Prof. Dr. Sudhindra Nath Panda is an esteemed academician who has played a crucial role in shaping the technical education, research, and continuing education programs in India. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from OUAT, Bhubaneswar, and holds an M.Tech. and Ph.D. in Soil & Water Engineering from PAU, Ludhiana.
Prof. Panda has served as a catalyst of change for more than four decades in various institutions such as PAU Ludhiana, OUAT Bhubaneswar, IIT Kharagpur, NITTTR Chennai, and SRM University-AP. He has held various leadership positions throughout his illustrious career and has devoted 26 years to IIT Kharagpur, handling diverse roles. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Tottori University and Tokyo Metropolitan University in Japan.
Currently, as the Vice-chancellor of CGU, Odisha, he actively empowers young leaders to become competent and excellent in their fields. He has redefined the Quality Improvement Program (QIP) of technical teachers in India as the National Coordinator for SWAYAM (Teachers Training) and the Coordinator at AICTE: National Initiative for Training of Technical Teachers for developing quality MOOCs in engineering education/pedagogy. Prof. Panda has played a crucial role in enhancing the competency of technical teachers across India. He has also promoted the International Training Programme under the India Technical Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program of the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, which saw the active participation of 110 developing countries in the world.
Prof. Panda has received global recognition for his research quality and standards in the field of Systems Approach for Integrated Land and Water Resources Planning and Management, and Rainwater Conservation and Reuse for Climate Resilient Rainfed Agriculture. He has spearheaded ten nationally and seven internationally sponsored research projects comprising multi-disciplinary scientific groups from India and abroad. These projects have paved the way for collaborative research between Indian institutes and countries like Germany, Japan, and Canada.
Prof. Panda is the Principal- and Co-consultant for 15 consultancy projects across the country. Under outreach activities, he has implemented the research outcomes to transform the livelihoods of rainfed farmers in several districts in West Bengal with the support of an NGO. He has edited one book (CRC Press) and a workshop proceeding, written four research bulletins, and published six book chapters, 100 referred national/international journal papers, and 76 conference proceedings.
Prof. Panda is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers (ISAE), Institution of Engineers (India), and Indian Water Resources Society, Visiting International Fellow of ASCE, and Life Member/Member of various national and international societies/organizations. He has received various national and international awards, honours, medals, and fellowships, such as the Commendation Medal for outstanding contribution in the field of Soil and Water Engineering, ISAE, Shankar Memorial Award for excellent research in the field of Soil and Water Engineering, ISAE, the Jawahar Lal Nehru Award for outstanding Ph.D. research contribution in the field of Soil Science, Natural Resource Management, and Agronomy (Water Management), ICAR, and Research Associateship of CSIR for his research contributions on ‘Integrated Land and Water Resources Planning and Management.
Prof. Panda has undertaken 18 short-term visits to Canada, Japan, Germany, the USA, Australia, The Netherlands, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka as part of International Academic Research Visits with Fellowships/Collaborative Project Grants. He has also delivered 18 lectures at various foreign universities and institutions, including those in Germany, Japan, and Canada.