Laksiri

Kamal Laksiri is a highly accomplished Civil Engineer with over three decades of experience in hydropower projects and infrastructure development. He holds PhD from Saga University, Japan (2007), MSc from NTNU, Norway (1997), and BSc (Eng) Hons from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (1990). He began his career as a Junior Engineer in the private sector (1988-1991) before joining the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) in 1991, where he has held key positions, including: Reservoir Engineer, Samanalawewa Hydroelectric Project (1992-1997), Chief Engineer, Kukule Ganga Hydropower Project (1999-2004), Project Director, Broadlands Hydropower Project (2008-2022) and Project Director, Moragolla Hydropower Project (2023-Present).His professional affiliations are notable; Dr.Kamal Laksiri is a Fellow of IESL, ASCE (USA), ICE (UK), and IET (UK) and holds the International Professional Engineer (Int P.Eng) certification.

Brajesh Kr. Dubey is a Professor in Environmental Engineering and Management at the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), where he also serves as Chair of the School of Water Resources and leads the Circular Engineering Research (CERG) Laboratory in the Department of Civil Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida, USA, and a B.Tech (Hons) in Civil Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur. Before returning to India, Dr. Dubey held academic positions at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), East Tennessee State University (USA), and the University of Guelph (Canada). With nearly two decades of post-PhD experience, Dr. Dubey specializes in sustainable and resilient systems, circular economy approaches, life cycle assessment (LCA), decarbonizationof urban infrastructure, and resource recovery from waste. His work is globally recognized and has been funded by prestigious institutions such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), National Geographic Society, OECD, and the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Smitha Gopinath is a Senior Principal Scientist at the Advanced Protective Structures and Mechanics Laboratory (APSML), CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre (CSIR- SERC), Chennai, India. She holds Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from IIT Madras and specializes in textile reinforced concrete, computational modeling of concrete composites, repair and retrofitting of structures, finite element analysis, and alternative reinforcements in concrete.Dr. Smitha Gopinath has received several prestigious awards, including the L&T Dr. A. Ramakrishna Young Engineer Award (2012) and the ICI-Young Scientist Award (2016). Her pioneering work in Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) Prototyping Technology has been recognized among the Top 100 Indian Innovations (2022) by the Indian Innovators Association.

Preetha Prabhakaran is the Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Department in, Toc H Institute of Science & Technology, Cochin Kerala, with over 20 years of teaching experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), focusing on the structural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with CFRP. She also earned an M.Tech in Computer-Aided Structural Engineering from Mar Athanasius College of Engineering and a B.Tech in Civil Engineeringfrom CUSAT. Her areas of expertise include structural analysis, design of reinforced and steel structures, advanced concrete technology, and environmental pollution control modeling.