Good day, Dr. Sourav Mondal. 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?

Hello, are you there?

Hello.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Hello.

Hello, Professor. Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

So my name is Saurabh Mandal. I have completed my.

From Hooghly Engineering and Technology College in 2015 with 8.06 CGPA, I have completed my masters.

From Bit Mishra with eight point.

25 cgpa.

The recent I completed my PhD from National Institute of Technology partner in 2024.

Currently I am working as an assistant professor.

I have one year of teaching experience.

Noted. Let's proceed. Professor, could you share more about your area of specialization during your PhD and any research focus or publications associated with it?

Yes.

So in PhD my research topic was.

Unbalanced distribution network.

Understood. Could you elaborate on the specific challenges or problems you addressed in your research on unbalanced distribution networks? Additionally, were there any practical solutions or methodologies developed as part of your work?

Yes.

In my research field I have published.

Four ACI paper.

Two Scopus paper and I have 6 conferences.

I have one granted patent and.

One book chapter.

So my PhD research topic. The title of the topic is optimally Coordinated resource allocation for.

Energy management and resilience improvement of distribution network so.

In my work I have use.

Various type of optimization algorithm.

To optimally place the.

DGS capacitor bank and voltage regulator to improve the performance parameter of the distribution network.

Total loss of the network and efficiency of the network as well as how we can.

The PowerPoint parameter means the voltage level.

Manage the different type of energy resources during the.

Disaster management period. We also I also implemented that thing.

Thank you for sharing, Professor. It sounds like your research made significant contributions to improving distribution network performance and resilience, especially during disaster periods. Could you briefly discuss the practical applications or potential industry impact of your findings? How could your methodologies be implemented in real-world scenarios?

So my methodologies can be easily implemented in real time scenario whenever there is a there is any high.

Uh, low frequency, high impact weather event that mean typhoon or any cyclone, what will happen because of that, uh, most of, most of the distribution, most of the time the distribution network got damaged and at that time, how we can use the backup power sources just like.

Just like.

Batteries better the battery energy storage system and.

Distribution and DGS.

As well as I have also, umm, I have also implemented how we can, uh, we can coordinate the different type of energy resources to improve the resiliency of the network.

To restore the supply of the distribution network as well as.

Thank you for providing that detailed explanation, Professor. It’s clear that your research has practical applicability, especially in enhancing the resilience and efficiency of distribution networks during critical events. Could you also share how your findings could be integrated into teaching or guiding student projects in related areas?

So nowadays we know that, uh.

All the research.

People are focusing on the integration of the renewable energy resources as well as they are also focusing on how.

Electric vehicle.

Got

Integrated to the distribution network so that the negative impact of that, uh, excess load do not disturb the uh.

Uh, can be.

Don't do not uh, because of that integration, the performance of the distribution network should not be degrade.

So.

For in case of a class, whenever I'm going to teach the transmission the power power system network.

I can easily.

Explain.

Why the integration of the solar, wind and other renewable energy resources are important and how we can actually manage the intermittency nature of the.

Renewable energy sources as well as.

How we can properly?

Manage the.

Integration of the EV load to the.

Power system network.

And also and also to solve how we can optimally.

Thank you, Professor.

Use our resources so that we can.

Easily improve the overall performance of the network.

Understood, Professor. It’s evident that your expertise bridges both advanced research and practical teaching applications effectively. Let's move forward. Could you share your approach to teaching both theory and laboratory courses, particularly how you help students grasp complex topics in power systems?

So before entering.

It is very essential to give the basic knowledge about that lab and whatever experiment are there the related theoretical knowledge.

Before conducting any lab.

We should explain first.

And I think it is very essential in class only. We will give the little idea about about those, uh.

About those experiments.

Thank you, Professor. How do you typically evaluate student learning and performance, both in exams and practical lab work? What methods do you use to ensure fairness and accuracy in your assessments?

So in my opinion, it is better to UH assess the student in continue in UH in a specific time of interval. So continuous assessment.

Test we should take to, uh, judge the judge how the students are learning as well as I can, uh, take feedback from them also so that I can understand where they are actually, uh, lacking.

So in this way we can.

Umm, improve the learning process?

As well as as well as we can, I can provide them some.

Project based on the practical problems so that they can learn from those practical.

Whenever they are going to solve those practical problems, they will learn easily.

Understood, Professor. You've emphasized project-based learning and continuous assessment—both critical for effective teaching. How do you guide student research or projects, especially for those struggling to identify a clear direction in their work?

So in that case I can provide them the relevant material related to their interest.

Concept.

And also it is very important to identify.

In which field students are actually, you know, they have that stronghold.

So based upon that, only we can.

I I can guide them.

Certainly,

Got it, Professor. Thank you for your insights. Let's move forward. Could you reflect on your communication approach in the classroom? How do you ensure clarity and structure in your teaching to engage students effectively?

So for that.

It is important to.

In in each.

Session I should first tell them what should be the output outcome of that particular class 1st. After that I will explain 1 by 1 the all the concepts which I I prepared to deliver in that particular class. After that I can.

I can provide them, uh.

Thank

Some MCQ questions and.

And judge they can they are able to provide the right answer or not. So in this way we can I can effectively.

Uh, make them learn the.

Topics.

Thank you, Professor. Your structured approach to setting objectives, delivering concepts, and using MCQs to reinforce understanding reflects solid pedagogical practices. Could you share how you balance teaching responsibilities with research and consultancy work?

So to balance the teaching and the research work and as well as the consultant consultancy work.

Actually I face this type of problem to manage the time but.

If I if, if anyone can, uh, decide at the starting of the day only how they're going to divide their time and how they can properly manage their time.

That will help.

I am currently uh.

Following that thing only.

Got it, Professor. Time management is indeed crucial in balancing multiple professional responsibilities. How do you ensure the quality of your research publications and maintain their relevance to industry and academic standards?

So IEEE and IIT industrial standards are there in case of power system also. So whenever I'm going to.

Implement any algorithm or going to solve any problem.

In that case I have to take care of the.

Of the basic.

Thank you,

Uh, specification.

Of the different power system networks element.

Understood, Professor. It’s clear that maintaining adherence to industry standards is integral to your work. Let’s now focus on your consultancy experience—could you share a specific example of an industry project or consultancy work you’ve been involved in, and the impact of your contributions?

So I.

Did not take in any.

Did not took any consultation till now.

Understood, Professor. Thank you for clarifying. Allow me to proceed. Have you taken any steps or initiatives to build industry connections or explore consultancy opportunities related to your expertise?

Yes, currently I am trying to.

Connect with the industrial people and I have some friend in my in industry also and as well as during the presentation of the conference I made many industrial people.

And in my college also I.

I conducted various type of workshop.

Uh, by.

Uh, by inviting the industrial people?

Thank you, Professor. Building industry connections and organizing workshops are excellent steps towards bridging academia and practical application. With your background in power systems and energy management, what potential consultancy projects do you aim to pursue in the future?

So.

Nowadays we know the.

Solar power plant.

People are companies are making and for that.

They need design.

Engineer who can.

Consult.

With them and make them proper and give them the proper planning of the power plant. That thing I have done one course, uh, to how to design the distribution, how to design the substations so I can take this type of consultation.

Project.

Noted, Professor. Your expertise in designing substations and solar power plants positions you well for such consultancy opportunities. Thank you for sharing that insight. That concludes the required assessment of your skills. Would you like to share anything further before we close the interview?

No, if you.

Want to ask any question you can ask?

Yes.

Thank you, Professor. I believe we’ve covered all necessary areas for our assessment. If you're satisfied, we can conclude. Do you confirm that you’d like to end the interview now?