UPES Professor conferred with ‘Leading Women Researcher Award’

Dr. Neelu Jyothi Ahuja, Professor at School of Computer Science, was bestowed with the ‘Leading Women Researcher Award-2022’ by Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST)

Research is the key to unlocking knowledge, and higher education thrives on research. Faculty and students at UPES have made remarkable discoveries with their expertise, hard work, dedication, and persistence, further strengthening the academic prowess of the institution. Their efforts have been recognised by academia and governments alike.

Dr. Neelu Jyothi Ahuja, Professor and Head-Department of Systemics at UPES School of Computer Science, is one such active researcher and a dominant figure in her field. She has been conferred with the ‘Leading Women Researcher Award-2022’ from Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST).

In 2010, Dr. Ahuja was awarded her Doctorate for the development of a prototype rule-based expert system for seismic data interpretation. From 2010 to 2017, she headed the Research Centre-Computing Research Institute, spearheading intra-disciplinary research and coordinating research activities. Dr. Ahuja was also among the 25 women leaders who were awarded the Second Himalayan Nari Shakti Samman-2020 under the aegis of Uttarakhand State Law Commission and Uttarakhand Human Rights Protection Centre.

She has successfully delivered several government-sponsored projects in research worth INR 2 crore, under various domains ranging from Artificial Intelligence applications such as Intelligent Tutoring Systems to technology interventions for learning disabled children.

Talking about the value of research and the importance of upskilling as an academician, Dr. Ahuja says, “Gaps in knowledge can only be filled with research. From a personal point of view, it has always been stimulating, intensely engaging, and rewarding; rewarding in terms of personal satisfaction. As an academician, I am a strong believer in constantly upskilling, updating, and enriching. Only then, does it add value to the classroom and the life of students, as well as fellow team members.”

Indeed, such scholars enhance the learning experience of students. Ardent researchers and academicians, who believe in sharing and spreading knowledge, support students towards their growth and accomplishments. Dr. Ahuja, talking about the efforts at UPES to prepare future decision-makers, says, “Encouraging students to discover their potential and excel is the way to work for us. Scaffolding them to go beyond the boundaries of a classroom and show their talent at various universities and institutes of repute, has led to them bringing over many laurels to UPES, including the field of research. Whether, it is grabbing coveted titles, prizes, placements, or highly acclaimed recognitions, students have done it all.”

She emphasises that at UPES, students get the opportunity to learn from the best. “Developing students as ethically strong, environmentally conscious, well-rounded professionals, and placing them as leaders of tomorrow, has been a norm to take forward always. Noteworthy to mention, is that some of the very high salary packages have been achieved by students of the Cyber Security and Forensics program. Bringing some of the best academic learning experiences, industry alliances, training and certifications, real-time exposure, projects, and mentoring for the students, provides them with the necessary head start,” Dr. Ahuja adds.