In a first, IIT Jodhpur establishes Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Department

NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur has established the Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering that integrates multiple engineering and science verticals to provide a holistic solution to the civil and infrastructure engineering problems of the country. The new department was established to train a new group of engineers who are capable of designing large-scale infrastructures that are smart, sustainable, and climate change resilient, IIT Jodhpur said.

The BTech in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering programme of the department will introduce two dedicated groups of high-demand courses, namely: Infrastructure Engineering and Smart Infrastructure Systems. Students will be able to earn dedicated specializations in smart infrastructure, energy, or environment within the four years of their BTech programmes. The institute also provides an option to convert the BTech to BTech-MTech dual-degree. Further, they can earn a dual-degree in either energy or environment within five years.

The Infrastructure Engineering course training includes Infrastructure Planning, Management, and Engineering; Thermal and Nuclear Power Infrastructure Engineering; among other subjects. The Smart Infrastructure Systems offers courses on application of AI/ML in civil and engineering; cyber-physical systems in civil engineering; the syllabus covers various other topics.

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BTech, MTech programmes

The department also runs two MTech and MTech-PhD programmes in Infrastructure Engineering with Specialization Energy and Infrastructure Engineering with Specialization in Environmental Engineering. “The BTech and MTech/MTech-PhD courses have been designed in close consultation with the industry in India and abroad. Students graduating from these courses will be exceptionally trained in smart infrastructure systems and skilled in applying AI/ML to build digitalized construction and monitoring systems for large-scale infrastructures,” IIT Jodhpur said in a statement.

Talking about the unique feature of the Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Department, Ranju Mohan, head, Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, IIT Jodhpur, said, “Our aim is to produce next-generation engineers through adaptive, flexible and interdisciplinary training programmes rooted through cohesive interaction with research organizations, academicians and industries. The curriculum of our UG and PG programme is aligned with this aim. Through ongoing collaborations, faculties aim to create a co-creation platform that enables multiple players stakeholders in civil and infrastructure firms to bring solutions for various societal issues under a common store.”

IIT Jodhpur’s Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering is involved in various industrial consultancy research projects such as the Rajasthan government’s river interlinking and water transport project, air quality modelling and climate modelling among others.