At Plaksha, research is not just a pursuit; it's a way of life.
We are driven by a shared passion of our founders, faculty, and students to create transformative change. We seek to tackle the grand challenges in our society and shape a future that is sustainable and full of endless possibilities.
In this endeavour, our faculty leads the charge through meaningful research and other contributions. They not only impart knowledge but actively engage in cutting-edge research to tackle real-world problems. Their expertise and commitment to push the boundaries of knowledge are truly inspiring.
Here are some of the remarkable works our faculty have recently been involved in:
Cool Roofs - Prof. Vishal Garg, Dean of Research and Director of Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy has been actively working with the Telangana government to create India’s first Cool Roof Policy. This policy attempts to make the state heat resilient as it is now mandatory to install cool materials, such as reflective paints, tiles or sheets, on roofs across the state. Read More
Making NOx Harmless - Dr. Chaitanya Lekshmi Indira, Associate Professor at Plaksha, has been awarded a patent for developing catalyst series that can reduce toxic NOx gas (nitrogen oxide) to harmless products.
One of the applications that is being pursued by her is the development of a ceramic filler/converter that could reduce NOx emissions in the flue gas from automobile exhaust. For this, R&D collaboration with a petroleum research lab is being pursued.
She has developed a mixed oxide nanocomposite catalyst series based on earth abundant materials for gas conversion catalysis. Complete conversion (100%) has been achieved in the laboratory scale.
This innovation is highly significant as it did not require the use of toxic and expensive heavy metals as components of the catalysts, which are typically used in automobile catalyst converters.
Additionally, good tunability of the process within a temperature and composition window could also be achieved that could potentially extend the usage of the innovation to wider technology applications associated with NOx removal.
Smart Farms Challenge - Plaksha faculty finds expression in basic and fundamental studies as well as in applied research. Dr. Shashank Tamaskar and Dr. Amruta R Behera founded AGMitra Technologies to develop sugarcane growth solutions. Recently, STPI – Software Technology Parks of India organized the Smart Farm Challenge – Stage 2 for a Product Development Grant. AGMitra Technologies won an ₹20 lakh grant for their innovation. By using cutting-edge technologies such as AI-ML, Remote Sensing, and IoT, their solution will enable farmers to predict the optimum time for sugarcane harvest, estimate sugar content, and identify mature plots.
Sustainable Farming Solutions - Dr. Navjot Kaur was awarded a grant of ₹25.28 lakh from DST iHub - AWaDH for investigating the impact of current agricultural practices on planetary health and co-creating sustainable solutions with farming communities.
Through this project, Dr. Navjot, in collaboration with a faculty from IIT Ropar, aims at creating a holistic impact by engaging the farming community at early stages of solution/technology development, understanding their pain-points through baseline research and working on understanding the potential of gene-edited crops as a solution to curb some of their current challenges.
This project is first of its kind, covering multiple districts of Punjab and will use sophisticated analysis techniques to present a holistic picture for soil and human health in Punjab.
The project will reinforce the concept that sustainable agricultural practices lay the foundation for addressing the grand challenge of food security and explore the role gene-edited crops can play in implementing environmentally friendly agricultural solutions.
Each project represents a commitment to address real-world challenges and make a tangible difference in people's lives. Their work exemplifies Plaksha's vision of bridging the gap between academia and industry, creating meaningful solutions that shape our future. Their guidance and mentorship inspire students to dream big, push boundaries, and contribute to the betterment of society.
