Interview
Interview: Nemkumar Banthia
Nemkumar Banthia is a Distinguished Professor and Senior Canada Research Chair at the University of British Columbia. A civil engineer by training, Professor Banthia’s research is in the areas of materials science, structural engineering, sensing and artificial intelligence applied to infrastructure.
He serves on 9 editorial boards and is the Editor-in-Chief of the J. of Cement and Concrete Composites with a reported 2019 Impact-Factor of 9.3. With his citations approaching 15000, he remains one of Top 25 ‘Most Cited in Construction & Building Materials’ as per Platinum H-Index.
He has been felicitated with the Distinguished Alumni Award 2020, under the Teaching and Research category.
He talks to Dr Vanita Srivastava of the Communication Cell of IIT Delhi
Edited excerpts:
IIT-D is my alma-mater. Alma mater, in latin means a 'nourishing mother'. Like a protective yet stern mother, IIT-D provided me with stability, self-confidence and work-ethics. It also gave me the humility to realize that I don’t know everything and there’s lot more to explore.
You have been one of the most cited in the field of concrete materials and structures, and have worked tirelessly to understand the performance of concrete structures under various conditions of loading and environment. Can you please tell a bit about your research and how did you get interested in it.
Life is about experiences. Experiences give us a broader backdrop to who we are, what our capabilities are and where we can make the biggest difference. Being born in a small village Kamptee in Maharashtra, I witnessed abject poverty and the dire need for infrastructure, water, sanitation, safe housing and healthcare. This motivated me to became a civil engineer. With those childhood images of scarcity, as a professor, I remained less inclined to publish papers and was more focussed towards finding solutions. Research wise, I work in the area of smart civil infrastructure focusing on low-carbon building materials, earthquake resilience, sensing, rehab, and performance modeling using artificial intelligence.
What does this award mean to you?
I am honored and humbled by this award. It is indeed gratifying when your alma-mater, which shaped your skills and personality and where you savoured some of the life’s most wonderful experiences, recognizes you.
What would you like to convey to the young students of IIT Delhi?
Have a plan, and dream big. And don’t forget that giving back to the society must always be part of the plan. Volunteer your time. A day when you did something for someone else is truly a day you lived.
What was the most important takeway from your stay at IIT Delhi?
How did the institute help in shaping your personality and career?