Professor Bibhuti Bhusan Biswal is currently the Director of National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, Shillong, India. He graduated in mechanical engineering from University College of Engineering (presently VSS University of Technology), Burla, India in 1985. Subsequently he completed his M.Tech and PhD from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He has served at NIT Rourkela as Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Design. Additionally, he served as Head of the Centre for Technology Innovation and Industry Relations (TIIR) at NIT Rourkela. He was a visiting Professor at Moscow Technological University, Stankin, May 2001 and a visiting scientist at GIST, South Korea. He has been actively involved in various research projects and published more than 150 research papers at national and international levels, including a monograph on Management Information System for ISTE, New Delhi, and seven book chapters. His areas of research interest include industrial robotics, FMS, computer integrated manufacturing, automation, and maintenance engineering. Dr. Biswal is Fellow, IE (I); Member, ASME; Senior Member, IEEE; Life Member, ISTE; Life Member, Association for Machines and Mechanisms (AMM); Member, ISTAM; Member, International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACSIT) and Member, International Association of Engineers (IAENG).Dr. B. K. Sarkar is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Head of the Centre, Centre for Robotics and Mechatronics, National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, Shillong, India. He was Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, NIT Meghalaya during 2017 to 2019. He obtained his B.E. (Mechanical Engineering), ME and PhD from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. His major areas of research include electrohydraulic systems and control, renewable energy, and robotics. He has published 10 papers in reputed international journals, 25 papers in reputed national/international conferences, and one book. Dr. Sarkar received the National Doctoral fellowship award in the year of 2009. He has three ongoing sponsored projects, among them one sponsored by DST-SERB and other two sponsored by MHRD. He is a life member of the National Society for Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power (NSFMFP) and Indian Society for Heat and Mass Transfer (ISHMT). He is also member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Professor Pinakeswar Mahanta is currently the Director of National Institute of Technology Arunachal Pradesh, Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Ha has served as professor of mechanical engineering at IIT Guwahati. He did his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Regional Engineering College, Rourkela in 1985. His areas of research include thermodynamics, heat transfer and renewable energy. He has established an international platform for research in bio-energy with the University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham, and Loughborough University, UK. He also has established collaboration in the field of clean coal technology with the University of Cranfield, UK and UCL, Belguim. He has published more than 90 papers in peer reviewed international journals, and edited three books. He was former Director of IIIT Bhagalpur. Dr. Mahanta’s latest achievements include JSPS fellowship by invitation to Gifu University, Japan, Guest Lecturer at Hof University, Germany, and Indian Distinguishing visiting fellowship by the University of Nottingham, UK.
