Dr. Jofin George on how is EERC building earthquake resilience
Combining drones, machine learning, and vernacular architecture, EERC is redefining how India approaches structural resilience. The focus is on preparedness, prevention, and preserving heritage structures. Long before algorithms, simulations, and seismic codes existed, traditional Indian architecture had already mastered resilience. Today, at the EERC at IIIT Hyderabad, researchers are revisiting that wisdom through AI, drones, computer vision, and machine learning to understand how structures survive disasters. From studying heritage buildings and earthquake-resistant vernacular homes to developing AI-based crack detection systems and open-source structural assessment tools, the centre is building a bridge between ancient engineering intuition and modern computational science. In conversation with assistant professor Dr Jofin George, CE explores how technology and traditional knowledge are redefining structural safety and earthquake resilience in India.
IIIT Hyderabad and Athenian Tech to Launch AI-Powered Cybersecurity Initiative
IIIT-H and Athenian Tech Private Limited, a leading digital risk management company specialising in AI and ML-powered cybersecurity solutions have joined hands to advance research in the realm of cybersecurity, education, and industry collaboration, with joint areas of cooperation spanning domains such as AI/ML, and digital identity protection thereby fostering innovation, strengthening cyber resilience, and creating opportunities for skill development, research, and real-world industry engagement. The two organisations have formalised their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding, bringing world-class academic expertise and cutting-edge industry capabilities under one shared framework. The MoU was signed recently by Prof. U Deva Priyakumar, Dean Research & Development, IIIT Hyderabad and Dr Kanishk Gaur, Chief Executive Officer, Athenian Tech Private Limited.
IIIT-H researchers study rising riverine heatwaves
A recent Mongabay-India report highlights the growing threat of riverine heatwaves and their impact on ecosystems, biodiversity, and water quality. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five consecutive days. Researchers from International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad contributed insights on rising river water temperatures in Indian catchments and the urgent need for interdisciplinary climate research and river restoration strategies. Rehana Shaik, head of the Hydroclimatic Research Group, noted that while short-duration temperature increases are considered heat spikes, limited river temperature data remains a major challenge in understanding riverine heatwaves in India. The group is working to address these gaps through focused hydroclimatic research.
Prof. S K Shukla shares his views on NTD
For many academic leaders, the divide within India’s higher education system is no longer subtle, it is structural. At National Technology Day (NTD) 2026, Sandeep K Shukla, Director, IIIT Hyderabad argues that India is not merely witnessing a two-tier education structure, but a deeply fragmented multi-tier system shaped by unequal funding, coaching culture, and broken school education foundations. According to Shukla, the concentration of public investment among premier institutions like IITs and NITs has widened disparities across the broader university ecosystem. At the same time, he points to the rapid expansion of private institutions that often prioritise commercial outcomes over educational quality. “The bigger problem,” he notes, “starts at the school level.” From unequal access to quality schooling to expensive private coaching ecosystems, Shukla believes India’s innovation ambitions are being constrained long before students enter universities.
IIIT-H and Hyderabad’s AI Rise
Speaking at Marking tech day – Hyderabad way, Prof. Ramesh Loganathan says: In the late 1990s, when the city was barely present on the IT map, there were proactive efforts to attract product R&D companies. Very quickly, the city became home to majors like Microsoft, Oracle, and others. That formed the grounding for an industry steeped in deep tech and product engineering, unlike cities that were centred primarily around services. Alongside this, the city has a strong tech education system and a deep research ecosystem. It has the largest number of government research labs, a leading IIT, and one of the country’s strongest AI research groups at IIIT-H, along with a globally ranked business school. IIIT-H has grown into a top-ranking research institution in the country and a leading centre for AI research in Asia. It has played a key role in providing talent to major tech companies while also co-creating emerging tech solutions through funded research projects.
IIIT-H launches 3-month certificate course on Engineering Agentic AI Systems
IIIT Hyderabad’s Division of Flexible Learning (DFL) announces the launch of its new 12-week online certificate program, “Engineering Agentic AI Systems: Agentic AI from Concepts to Practice.” The program will be delivered by Prof. Karthik Vaidhyanathan, Assistant Professor at IIIT Hyderabad and a leading researcher in the field of AI and Software Engineering. The program offers a hands-on, practice-oriented path for learners to build, test, and deploy reliable agentic AI systems grounded in real-world applications. Prof. Karthik Vaidhyanathan, course instructor, noted: “Agentic AI calls for a system-centric way of thinking where engineering matters as much as, if not more than, the models themselves. This course brings together our academic research and years of practical experience to help learners build Agentic AI systems that are reliable, scalable, sustainable, and ready for real-world deployments.”
IIIT-H’s Manthan towards a safer web
In an era where digital security is as critical as physical infrastructure, and as India’s digital ambitions accelerate at an unprecedented pace, the question is no longer whether systems are connected — but whether they are secure. At the centre of this conversation is Prof Sandeep K Shukla, Director of IIIT Hyderabad, who is steering the Cyber MANTHAN Centre, inaugurated in September 2025, towards addressing some of the country’s most pressing cyber vulnerabilities. Envisioned as a premier hub for research in cybersecurity, forensics, and trusted infrastructure, the centre brings together cutting-edge innovation while building strategic collaborations — including with law enforcement agencies like the Telangana Police to develop ‘Vyuha’-driven, future-ready solutions. With a strong focus on critical infrastructure protection, AI-led security systems, and capacity building, the centre aims to bridge the gap between research, policy, and real-world cyber defence.
IIIT-H study shows why Indians don’t fully rely on fitness apps and what that means for global tech
The fitness landscape in India has evolved over the last few decades and how. At first, there were the traditional akhadas and the vyayam shalas frequented by wrestlers. With a rise in lifestyle diseases, and a focus on preventive health, the traditional setting has since given way to the likes of crossfit boxes, specialised studios and smart gyms. And the fitness story does look familiar – smartwatches track steps, apps calculate calories, and gym-goers check their phones between sets. But beneath this digital sheen lies a quieter reality. According to the ethnographic study titled, “Everyday HCI of Adaptive Fitness: The Bricolage of Self-Tracking in Urban India”, authored by Shivam Singh, Raagav Ramakrishnan and Chetan Mahipal under the guidance of Prof. Nimmi Rangaswamy, Indians are not simply following what their fitness apps tell them. Instead, they are constantly negotiating, adjusting, and even ignoring the data.
IIIT-H & ITDA Uttarakhand sign MoU to boost Innovation, Research, and Digital Capacity
The Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIIT-H. The agreement was signed by IIIT-H Director, Dr. Sandeep Shukla and ITDA Director, Alok Pandey. Under this collaboration, experts from IIIT-H will assess the state’s IT infrastructure, conduct research, and identify gaps. Their recommendations will help improve the systems and strengthen cybersecurity. This partnership marks an important step toward enhancing innovation, research, and capacity building in the state – bringing together ITDA’s vision for digi-transformation and IIIT-H’s academic and technological expertise. The agreement was signed by Prof Sandeep Shukla, Director, IIIT-H, and Shri Alok Pandey, Director, ITDA, in the presence of IT Minister Shri Pradeep Batra, IT Secretary Shri Nitesh Jha (IAS), Shri Ashish K Upadhyay, CISA, CISSP (DGM), and other distinguished members.
IIIT-H’s smart wearables to improve golden hour safety
Accidents in high-risk industrial environments are an occupational hazard but what is disconcerting is that they often go unnoticed. A new wearable safety system developed by IIIT Hyderabad’s Centre for VLSI and Embedded Systems Technology aims to change that. In sprawling industrial landscapes like thermal power plants, oil refineries, construction sites, danger is often part of the job. Thousands of workers move through complex, high-risk environments every day, equipped with helmets, gloves, boots, and harnesses. But when something goes wrong, those protections can only go so far. What happens when no one sees the accident? That’s the problem Prof. Abhishek Srivastava and his team have set out to solve. Industrial accidents are more common than most people realize and more critically, they’re not always immediately reported. In many cases, help arrives late not because it isn’t available, but because no one knows something has gone wrong.