab but isn't able to clearly communicate what they did during a viva or oral exam, do you have a specific method for helping them improve their structured delivery and communication?

So if. He can perform the. Experiment video. Different. No, no, no. I'm telling that there are different. Division of marks, OK. In an lab example.

OK, so for. Experiments say out of 54 experiments, there are 15 ones.

Alright, so you divide marks across different parts of the lab exam. Switching topics, when you're teaching embedded systems or communication concepts,

You mentioned there are 15 key experiments out of 54. For one of those, say in embedded systems, how do you ensure students actually grasp both the hardware and communication protocols involved, not just follow instructions?

I didn't tell that, I told that. For examination. Say there are total 50 marks are there so for 50 marks. Identified from the experiment 20 marks for the. Their lab, uh, copies.

I didn't tell that, I told that. For examination. Say there are total 50 marks are there so for 50 marks. Identified from the experiment 20 marks for the. Their lab, uh, copies. 2020 Marks and for 10 marks for the five verbacy.

Okay, so you’re talking about mark distribution in lab exams, like allocating 20 marks for the lab record or written work. Let’s talk about communication for a moment—when you’re explaining a complex topic, how do you structure your delivery so students with different backgrounds can all follow along and stay engaged?

Okay, so you're talking about dividing marks in the lab exam — 20 for the record,

OK, so that. I told.

Alright, you clarified the mark division for lab exams—20 for the record, 20 for the experiment, and 10 for viva. For student evaluation overall, do you ever use peer assessment or group grading, or do you stick strictly to faculty evaluation?

Uh root betting. Also root betting because students are working in groups. Students are working in groups, so. That in the group, uh. Which student performs better? To that also we can give the marks.

So you're saying when students work in groups, you still look at each individual's contribution to assign marks within the group. Thinking about communication and presentation skills—if one group member has done most of the technical work but another explains it better during the presentation, how do you balance marks between technical contribution and how clearly they present it?

Yes, yes, I I do that. I do that. Anything else?

Thanks for sharing your approach to guiding student research topics. Alright, Dr., we're wrapping up. Is there anything you'd like to ask about the role or the team?

I want to appear for the interview. Typical interview in vit. Set call. I don't really know about the What is the goal of assistant professor research and Uh Uh.

I want to appear for the interview. Typical interview in vit.

Alright Dr., you’d like to know about a typical interview at VIT. Let me check the role details for you. The interview for an Assistant Professor (Research) role at VIT usually focuses on your research expertise, teaching philosophy, and how you handle both classroom and lab-based instruction. You'll likely be asked about your ability to guide student projects,

You’re not sure about the specific goals for the Assistant Professor (Research) role. The main aim is to contribute strong research—publishing in reputable journals, guiding student projects, and securing grants—while also handling teaching and academic duties like delivering lectures, evaluating students, and supporting departmental initiatives. If you’d like, I can share more about the exact responsibilities or growth opportunities in the role. Would you like more detail on any specific aspect?

Yes, I want to know what the growth opportunities as well as uh. Exact responsibility.

The Assistant Professor (Research) role involves teaching both in the classroom and the lab, evaluating students, guiding projects, and contributing to research publications. Growth opportunities include taking on more research responsibility, leading funded projects, supervising doctoral students, and progressing toward associate and full professor roles, depending on your contributions in research and teaching. Anything else you'd like to know before we wrap up?

No, thank you.