Women in Engineering (WIE)

Keynote Speaker
Prof. Prerna Gaur

Director, Netaji Subhas University of Technology East Campus

Dr. Prerna Gaur, a distinguished academician, researcher, and leader in the field of Renewable Energy, Power Electronics, Power Quality, Artificial Intelligence-based Control, and Electrical Drives. Currently serving as the Director of NSUT East Campus, she has played a pivotal role in the academic and research ecosystem, with over 26 years of teaching experience at Delhi College of Engineering and NSUT, Delhi, along with six years of industry experience. She was also the Founder Head of the Department of Instrumentation and Control and Electrical Engineering at NSUT (2018-2021) and has significantly contributed to shaping the institution's academic framework.

Dr. Prerna Gaur holds a B. Tech in Electrical Engineering (1988), M. Tech (1996), and Ph.D. (2009) in Artificial Intelligence and Control. Her research contributions are remarkable, with over 150 research papers published in prestigious international journals and IEEE conferences. She has guided numerous B. Tech, M. Tech, and Ph.D. students and continues to inspire and mentor future researchers. Additionally, she serves as the Director and Member Secretary of NSUT's Technical Business Incubator and is the NBA Coordinator at NSUT. Her involvement in AICTE, NBA, and UGC committees further highlights her commitment to academic excellence.

Dr. Prerna Gaur has been actively associated with IEEE for over two decades, holding several key leadership positions. She has served as Treasurer of IEEE India Council (2021), Chair of IEEE Delhi Section (2019-2020), Executive Vice Chair (2017-2018), Secretary (2013-2016), and Treasurer (2011-2012). Her contributions extend to IEEE Women in Engineering, where she has served as Chairperson (2013-14) and Secretary (2008-09, 2012-13), as well as Chairperson of the PELS-IES Delhi Chapter. She is also a Senior Member of IEEE, a Life Member of ISTE, an IETE Fellow, and an IE Fellow. As a Branch Counsellor for the IEEE NSUT Student Branch since 2001, she has mentored thousands of students, contributing to the growth of IEEE membership across North India.

Dr. Prerna Gaur has received numerous prestigious awards for her contributions to academia and research. She was honored with the Outstanding Branch Counsellor & Branch Chapter Advisor Award from IEEE Member and Geographic Activities, USA (2021), the Outstanding Volunteer Award from IEEE India Council (2019), and the Women of the Decade in Academia Award at the Women Economic Forum (2018). She has also received the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Excellence Award in Education (2015), the IEEE PES Outstanding Chapter Engineer Award (2015), and multiple Best Paper Awards at reputed IEEE conferences.

Keynote Speaker
Prof. Rachna Garg

IEEE (Senior Member), ISTE (Life Member), Professor, Delhi Technological University

Dr. Rachana Garg, a distinguished academician, researcher, and leader in the field of Power Systems, Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence Techniques, and Smart Grid Technologies. With a strong background in Electrical Engineering, she has earned a B.E., M. Tech., and Ph.D., with her doctoral research focusing on Sensitivity Analysis of Multi-conductor Digital Transmission Lines in 2009. Currently, she is actively engaged in teaching, research, and leadership roles, making significant contributions to power system operation, renewable energy integration, and advanced computing techniques in energy management.

Throughout her career, Dr. Rachana Garg has published over 100 research papers in reputed international and national journals and IEEE conferences, with some of her works receiving Best Paper Awards. She has successfully guided five Ph.D. scholars and is currently supervising eight more, while also serving as an examiner for Ph.D. and M. Tech. evaluations at prestigious institutions such as IIT-D, NSIT, and JMI. As a Senior Member of IEEE and a Life Member of ISTE, she plays a vital role in various professional organizations. Her leadership positions include Immediate Past Chair of IEEE Delhi Section, Past Chair of Women in Engineering (Delhi Section), Past Chair of PES-IAS Delhi Chapter, and currently the Student Activity Chair of IEEE Delhi Section. Additionally, she serves as a faculty advisor for the IEEE PES-IAS Student Chapter at DTU and Nrityangana.

Beyond her academic and research contributions, Dr. Garg has been actively involved in faculty and technical staff recruitment committees, including SMVDU and CSIR. As a recognized expert in her field, she has delivered numerous expert lectures at leading institutions and industries and serves as a reviewer for high-impact journals. She has also played a key role in organizing, chairing, and participating in numerous IEEE conferences, workshops, and technical programs, contributing to the growth and advancement of the engineering community.

With a passion for education, research, and innovation, Dr. Rachana Garg continues to be an inspiration in the field of Power Systems, AI in Energy, and Smart Grid Technologies, shaping the future for students, researchers, and industry professionals alike.

Panelists

Prof. Asma Achnib

Associate Professor, Gustave Eiffel University

Asma ACHNIB is an Associate Professor at Gustave Eiffel University and works at the Ecole des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris (EIVP). She is also affiliated with the Instrumentation, Modélisation, Simulation et Expérimentation Laboratory of Components and Systems Department (COSYS-IMSE). She earned a degree in Electrical and Automatic Control Engineering from the National Engineering School of Gabes (ENIG), Tunisia, in 2015, and a Ph.D. in 2019 from the University of Bordeaux, France. Her Ph.D. research focused on the design of CRONE anticipative controllers for both SISO and MIMO systems at the Integration of Materials to Systems (IMS-UMR5218) Laboratory.

From 2021 to 2024, she served as an Associate Professor at ESTP, France. Prior to that, from 2019 to 2021, she was affiliated with the Automatic Control Department at GIPSA-lab UMR 5216, where she held the position of Temporary Teaching and Research Associate at the Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP). During her time there, she contributed to research led by the SAFE team, focusing on observation and control for vehicle dynamics.

In 2024, she was a member of the organizing committee for the IEEE International Multi-Conference on Smart Systems and Green Process. Her research interests include preview and robust digital control applied to automotive suspension systems and power systems, such as Smart Grids and MicroGrids. More recently, her work has focused on energy storage systems, particularly in the modeling, control, and estimation of the state of charge and state of health of lithium-ion batteries for smart grid applications.

Prof. Bhawana Singh

IEEE WIE Member, Assistant Professor, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

Prof. Bhawana Singh, a dedicated faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad since June 24, 2024. With a strong passion for both teaching and research, she specializes in the field of Nonlinear Control Systems and has been actively contributing to academic and research advancements.

She completed a Ph.D. in Nonlinear Control Theory from IIT (BHU) Varanasi in April 2022, demonstrating exceptional expertise in advanced control methodologies. Following this, she served as a Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom, from September 14, 2022, to June 21, 2024 (21 months). During this tenure, she was deeply involved in the Guidance and Control of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs), specifically working on the safe motion planning of a 150-passenger ferry developed by Artemis Technologies Limited, Belfast.

She was a visiting researcher at Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland from March-April 2022 through PROM Scholarship Programme-International Scholarship Exchange of PHD Candidates and Academic Staff, Poland and worked in Discrete Sliding Mode Control.

Dr. Vigya

Scientist, C-DAC, Bangalore

Vigya has done her undergraduation in Electrical engineering from HBTI Kanpur, followed by Masters in Control System from B.I.T Mesra. She worked as Research Associate in IIT Bombay for 1.5 years on application of H∞ control for Renewable Energy Systems with special focus on Solar Photovoltaic system.

She also worked as Research Associate in Baud Resources in which she led the project for development of hardware and system module for control engineering of windTRAIN technology for Wind Turbines. She completed her Doctorate in Optimal AGC Study of Different Structural Forms of Hybrid Power System using Modified Computational Techniques from IIT(ISM) Dhanbad.

She has more than ten publications in international journals and conferences. At present she is working in Centre of Development of Advanced Computing and is a part of multiple projects in the area of Cyber Security and High Performance Computing.

Prof. Sunanda Sinha

Assistant Professor, Energy and Environment in Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur

Dr. Sunanda Sinha currently holds the position of Assistant Professor at the Centre for Energy and Environment in Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Rajasthan. Dr. Sinha has been working in the field of “Renewable Energy” for the past few years, primarily researching solar photovoltaic systems and renewable energy-based hybrid systems.

Dr. Sunanda Sinha, a distinguished researcher and academician in the field of Renewable Energy. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) Jaipur, Rajasthan, Dr. Sinha has dedicated several years to advancing research in solar photovoltaic systems and renewable energy-based hybrid systems.

Dr. Sinha holds a Ph.D. in Energy Technology from NIT Hamirpur, an M. Tech. in Energy Science & Technology from Jadavpur University, and a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering. Her research interests span across Solar Photovoltaic Energy Systems, Wind Energy Systems, Hybrid Energy Systems, Solar Energy, Energy Planning and Management, and Energy Systems.

With a strong academic and professional background, Dr. Sinha has been actively contributing to the field of renewable energy. Before joining MNIT Jaipur in February 2019, she served as a Lecturer at NIT Hamirpur from May 30, 2016, to February 19, 2019.

Dr. Sunanda Sinha continues to inspire students and researchers through her expertise and commitment to sustainable energy solutions.