Professor,
Department of Chemistry


CoRAS is a research laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus dedicated to carrying out cutting edge research and development in the field of dynamics and control of robotic and aerospace systems. This laboratory is a space where faculty members, research scholars, post-graduate as well under-graduate students come together work in unison to develop advanced robotic systems for ground, aerial and space applications. This lab is also aimed at supporting undergraduate students in their project and research work in the field of Robotics, Control and Drone Systems.
Faculty and students from various disciplines like Electrical and Electronics, Mechanical, Computer Science & Information Systems, etc. are associated with this lab fostering a coherant inter-disciplinary research framework where equal importance is given towards path-breaking research as well as supporting deep-tech ventures.
Click here to visit the lab website: https://sites.google.com/hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in/coraslab
My research work involves novel drug target identification and development of lead molecules using computational approaches for complex genetic disorders in humans, with a special focus on neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer's, dementia and schizophrenia. These disorders are responsible for significant global disease burden compounded by various factors like increasingly longer lifespans, social stigma, lack of awareness and access to adequate specialised support structures and therapy. Treatment remains largely symptomatic, and disease modifying therapies which delay or halt progression are the need of the hour. A key aspect to developing such therapeutics is finding novel drug targets for these disorders through identification of potentially novel mechanisms and pathways which may have a direct or indirect role in the pathophysiology of these diseases. These genes can then be assessed for their suitability as drug targets, and a three-pronged computational drug discovery approach can be then utilised to design and/or discover novel lead molecules targeting them. This approach can also be supplemented with repurposing of drugs approved for related conditions and/or targets.
Interested PhD aspirants or UG/PG students looking for internship with an interest in this area may contact through appropriate communication channels.
Research Interest: Decision Science, Machine Learning, Game Theory, Computational Model, Data Visualization

PhD Thesis (as Supervisor)
PhD Thesis (as Co-Supervisor)
M.E. Thesis (as Supervisor)
M.E. Thesis (as Co-Supervisor)
MBA Thesis (as Supervisor)
Research Area
Manufacturing, Materials and Metallurgy:
Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Management:
Ongoing PhD Students
Haseeba Neyyan, Federated Learning for Enhancing Privacy and Robustness for Detecting and Severity Assessment of Plant Disease, 2024-till date. (Supervisor: Prof. Pranav M Pawar, Cosupervisor: Prof. Mithun Mukherjee)
Completed PhD Students

Prathum Pathak
PhD Scholar (Institute Fellowship)
Prathum joined the group as the first PhD student in January 2026. He completed an integrated B.Tech-M.Tech program in Biotechnology from Amity University, Noida, where he developed a strong foundation in molecular biology, genetics, and plant sciences. His current research focuses on understanding how light signaling interacts with developmental plasticity through gene regulatory networks in plants.
Email: p20250443@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in
Sakshi Kiran Bandekar
As Supervisor:
Manu Sharma (2021PHXF0475P), Preparation of coaxially electrospun composite nanofibers for filtration of lead and fluoride-infested groundwater, Project Sponsored (SERB, SRG), Ongoing.
Ankit Pal (2022PHXF0408P), Effect of blended composite hollow fibers in membrane bioreactor for treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater, Project Sponsored (Gujarat Fluorochemicals Pvt. Ltd.), Ongoing. (Co-Supervisor: Prof. Banasri Roy)
Prapti Bansal (2023PHXF0011P), Investigating the influence of doping on metal-organic framework (MOF) based catalysts for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), Project Sponsored (Lightatom Electrolyzer Pvt. Ltd.), Ongoing. (Co-Supervisor: Prof. Surojit Pande)
As Co-Supervisor:
C. Enoch Iraianbu (2023PHXF0013P), Conversion of agricultural residues to value-added materials and chemicals, Institute-sponsored, Ongoing. (Supervisor: Prof. Banasri Roy)
Arindam Koley (134754), Design and evaluation of topical dosage form for the accelerated healing of diabetic wound, Institute-sponsored (NIMS University, Jaipur), Ongoing. (Supervisor: Prof. Ravindra Pal Singh, Principal, NIMS University, Jaipur)

https://pragyaai.github.io/
(1) Mr. Vikash Kumar (Jointly with Dr. Vinod Kumar Bussa, Assistant Professor, Dept. of EE, IIT Patna)
Tentative Title: Advanced Robust Control Design with Guaranteed Stability for High-Performance Maximum Power Point Tracking in Solar Photovoltaic Systems
(2) Mr. Balaji Jatoth
Tentative Topic: Advanced Robust Control Design For Electric Vehicle Charging Applications
(3) Mr. Abhishek Pandey
Tentative Topic: Robust Sensorless Control Synthesis and Stability Analysis for Power Factor Correction Converters
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