Profile of the Instructor(s)

Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan heads the  TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2) at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) and the newly inaugurated National Center for Assistive Health Technologies (NCAHT-IITM). As Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, her translational research focuses on applying design and biomechanics to develop functional and affordable assistive/rehabilitation devices for people with movement disability, of which five have been commercialized with industry partners. More details are available at https://r2d2.iitm.ac.in

Prof. Sujatha is passionate about teaching and is a founding member of the Teaching Learning Centre (TLC) at IIT Madras. Her courses are designed around a set of learning outcomes and she has been experimenting with several techniques of active and cooperative learning (ACL) such as think-pair-share, bookend lecture, minute paper, jigsaw, etc. She has shared her experiences with ACL during the yearly Faculty Development Programs at IITM for new and existing faculty, as well as conducted many ACL sessions for the FDPs that the TLC conducts regularly for teachers from other colleges.

Prof. Sujatha did her B. Tech at IIT Madras, Masters at the University of Toledo and received her PhD from the Ohio State University, Columbus, USA, all in Mechanical Engineering. She worked in the prosthetics industry for several years prior to starting her PhD. She has been at IIT Madras since 2008.

Dr Pratima Khandelwal is an eduprenuer and the Founder of ‘FlyHigh’ Educational Excellence Services, an MSME unit in Bengaluru. It is dedicated for capacity building of teachers and students, primarily at higher educational institutions. She is a visiting professor at RUAS, Bengaluru, empanelled trainer at NPTEL, BS Program, IITM.

She holds Masters and PhD in ‘Food Technology and Process &  Food Engineering’, and carries collective 24+ years of teaching (MSc and BE BT and Food Technology), research, mentoring and leadership
experience and holds 45+ publications, along with 2 patents and a few discoveries of useful
Aspergillus strains. She has been awarded gold medal from GBPUA&T, Pantnagar and ICAR’s fellowships. She’s also into upskilling both teachers and students via customised, engaging and interactive techniques resting on empathetic and techno- pedagogy. She has been offering training programs at AICTE FDPs, NPTEL, NAHEP, Aatmanirbhar Bharat Training of Trainers (under MoFPT, GoI), beyond many central, state and private universities in India and abroad. Her training programs are designed in alignment with OBE and NEP 2020. She carries passion and pragmatism in offering tools and techniques for happier outcomes with participants and stakeholders deriving multi dimensional benefits. She is the co-instructor of the program.