Education’s True Goal: Adaptability – Prof. Sandeep Shukla
As technology continues to reshape industries at an unprecedented pace, the role of engineering education is undergoing a fundamental redefinition. No longer is it sufficient to train students for specific tools or immediate job roles; institutions must now prepare graduates for careers that will evolve multiple times over their working lives. Prof. S K Shukla believes that the key lies in strong fundamentals, research-driven learning, ethical system design, and a deep focus on student well-being. He outlines IIITH’s vision for future-ready education, the importance of cybersecurity and emerging technologies, why placements should be viewed beyond salary, and how interdisciplinary learning can help students build resilient, purpose-driven careers. Our vision is to prepare students not just for today’s technologies, but for a future that will be defined by constant and often unpredictable change. To remain relevant in such an environment, students must be grounded in strong fundamentals—systems thinking, algorithmic problem-solving, information and systems security–centric design, and ethical system development.
IIITH developing tool to detect bugs in AI-generated software code
With AI taking on an increasing role in writing code, a new and pressing question has emerged: how can we be sure that automatically generated code is safe, reliable, and correct? “The process of developing software itself is now automated,” Prof. Abhishek Singh explains. “But in the process, there are a lot of bugs that get generated as well.” His research focuses on building automated systems that can catch these bugs early – especially in modern software that runs multiple tasks at the same time, a category known as parallel or concurrent programs. According to Prof. Singh, many software bugs originate long before code is written. “Many software bugs find their roots in the transition from informal intent to formal implementation. They begin with how humans describe what they want software to do. “The problem arises because you never describe your intent clearly,” he says. “You provide inputs in natural language and then these AI agents produce code for you.” But, he explains, natural language is ambiguous. English sentences may have multiple meanings.
IIITH Researchers Use AI to Decode Biryani Variations
The researchers at IIITH used visual learning models to analyse and reach the conclusion about the variations. The dataset used by the researchers included 12 distinct types of biryanis: Ambur, Bombay, Dindigul, Donne, Hyderabadi, Kashmiri, Kolkata, Awadhi, Malabar, Mughlai, Sindhi and Thalassery. The researchers tried to understand what makes the biryanis unique and how: “By comparing the cooking process for different types of biryani, we can identify common patterns and variations in the cooking methods, ingredients and techniques used. This can help us understand the unique characteristics of each biryani recipe and how they differ.” The paper titled ‘How Does India Cook Biryani’ – authors – C.V. Rishi, Farzana S., Shubham Goel, Aditya Arun and Prof. C.V. Jawahar presented at ICVGIP conference at Mandi in December 2025. “We began the research more than a year ago as we wanted to understand the differences in Indian cooking process versus, health values, nutrition and cultural variations among other things,” informed Mr. Jawahar when asked about the research.
IIIT Hyderabad’s Silicon Valley Vision
According to Prof. Sandeep Kumar Shukla, director, IIIT Hyderabad, the genesis of the institute was not just about adding seats for engineering students, but about replicating a global engine of innovation. The concept was championed by N Chandrababu Naidu, the then-chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. “During a trip to the US, Naidu realised how Stanford University acted as a prime mover for Silicon Valley, and how MIT and Harvard drove innovation in Boston,” Shukla told FE. “He wanted to create a similar ecosystem in Hyderabad – an institution that would serve as the anchor for a local tech industry.” Thus, IIIT Hyderabad was born, distinct from its government-funded counterparts. While many IIITs established later are funded by the Ministry of Education, IIIT Hyderabad remains a self-funded and self-governed entity, a status that has allowed it to craft a unique academic identity. “We are focused on computer science, IT, and all things related to computing,” Shukla said. “We have programs in VLSI, embedded systems, and cyber-physical systems. We do not go into areas like civil or mechanical engineering.”
From Interns to Innovators: IIITH’s Unique Research Journey
Cracking competitive exams is not the only way to get a foothold in a prestigious Indian engineering college. IIITH’s intern-to-MS/PhD pathway lays emphasis on proven research mettle, trust built over time (between mentor and intern) and academic alignment. November 21st 2025 is a date very close to Om Kathalkar’s heart. It was the day he successfully defended his thesis as an MS by Research student at the Signal Processing and SPCRC at IIITH. “Two international conference papers, two patents, two one-of-a-kind datasets, and two technologies have emerged from this thesis,” remarks Prof. Sachin Chaudhari, his advisor with heartfelt pride. Apart from Om’s valuable contributions to one of India’s most pressing challenges, that of scalable urban air quality monitoring, his work on the Pandora project – a multi-partner EU-funded research initiative – has earned him an on-site invite (to Greece) by Prof. K. Tserpes, Deputy Coordinator of the PANDORA project and key representative of the National Technical University of Athens.
IIITH Pioneers AI in Sleep Disorder Diagnosis
IIITH is spearheading innovations that promise faster, more accurate, and non-intrusive solutions. Prof S Bapi Raju highlighted the institute’s advancements in automatic diagnosis of sleep stages, a critical step in diagnosing conditions such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Sleep plays a vital role in physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Poor sleep has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and even mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Traditional diagnosis of sleep disorders involves labor-intensive processes like overnight polysomnography (PSG). AI, particularly deep learning (DL), is now offering a paradigm shift. Sleep is divided into NREM (N1, N2, N3) and REM stages, with disorders linked with disruptions in these stages. AI models such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) have demonstrated remarkable performance in classifying sleep stages using annotated datasets from polysomnography. This technology has resulted in an 8x increase in training efficiency.
Higher education at a point of no return: How 2025 rewired the university system
In 2025, higher education shifted from expansion to impact, with institutions now judged on graduate readiness and research relevance. This structural reinvention was driven by AI’s integration, the erosion of the degree as the sole competence marker, and a global reality demanding adaptable, outcome-driven learning. Universities are now continuous talent-development platforms, prioritizing skills and lifelong learning for relevance. Prof. Sandeep K Shukla, Director of International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad, highlights how NEP-enabled credit sharing and online education—such as IIITH’s four-semester AI and Machine Learning minor—are enabling flexible learning across institutions. At the same time, there is renewed attention on human skills like communication, empathy, resilience, and ethical thinking, leading to a stronger integration of the humanities into technical education. However, several academic leaders also caution against adopting new technologies without careful evaluation.
2025 Rewind — India’s Higher Education Reimagined
In 2025, Indian higher education marked a decisive shift toward global relevance, with universities strengthening their role as hubs of advanced research, innovation, and talent creation. Institutions increasingly focused on interdisciplinary learning, industry-linked curricula, and the integration of AI and emerging technologies to address real-world challenges. One of the most disruptive forces reshaping curriculum design today is the rapid normalisation of Generative and Agentic AI. As Prof. Sandeep K. Shukla, Director of IIIT Hyderabad, notes, when AI systems can effortlessly write essays, generate code, and answer questions, traditional content-based assessments no longer measure learning meaningfully. He emphasises the need for universities to rethink evaluation through transparent GenAI usage policies, oral examinations, and personalised assessment models. Prof. Shukla also cautions that students trained primarily in tasks easily automated by AI may face significant employability challenges.
Prof. S K Shukla: From 2025 insights to 2026 action
As 2025 draws to a close, a reflective yet forward-looking view highlights several defining technology trends for India, many overlapping with global shifts. Foremost is the steady but decelerating progress in foundational GenAI models, GPT-5, while strong, fell short of inflated expectations. At the same time, the growing availability of open-weight models, the US market shock following China’s low-cost DeepSeek breakthrough, and India’s long-awaited shift from merely deploying AI applications to building foundational models mark a significant transition. Equally important is India’s rude awakening on tech sovereignty after Microsoft suspended Nayara Energy’s Office 365 access. The incident exposed our near-total dependence on foreign technology. In the late 1980s, organisations like CMC and TRDDC pursued indigenous compilers and hardware, but the free-trade optimism of the 1990s sidelined such efforts. We abandoned semiconductors, OS and core software, exporting talent to build products sold back to us at high cost.
Prof. Sandeep K Shukla outlines the institution’s roadmap ahead
Prof. S K Shukla who took over as director of IIITH four months ago laid out his vision for the institute. Prof. Shukla said: I have identified a few areas where we can achieve significant impact. One of these is healthcare technology—particularly AI-driven healthcare solutions spanning data analytics, instrumentation, diagnostics, and wearables. A new centre, CDiTH, was established with a mandate to drive this kind of translational research. India faces an enormous healthcare challenge. For a population of over 1.5 billion, access to quality hospitals remains limited and often depends on one’s ability to pay. Second is cybersecurity, which is also my strength. In this, sovereignty will be a goal since India needs it. The government has spent a lot of money by supporting startups in this field but the results haven’t been great. The third focus area is Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI). We are in the process of finalizing a joint VLSI master’s program with the UoH, which is located next door to our campus.