NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has announced that Associate Professor Karthikeyan Lanka has been selected for the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) Young Scientist Award 2026. The institute shared the announcement on its official social media handle, congratulating the faculty member on the recognition.Prof. Lanka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay. He has been serving in the role since February 2025, after joining the institute as an Assistant Professor in January 2019.Academic and research backgroundProf. Lanka completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, between 2013 and 2018. During his doctoral studies, he received the Department of Science and Technology (DST) International Travel Grant to participate in the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Training Session and the Second SMOS Conference in Madrid, Spain, in 2015.He also received a travel grant from the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) to attend the ISPRS Technical Commission VIII Symposium held in Hyderabad in 2014.Before pursuing his doctoral studies, he completed a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from IISc between 2011 and 2013. His master’s thesis received the Prof. P.S. Narayana Medal for the Best M.Sc. (Engineering) Thesis Award.Earlier academic achievementsProf. Lanka earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA), Thanjavur, graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 9.41 out of 10.During his undergraduate studies, he received multiple merit scholarships for academic performance and was awarded the Lord Renganatha Swamy Award for securing the highest marks in GATE 2010 among final-year and pre-final-year Civil Engineering students at the university.His undergraduate dissertation on groundwater level prediction in tropical coastal riparian wetlands was later published in the journal Water Resources Management in 2013.About the awardThe NASI Young Scientist Award is conferred by the National Academy of Sciences, India, to recognise outstanding contributions by early-career researchers across scientific disciplines.IIT Bombay said the selection recognises Prof. Lanka’s research contributions and academic achievements in the field of civil engineering.
