The Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Applied Science jointly conducted an AICTE – ATAL sponsored Online Six-Day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) titled “Advanced Materials, Rare-Earth & Critical Minerals” from 08 December 2025 to 13 December 2025.

The programme includes 13 online sessions, conducted daily from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The sessions were delivered by eminent academicians, scientists, and industry experts from premier national and international institutions.

A total of 148 faculty members from various institutions across the country actively participated in the programme. The FDP was successfully coordinated by Dr. K. Sargunan, (Program Coordinator), Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering, and    Dr. Pravin Rose T., (Program Co-coordinator), Placement Head and Head, Department of Applied Science.

Programme Details

Inaugural Session

• Mr. Praveen Raj R. S., Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum

Technical Sessions

1. Dr. S. Senthil Kumar, Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, NIT Tiruchirappalli
2. Dr. Suraj Soman, Senior Scientist, Chemical Sciences & Technology Division, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum
3. Dr. Parijat Pallab Jana, Scientist, Materials Science and Technology Division, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum
4. Dr. T. P. D. Rajan, Chief Scientist, Materials Science and Technology Division, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum
5. Dr. Vijayakumar Chakkooth, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum
6. Dr. A. Hemachander, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, NIT Puducherry
7. Dr. Joy Varghese V. M., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering (Government), Trivandrum
8. Dr. Achu Chandran, Principal Scientist, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum
9. Mr. Murali Krishnan Perumal, Lead Engineer, Ford Motor Company, Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom
10. Dr. Surendran K. P., Senior Principal Scientist, Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (C-SET), CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum
11. Mr. Dev Kala, Senior Analyst, Crédit Agricole CIB, London, United Kingdom
12. Dr. G. Glan Devadhas, Professor and Director, Directorate of Research and Innovation, CMR University, Bengaluru
13. Dr. Ananthakumar S., Chief Scientist and Head, CSIR–NIIST, Trivandrum

The programme provided valuable insights into advanced materials, rare-earth elements, and critical minerals, fostering interdisciplinary learning and strengthening academic–industry–research collaboration.