J B Institute of Engineering & Technology, Dean(CS) and Dean(R&D)- Dr Niraj Upadhayaya

Dr Niraj Upadhayaya graduated in Electronics and Communication Engineering in 1987 and joined Indian Broadcasting Services 1987 batch. He did his Master of Software Engineering from BITS Pilani. He completed his PhD in“Parallel fine grain Computing” from Bristol University UK in 2005. He is working at the J.B. Institute of Engineering and Technology since 2006. He has been empanelled Consultant to NIC and BECIL.

Dr. Niraj Upadhayaya is an active researcher, working in GPU-based computing, AI and Deep learning. Four students have completed their PhD under his supervision, and two students are currently in the process of completing their PhD work. He is having 2 patents in his name while 4 more patents are published. He has published 37 papers in various International and National journals. Currently, he is serving as Professor (CSE) and Dean (R&D) at J.B. Institute of Engineering and Technology.

What is the latest program that you are offering in your institute/dept. in recent years?

We are offering four new programs closely linked to Industry 4.0. These are Artificial Intelligence & Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, Computer Science (AI & ML), and Computer Science (AI & DS). The total Intake of these new courses is 300 students every year.

What are the factors that make this program the best for the students to opt for?

These programs are tailored to come requirements of the Industry. Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning is going to have a bigger footprint across the industry, in the coming years. There is a need to fill the skill vacuum, which these jobs will create. These courses will be instrumental in providing the workforce, suitable to handle such advanced tasks.

What is your take on the New Education Policy?

NEP 2020 gives enormous weight to skilling and upskilling. It will help India by providing experts in modern technology. India can be a super source of skilled force if the targets of NEP-2020 are met in time. act, these new courses offered by our institute JBIET are very much aligned with NEP 2020.

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What are some valuable insights of the program that you are offering at your institute/dept.that align with the latest educational policy?

The courses offered by JBIET are well aligned with the syllabus prescribed by AICTE, which has come out to comply with New Education Policy –2020. All these courses stress Practical skills and Industrial Interactions. There are Industrial training/ Internships every year. The final year project duration has been increased from One semester to two semesters.

It has already shown its effect on students admitted in 2020 and 2021. The number of Innovative ideas submitted by students registered a tenfold increase.

How does the program ensure that students are being prepared for the future post-pandemic corporate culture?

The major change the pandemic has brought in Industry is work-from-home culture and lesser interaction opportunities, necessitating clearer and better communication without repetition. We have started a life skill program, which is a credit course for JBIET students. There is great stress in this program to have clearer communication and teamwork while working as a remote team.

What are your views on the future of education in the rapid trend of technological addition in every course curriculum?

I perceive two major changes in future education.

1. Personalized Education: As Education is getting increasingly online, differentiated teaching to each student, based on the learner’s capability to grasp, can be given. It was not possible effectively in a classroom scenario. 
2. More use of Augmented and Virtual reality, making online practical not only feasible but more effective.

How do you tend to build an industry connection with the new roles that are being offered by companies?

Already we are tying up with T-hub, which is a key player in innovation and Entrepreneurship at Telangana. It will open the door of 100s of Enterprises to our students. Already we have MOUs with major Industries like Microsoft, TCS and Infosys. Industry representatives are members of our Board of studies, Academic Council and Governing Body.

What were the challenges that you faced while inculcating the new program in your curriculum?

The biggest challenge is to replace hype with reality for Industry 4.0 courses. Contrary to perception these courses are not a cakewalk and require a great amount of academic rigour and skill. In addition to this, practical Industry exposure is a big issue affecting students. Most of the companies in these areas are startups and overburdened with work. They are not very keen to take students as interns.

What are the key factors that are being considered while adding on to a new course?

The first factor is the relevance of the new course to society and the country. The second factor is Industrial readiness for such courses.

The third factor is acceptance of the course by students and their parents. There are other factors like availability of higher education, long term future of the student and economic viability.

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What are the new-age student Internships/Projects that are being planned for students?

A large part of Student Internship is provided by our institute through two big partnerships

1. Partnership with NASSCOM /CDAC
2. Partnership with Internshala

In addition to this, we are having tie-ups with many local industries which help us get internships for our students.