Good day, Shivateja Manala. 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?

Yes.

Kindly provide a brief introduction to your professional journey in academia.

Myself, I have recently completed my PhD from IIT Roorkee in UH Electrical Engineering department.

And before that I have completed my M Tech from IIT Roorkee in retail engineering department with a specialization in Power electronics and electrical drives. Before that I have completed my B.Tech from JNTU Jayechar in Electrical and Electronics engineering department.

And after that, uh.

Please continue, Professor.

Uh, after my M tech, I have done my teaching, uh in UH-2 engineering colleges. Uh, one is Marwadi Engineering College and engineering department. I have worked like assistant professor. After that I have joined a VNR Vignan Jyoti General College in Hyderabad. Uh there also have worked like an assistant professor in the electrical engineering department.

Understood, Professor. Did your roles at these institutions also include guiding student projects or conducting research alongside teaching?

Yes, uh, I have uh guided uh, M tech students in uh VNR Vignana, Jyoti College, UH2M tech students. I have guided uh the two projects as well as I have guided some Btech students also.

In Vienna, GA, the college.

Thank you for clarifying. During these guiding roles, did you focus mainly on specific areas like Power Electronics, Control Systems, or Power Systems, or was it broader across electrical engineering topics?

Uh, how may I? In Mtech? I have mainly focused on, uh, phototronics and electric drives. Uh, main, uh, specialization is uh, on uh, electric drives related topics in uh, Mtech.

After that, in my PhD, I have focused on uh, like electric drives as well as uh, starter winding intertent fault diagnosis. Uh, my research uh area is in electric drives as well as poratronics. Also, I I have having some uh, experience in converters like converter control for the main purpose is applications is for motor speed control and motor drive applications for the powertronics control as well as motor drive control like various.

Speed control techniques like field oriented control, director control as well as sensorless controls in the electric drive systems as well as my main research focus is on standard fault diagnosis for the electric drives in that electric rise mainly have worked on the permanent magnets synchronous machine drives.

Control and diagnosis. Starter running diagnosis.

That's, uh, my focus is on, uh, electric drive control as well as, uh, starter winding in Titanfall diagnosis.

Got it, Professor. Your focus on Electric Drive Control and Stator Winding Fault Diagnosis offers a specialized niche in electric drives that aligns directly with advanced research and teaching in this field. Let's proceed. Can you elaborate on how you approach teaching complex topics like electric drives or fault diagnosis to students, ensuring they grasp both the theoretical foundations and practical applications effectively?

Uh, for our students, uh, we're having, uh, electric drive courses like, uh, for B.Tech students, I, I can teach, uh, for electric drive courses, uh, as well as.

Electric drive courses I can teach for the B.Tech students as well as M Tech also we can having the industrial electric drive courses that I can teach. We are having the powder training courses also I can teach for the Btech students as well as I can conduct A laboratory experiments like in the matlab environment for the electric drives control well as powdatronic controls and various specialized industrial electric drivers topics also I can teach and I can.

Conducted experiments for the in the laboratory experiments. Also I can conduct for the P tech as well as M tech students.

Understood, Professor. It’s great that you integrate both theoretical instruction and MATLAB-based laboratory experiments to reinforce learning outcomes. How do you ensure that students effectively link the theoretical principles with the hands-on lab experiments in courses like Power Electronics or Electric Drives?

Uh, the first we can introduce like, uh, uh, introduction to the these topics like electric drives, uh, how the structure should be there, how, what is the electric drives and how we can implement in the MATLAB environment for the student can step by step, we can go like, uh, firstly, we can introduce about the electric drives, what is the electric drives and how the machine can be controlled and how we can implement in the MATLAB like. Which way we can control the machine in the matter of environment?

We can go step by step and we can clearly demonstrate for the that in the matter of symbolic environment for the students to understand those topics.

Thank you, Professor. It’s clear that you emphasize a structured, step-by-step approach that combines theoretical grounding with practical demonstrations to ensure comprehension. This approach undoubtedly helps students grasp complex concepts effectively. Let's move forward.

Should I explain those topics or what?

Yeah, that whatever the theoretical topics of the electric drives, we can practical applications in the various like electric like powertrains or electric vehicles. How we can use these kind of applications in the electric drives as well as electric power trains. We can see the applications in the nowadays as well as we can.

This kind of control techniques where we are utilizing the practical applications, we can clearly demonstrate for the students and we can detail these topics.

How these kind of motors where we can utilize and?

It's commendable that you focus on connecting control techniques to real-world applications like powertrains and electric vehicles. Demonstrating their practical relevance undoubtedly enhances student understanding and engagement. Let's proceed. Could you elaborate on your approach to student assessment, like methods you use for evaluating their grasp of theoretical and practical elements in your courses?

Yeah, we can give uh, in the theoretical, we can give the tutorial sessions for the students, uh, to evaluate the students how their theoretical approaches and how, how they, they are approaching the theoretical basis. Similarly in the practical uh, we can in the simulations or we can do the practical simulations.

Uh, learn those techniques and control techniques, we can evaluate, we can assess the students in the giving the MATLAB simulations are uh.

MATLAB simulations, UH experiments to evaluate or assess the students.

Understood, Professor. You incorporate both tutorial sessions for theoretical understanding and MATLAB simulations for hands-on evaluation, creating a holistic assessment method. This approach ensures a balanced evaluation of their competencies. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you. Should I explain anything else?

Watch it.

OK.

Thank you, Professor. Let us continue.

Professor, let’s begin by discussing your teaching. Could you share which type of course—whether introductory or advanced—you find most fulfilling to teach and why?

Yeah, uh, coming to teaching, uh.

I'm having the four years of teaching experience in the engineering colleges. I have worked like a assistant professor where I have conduct taught various courses as well as laboratory experiments. Also I have conducted in both engineering colleges. Those are like I have take electric drives courses I have taken and basic electrical engineering courses have taken.

And as well as practical searches like powertronics and electrical machine courses, I have conducted the practical experiments for the VTech students.

Thank you, Professor. You've clearly had hands-on experience with a variety of courses and practical labs. Among these, is there a particular course or experiment that you found especially rewarding or impactful for the students, and why do you think that was?

Yeah, uh, my coming to my special, uh, for the students point of view, uh, like, uh, we can, uh, go with electric drives like control, uh, which can be mainly used for nowadays A practical applications like like in electric vehicles, we can go the field oriented control for the machines various. Field oriented control techniques.

Or sensorless control or control techniques nowadays, like, uh, without using the positions or we can control the, uh, machine that can be very useful for the students, uh, coming to the nowadays application point of view.

Understood, Professor. Electric drives and advanced control techniques, especially in the context of modern applications like electric vehicles, indeed present valuable learning opportunities for students. Thank you for sharing.

Thank.

Yeah, In my coming to the projects research project like we have controlled the machine PMSM Dr. various control techniques with the FPGA controller. After that we have diagnosed the standard winding fault for the PMSM drive with the various diagnosis techniques.

Interesting. Could you delve deeper into why you chose FPGA controllers specifically for fault diagnosis in PMSM drives, and how this choice impacted the overall system performance?

Yeah, I have chosen you have PG like PG is the faster control like coming to the compared with other controllers FPGA having the parallel structure, these can be very like coming to the sampling time of the FPGA controller is very less, we can control very faster, right, We can control the motor when we come to the.

Controlling the PA controllers as well as speed control, less overall system performance will be enhanced with the FPGA control technique.

Uh, which we can control the mortal as well as after that, uh, diagnosis is incorporated into the, the main control schemes, uh, in my research area.

Got it. That makes sense. Now, thinking about conveying these advanced concepts to students—how would you break down the principles of FPGA controller-based fault diagnosis in a way that undergraduate students can grasp effectively?

Like real time control can be uh, we can demonstrate like uh, how we can implement with FPGA control techniques either by modeling and dumping the code into the FPGA system to control the motor, uh, similarly, uh, for various control textures we can implement as well as diagnosis techniques. Also we can implement in the real time with FPGA controller for the various Dr. schemes.

Yeah. Uh, for undergraduate students, we can control the motor with a PGA systems, uh.

Understood. Thank you, Professor Manala. Let’s now discuss another project of yours: "Performance Analysis of Vector Controlled Induction Motor Drive." Could you walk me through the simulation setup and how you used MATLAB Simulink to analyze the performance?

Yeah, In that project, what I have done, I have simulated the induction motor drive and evaluated the speed like motor drive performance under speed reversal speed forward motoring and various load perturbation conditions. I have worked out what is the performance of the drive, what is the rising time like settling time, all those things have evaluated. In those projects with a map simulink environment.

With the various controls controllers like PA controller, fuzzy logic controller, this kind of control techniques I have you implemented in the MATLAB Simulink for the controlling the vector control of induction motor drive.

Thank you for detailing that. As a follow-up, could you highlight which specific challenges you encountered during the simulation process and how you addressed them, particularly with MATLAB Simulink?

John Cha coming to the challenges uh the like uh, how we can tune the PA controller for effective control of like uh speed controller, uh smooth control like how we can achieve the good performance of the motor with the PA controller during that. Those are the challenges we can we have faced I have faced in the.

That kind of in that project, like how we can tune the Pi controller that can be the challenging the real time or, uh, in the software environment also.

Yeah.

How do you think you would incorporate this kind of challenge into a teaching environment to help students understand and tackle it effectively?

Uh, PA tuning, uh, various methodologies are there, uh, like, uh, system, uh, by knowing the motor control parameters and motor control, uh, system, uh, we can, uh, effectively calculate those kind of parameters for the PA controller are various other methodologies are there, uh, to tune the methodologies for that we can teach for the, uh, Btext students how we can implement how we can tune the PA controller these kind of.

Thought for the teach for the students.

Uh, learning methodology significant.

Thank you, Professor Manala. I appreciate your insights into how you connect your research with classroom teaching. Let's proceed.

Professor, could you outline your 3-year research roadmap? Specifically, I'd like to hear how you aim to contribute to impactful research and how you plan to secure external funding for your work.

No. In my for external funding, all those things I can develop, I can write a research proposals in this fault diagnosis area for various electric drives, Dr. schemes as well as I'm focusing on the generator side also coming to the PMSG generator which can we can use for the wind energy systems.

Also, we can write, uh, I can write the projects, I can get, uh, funding external support for the these kind of projects.

Uh, there, uh, we can diagnose the starter binding fault diagnosis in the PMHG.

Understood, Professor. How will you mentor junior scholars in your lab to ensure a consistent pipeline of high-quality publications, particularly in these areas of fault diagnosis and electric drives?

Yeah, uh, let's go. Uh, I, uh, I can guide for, uh, junior research scholars.

Uh, in those topics like uh, starter winding diagnosis, how we can diagnose the fault and the various applications of the, uh, PMSM like uh, either generator side, like PMH in the wind energy systems as well as the electric noise systems like PMSM motor where we are implementing for the electric drives. Like these kind of topics I can guide and other junior resource scholars.

Thank you, Professor. Could you elaborate on how you plan to utilize international collaborations to boost citation metrics for your work?

Yeah, by attending the various, uh, international conferences, uh, I can boost my citations like by collaborating with the other faculty or meeting at a different conferences. By attending different various international conferences, I can attend and I can post my citations.

Professor, can you explain how you would implement an active learning model, such as the Flipped Classroom, for a large-enrollment course, ensuring there's no reliance on slides? Could you provide specific strategies for engaging students effectively in this structure?

Sorry to interrupt, we're down to the last 5 minutes.

OK. Yeah, active, active learning cases in the in the classroom environment without using the slide, we can effectively engage the students for the real time applications like teaching by the real time applications, connecting with the real time application environment. What are the methodologies we are teaching in the classroom that we can effectively demonstrating for the real time practical approach approaches? We can effectively engage the students and create an interest among the students by attaching.

Uh, attaching our theoretical, UH methodologies to the real time practical applications, we can effectively demonstrate and teach those two uh students.

Understood, Professor. Could you then elaborate on how you would supervise doctoral students while contributing to their academic and professional development, including strategies to help them achieve success in publishing their findings in high-impact journals?

Yeah, uh, coming to the guiding the uh students.

Uh, we can, uh.

Find I read various, uh, good topics like, uh, what is the upcoming topics in the research area in, uh, and we can effectively, uh, like motivate those students, uh, for the what is the practical approaches and coming area of the research to actively publish in the high impact genres like upcoming areas and where the research gaps are there that I can demonstrate I can.

Thank you, Professor. As a final question in this section, could you describe how you would design evaluation tools to measure student competency effectively, ensuring the assessment extends beyond merely standardized testing?

Yeah, by assessing the students, my approach is like mainly tutorial based and practical based how they are performing the experiments and and Viva sessions. I can Viva sessions I can connect for the assessing the students as well as giving the practical. Match up Simulink problems to solve.

This kind of assessments I can kinda I can.

For assessing the students I can use.

Professor, could you clarify your point a bit more? Are you referring to methods of assessing students in your teaching, or are you speaking about evaluating doctoral students or research projects? Please elaborate so I can address it appropriately.

For the doctors to, uh, for the nor, uh, B.Tech students as well as Mtech students, uh, we can, uh, assess the students with, by connecting the tutorials and, uh, practicals, uh, we can evaluate those students. My point of view is that as well as assessing the students, uh, how they are actively engaging in the research.

And how they are actively participating in the What are their interest in the research topic?

Like that, I can assess those students.

Thank you, Professor. Let’s delve deeper into your approach. How would you ensure that these assessments, whether for B.Tech or M.Tech students, translate into measurable outcomes that align with departmental and accreditation goals, such as an increase in research output per faculty member or higher student success rates?

Yeah, coming to the, uh, research point of view, uh, uh, giving the uh, projects, uh, for the PD tech students as well as Mtech students, we can uh.

Engage them into into the real time projects.

And we can motivate and assess them.

Yeah. Uh, coming to s s and uh, progress of the project, uh, by, uh, weekly progress meetings for the students, how they are progressing, what are their approaches, how they are learning. Uh, we can assess by the conducting the weekly meetings or two weeks meetings like, uh, assist them. We can assess their progress and how they are performing these projects, how they are approaches we can evaluate at a weekly progress meetings.

Understood. Engaging students in real-time projects is a commendable step. Could you elaborate on how you would track their progress and ensure consistent quality, especially for interdisciplinary projects that may face challenges in coordination or resource allocation?

Our

Monthly progress meetings.

That sounds like a structured and active approach, Professor. Now, considering the dual responsibilities of mentoring students and managing institutional goals, how do you balance these student-centered efforts with the administrative fatigue that comes with documentation and oversight required for accreditation purposes?

Yeah, we can.

What are the other departmental activities? By maintaining the documents we can.

Achieve the departmental goals like what are there like suppose I am working like a coordinator so for the some kind of mini projects or something I can document those kind of.

My like coordinator, when I am working like a coordinator, I can maintain those kind of files for meeting the departmental goals as well as coming to the mentoring the students. I can access the progress.

I can maintain the, uh, weekly progress meetings for the students that I can uh.

Those kind of responsibilities for the mentoring also, I can effectively balance in between the mentoring as well as achieving that departmental goals.

Thank you, Professor. That demonstrates a proactive mindset. Could you also share any specific experiences you've had leading internal committees that directly impacted quality audit results or accreditation outcomes in your department?

Yeah, coming to the department and activities previously I am having the experience like I have worked for the mini projects coordinator as well as technical seminar Co coordinator which can have previous having the experience in the in kind of these kind of coordinations.

Thank you, Professor. It’s clear that you have experience managing departmental responsibilities. Let’s conclude this section here.

Should I conclude overall myself?

OK.

Professor, let us consider a scenario to evaluate your judgment and approach to navigating ethical and professional challenges. Imagine a student alleges that your grading is biased, and this claim gains traction because the student's failure contradicts the institution's pass-percentage goals. How would you address this situation while maintaining both academic integrity and institutional responsibilities?

Uh, for, uh, this evaluating, I can, uh, clearly, uh, means I can go with, uh, like institutional, uh, which way the approaches are there for the departmental as well as institutional or what are the rules and what, what are the marking system I can go with that kind of approaches like.

Professor, I understand your inclination to follow institutional methods and rules. To delve further, could you clarify specifically how you would balance the integrity of your grading standards with any institutional pressures if those pressures subtly implied leniency?

Greeting group rules should be as per institutional, uh, the marking system, uh, whatever they're set for the grading, that kind of, uh, marking system only I can follow.

In my assessing the performance.

Understood, Professor. To ensure you uphold ethical standards, let's explore another dimension. Suppose you are mentoring a doctoral student, and they are under pressure to deliver research aligned with institutional goals for high-impact publications. How would you guide this student to maintain academic rigor and avoid compromising on the quality of their work for the sake of meeting institutional expectations?

Time is up! Ending the interview now.