Tech Needs To Be Used For Real-World Problem Solving: IIT-Dhanbad Director | Interview – News18

Last Updated:April 01, 2025, 14:02 IST

IIT-Dhanbad director, Professor Sukumar Mishra, and its BoG chairperson, Prof Prem Vrat, spoke to News18 on how the institute’s “real-world problem-solving” and experiments in applying AI and IoT to the age-old concepts of mining engineering helped it reach the top among such institutions.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Dhanbad will be 100 years old next year. The institute, with a legacy of a century, bagged the top spot in the QS World University Rankings by Subject – 2025 in India and ranked 20th globally in ‘engineering – minerals and mining’, making it the country’s highest performing subject area. Established in December 1926, formerly known as the Indian School of Mines (ISM)-Dhanbad, the institute was converted into an IIT in 2016.

The institute’s director, Professor Sukumar Mishra, and its Board of Governors (BoG) chairperson, Prof Prem Vrat, spoke to News18 on how the institute’s “real-world problem-solving” and experiments in applying new technological domains like AI and IoT to the age-old concepts of mining engineering helped it reach the top among such institutions. They also spoke of the challenges involved in mining and the solutions being developed by the institute to tackle these, such as “predictor models” to reduce risks involved and prevent miners from being trapped, improving extraction of critical minerals like lithium and how having a “blend of enabling and core technologies” can help students to become future-ready.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. What do you think made IIT-Dhanbad bag the top spot in the QS World University Rankings by subject 2025?

A. QS rankings have different parameters with the most important one being perception, followed by research and then funding, both government and private. This is mainly because of our exceptional research in the mineral and mining domain. We have been solving actual real-world industry problems. For example, if you say IoT in mining, which is a new domain, and when used in the field of mining, we are pioneers in it. IoT is used for the purpose of automation, it helps sense certain real-world parameters, which are then processed using different algorithms, maybe AI will play a big role in it now, and, in fact, recently we have received one major project funding dedicatedly for AI in mining. Here, both the IoT information and AI algorithm will be clubbed together to do something crucial in the mining domain — help automate and improve safety standards in mining operations, produce more out of the mining material as well as curb pilferage of these materials.

Q. Could you elaborate on how AI and IoT can help address the challenges involved in mining?

A. There is no mechanism developed until now that can weigh the exact amount of the material dug out of the mine and that which is sent out for processing. There has always been a mismatch, which is one of the major challenges in mining. New technology such as AI and IoT can play a big role in achieving that mechanism to some degree. Another major challenge is the safety of the miners and reducing the risk involved, which too we hope to improve with tech. This is being explored and our faculty and scholars are doing research on these aspects. In addition, improving the extraction of material from the mines is an area, which can be improved upon by developing technology for it. The government is focusing on improving the extraction of critical minerals such as lithium, EV batteries and cobalt, among others.

Q. Is there a technology being developed to help prevent incidents of miners being trapped inside?

A. There are two types of mines – opencast and underground. The rat-hole miners in the recent cases that took place were stuck in an underground mine. Prevention is the only way. Currently, we do not have such sophistication of safety measures to save miners once they are trapped already unless for sending people inside to rescue them. Suppose, if it could be predicted that soil is going to fall and that the miners be vacated. We are working on some predictor models like these, which can actually predict any falling of earth and send an immediate warning for evacuation. Again, AI and IoT will play a big role in developing such systems.

Q. Currently, when most students planning to pursue engineering opt for computer science, is there a demand for studying concepts in mining?

A. It is true that most BTech students want to pursue computer science and we have 17 departments offering different disciplines. Yet, at IIT-Dhanbad since it has a legacy in mining, there are increasing takers for the subject. Currently, we have 120 seats for mining alone for the BTech programme, which will be reduced to 90 seats from the 2025-26 session while these 30 will be added to another new programme on offer. We are adding these 30 seats from the pure mining discipline to a dual degree programme to be offered from July 2025, where 60 seats will be offered in a combined programme by IIT-Dhanbad in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Mumbai. It will be a dual-degree programme where those enrolling in it will get both a BTech and an MBA degree. They will study for three and a half years at IIT-Dhanbad and the rest of the one and a half years at IIM-Mumbai. In mining, studying the concepts of logistics and supply chain management are crucial since it involves huge transportation. We are expecting a good number of takers for this programme since it offers both programmes into one.

Q. What do you have to say about the government’s recent budget announcement on the expansion of seats in newer IITs?

A. So, it is rightly suggested for the newer IITs where the current intake is not as much as it should be and such so that in the end, almost every IIT has a comparable intake. Ultimately, we need to create a large number of quality institutions whether we call them IIT or not, they need to be IIT-like institutions in terms of quality, outstanding faculty, high employability and focus on academic excellence. IITs can mentor these institutions. Most of the older IITs are saturated in terms of intake, and physical space. Within the resource constraints, we should try to expand without compromising quality. Besides, the virtual mode of classes could be a good supplementing mode since in engineering it cannot be 100% virtual. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 anyways envisages that 40% of the teaching could be done online.

Q. Government data shared in the Parliament showed a major slump in placements across IITs between 2021-22 and 2023. Experts also say that the emergence of AI has contributed to this trend. What do you think about this scenario and the way forward?

A. The job market is evolving. AI is a game-changer. When a major technological development takes place, there is a marginal disturbance or disruption that occurs. Eventually, this will settle down. With changing dynamics, partly because of the nature of business, which is changing across and at times because of the geo-political conflicts, there is some disruption. The nature of jobs will change. Therefore, we have to prepare students for jobs that will exist in the future. For example, in mining at IIT-Dhanbad, this concept of virtual reality or a digital twin is being used where an entire mine is available in the virtual mode. One can conduct experiments through this mode where it enables one to experiment without disturbing the reality of that place. In addition, from this lab itself, one can control certain parameters in the actual mine. We recently have a project worth around Rs 69 crores from Coal India to implement several things from the IoT domain in real-world settings. At Dhanbad mining, geophysics, petroleum and earth sciences disciplines are doing well where most students get placed in the public sector since most of these resources are under the government. There is a shift in the kind of profiles that are being picked by recruiters. For example, previously, the profile could be in one domain, now firms want to know if students are well-versed in AI-related software or data analytics as well. AI-ML or data science are enabling technologies, which have the potential of intensifying the impact of core technologies. Therefore, it is a blend of both enabling and core technology, which students are required to have in the current times. It is not ‘either or’, there is no contradiction in it. Enabling technology needs to be embedded in core technology. This is sustainable and the way forward.