IIT BOMBAY DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
As part of an ongoing series, IIT Bombay is spotlighting its academic departments to showcase the depth and diversity of work taking place across the Institute. From research and innovation to faculty and student achievements, this initiative aims to build greater awareness and engagement within the alumni community. Through these features, we invite alumni to reconnect with their departments and explore meaningful ways to contribute to their continued growth.
Department of Civil Engineering
The Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay continues to advance its legacy of excellence through impactful research, strong academic leadership, and meaningful contributions to national and global challenges. The past year reflects a vibrant mix of faculty and student achievements, research milestones, and growing collaborations across domains.
The following highlights offer a snapshot of the department’s breadth of achievements and ongoing initiatives across areas.
Rankings & Department Recognition:
– QS World Ranking 2026 shows the department ranked 42nd globally in Civil & Structural Engineering. This marked the highest ranking achieved by any Indian institute in this field this year, reflecting a continued upward trajectory from the previous edition.
– 7 (5 current + 2 former) faculty members from the department were listed as World’s Top 2% researchers (Entire career) by Elsevier in Sept’25.
– 7 (6 current + 1 former) faculty members from the department were listed as World’s Top 2% researchers (for a single year) by Elsevier in Sept’25.
– Norwegian Geotechnical Institute entered into a strategic agreement with the MMRDA and IIT Bombay to strengthen work on natural hazards, tunnelling, and resilient urban development in the Mumbai region.
Faculty Recognition:
– Prof. R.S. Jangid was awarded the prestigious Prof. H.H. Mathur Award for Excellence in Research in Applied Sciences (2025) for his work on seismic base isolation and earthquake-resistant design in Mar’26.
– Subimal Ghosh was elected as a Fellow (FASc) of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc), Bengaluru, from January 26.
– Prof. Raaj Ramsankaran received the Indian National Geospatial Award 2025, conferred by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing in Nov’25.
– Prof. Deepankar Choudhury was honoured with the “Eminent Engineer Award 2025” by the Institution of Engineers (India) in recognition of his contribution to Civil Engineering.
– Prof. Arpita Mondal was selected for the “Class of 1973 Faculty Award for Research Excellence 2025” under the domain of “Engineering Sciences and Design” in Sept’25.
– Prof. Arghadeep Laskar received the prestigious Prof. S. P. Sukhatme Award for Excellence in Teaching (Institute-level Best Teacher Award) – 2025.
Notable Research Highlights
– Prof. Manish Kumar, in collaboration with the College of Military Engineering, Pune, developed lightweight modular bunkers designed to withstand artillery fire, missile impacts, and aerial strikes, engineered for rapid deployment without specialised tools.
– Prof. Arpita Mondal and Prof. Subimal Ghosh, in collaboration with Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, identified the different climatic drivers behind back-to-back extreme heat events in South Asia, including India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
– Prof. Subimal Ghosh and team developed a Smart Irrigation Plan to save 10–30% of irrigation water in drought-prone regions, combining weather forecasts, satellite soil moisture data, and computer simulation.
– Siddhartha Ghosh and his PhD scholars received the Best Paper Award at the 14th Asian Pacific Conference on Shell and Spatial Structures in Japan, for their research work titled “Effect of Wrinkling Allowance in Tensile Membrane Structures.”
– Prof. Deepankar Choudhury and his former PhD scholars significantly contributed to the foundation design of the first Metro Railway of Madhya Pradesh in Indore, inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 31st May 2025.
– Prof. Eswar Rajasekaran and former PhD student Dr. Kukku Sara received the Best Paper Award 2025 from the German Society of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation.
Students Recognition:
– PhD scholar Ms. Dharanya Thulasiraman won the Best Oral Presentation Award at the First National Conference on Geodesy — GeodCon-2026, held at INSA, New Delhi, in Mar’26.
– PG students’ team “Geo-Sankalp” won the “Best Use of Data Award” at Riverathon 1.0, organized under the Namami Gange Programme, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, in Feb’26.
– Dr. Tanmoy Das’s PhD thesis was awarded First Position in the Best PhD Thesis Ranking (F.Y. 2025–26) by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs.
– Team SOLARIS from the Ocean Engineering group secured the winning prize at the IAHR Southern-India Young Professionals Network Hackathon at IIT Madras, for their low-cost flexible floating solar panel model.
– IIT Bombay’s Civil Engineering team ranked 15th overall at EERI SDC 2025, excelling in seismic design at UC Berkeley.
Recent Events & Activities
– A workshop on “Port Landside Planning, Operations, and Logistics” was conducted in Mar’26.
– The flagship event on “AI in Mobility” brought together technology and governance in Feb’26.
– A 5-day training program on “Project Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Infrastructure Projects” was organized with MoSPI for senior government officials in Jan’26.
– The Civil Engineering Department and 3D Concrete Printing Lab created a 3D printed security cabin using a customized in-house concrete mixture in Jan’26.
– Two new hydrodynamic facilities — Wave–Current Flume & Towing Carriage Facility — were inaugurated.
Upcoming Milestones
– PhD Admissions for Autumn 2026-27 semester
-Lean Construction Management (LCM) training scheduled for May 5-6, 2026
Areas for Alumni and Industry Contribution:
- Guest Lectures & Mentorship – Engaging with students through industry talks and mentorship programs.
-Virtual ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions by sector (structural, transport, sustainability, etc.)
-’15 Minutes with an Alum’ recorded interviews covering career journeys and project learnings
-Live/recorded guest lectures tied to specific course modules annually - Student Challenges – Supporting initiatives like Aakaar festival with engineering challenges & meetups.
-Informal speed-networking with the students at the annual dept. fest. - Fellowship Support – Contributing to student fellowships and other career opportunities.
-Placement partnership for internship/placement. - Infrastructure Development – Contributing to laboratory facilities and research equipment
- Research Funding or Endowment Fund – Supporting advanced research in seven specializations: Transportation Systems Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Structural Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Remote Sensing, and Construction Technology and Management.
Together, these accomplishments highlight the department’s continued momentum across research, education, and real-world impact. With strong foundations and expanding collaborations, the Department of Civil Engineering remains well-positioned to shape the future of infrastructure, sustainability, and engineering innovation.
For more information or to get involved, please write to us at deptlegacy@iitbacr.com.
We’d love to hear from you!