IIT Jodhpur builds a new Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, the first in the country

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur has established a new department- Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. The department aims to integrate multiple engineering and science verticals to provide an all-round solution to the civil and infrastructure engineering problems of the country.

The department has been set up to nurture a new group of engineers who are capable of designing large-scale infrastructures that are smart, sustainable, and climate change resilient. The BTech programme of the department is the first in the country to introduce two dedicated groups of high-demand courses, Infrastructure Engineering and Smart Infrastructure Systems.

According to a statement of IIT Jodhpur, the department runs BTech in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering but apart from the regular courses students would also be able to do their specialisations in smart infrastructure, energy, or environment within the four years of their BTech programmes.

Students will have the benefit of converting their BTech to BTech-MTech dual-degree and can earn a dual-degree in either energy or environment within five years. These specializations and dual-degree allow students to gain advanced training in transformative technologies and more profound research experience, the institute said.

Courses under Infrastructure Engineering deals with the planning, construction, and operation of large-scale telecom and IT infrastructures; railway, airport, and ship-port design; infrastructure planning, management, and engineering; thermal and nuclear power infrastructure engineering; and green building and sustainable materials. While Smart Infrastructure Systems offer courses on the application of AI/ML in civil and engineering; cyber-physical systems in civil engineering; digital twin for asset management; intelligent buildings; and surveillance and security of Infrastructures.

The department also offers two MTech and MTech-PhD programmes in Infrastructure Engineering with Specialization Energy and Infrastructure Engineering with Specialization in Environmental Engineering. The BTech and MTech or MTech-PhD courses have been designed in close consultation with the industry in India and abroad.

Students taking up 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.

Dr. 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 programs rooted through cohesive interaction with research organizations, academicians and industries. The curriculum of our UG and PG program 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.”