Dr. Manjula Sri Rayudu is a renowned academic, researcher, and administrator, currently serving as the Professor and Head of the Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering at VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad, India. With 25 years of experience, her expertise lies in Biomedical Image Processing, Embedded Systems, IoT, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning. Dr Rayudu holds a PhD in Bio-Medical Image Processing and has authored 36 research articles, guided numerous projects, and holds patents in innovative technologies. Her continuous pursuit of knowledge is evident in her recent certifications in Machine Learning, AI, and Data Analytics.

VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology

What motivated you to pursue a career in academia and take on the role of the Head of the EIE Department at VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology?

I feel proud of my teachers and professors, during my schooling and graduation, who paved the way for my academic career. They are my role models, and that passion motivated me to choose a career in academics. As head of the department, I would like to motivate all the stakeholders to be aware of the need for an Instrumentation Engineer in the era of Automation.

What is your vision for the EIE Department at VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, and how do you plan to achieve it?

Our vision is to be a Resource Centre of Academic Excellence for imparting Quality Technical Education, meeting the needs of students at National and International levels and imbibing Strong Ethical Values, to improve the Standards of Society. We provide the students with all the resources to compete globally and think ethically.

How do you ensure that the department's curriculum remains current and aligned with the latest advancements in the field of EIE?

The curriculum is updated every two years, to include the inputs from employers, Industry and Academia on the advanced trends in technology. Any advanced technology for the current batch will be offered to the students as a certification course.

In addition, students can opt for a Minor degree in data science, AI-ML and cybersecurity along with a major degree in the core engineering branch.

What measures and programs are in place to support the holistic development of students within the EIE Department, including academic, personal, and career growth?

Mentoring, Training, by Institute faculty, domain-specific training by industry experts, Guest lectures by industry experts, certification courses, coding contests, Hardware and software hackathons along with Mini, major projects, course-based projects and internships at industry and Higher level educational institutions.

How do you attract and retain experienced and qualified faculty members within the department, and what strategies are in place to ensure their professional development?

The institute is highly renowned, and the Department of Electronics and Instrumentation has its reputation as very few institutions have this branch. Practically, Faculty try to come to our institute from other institutions. Still, there are certain strategies to retain the experienced and qualified faculty-promotions, and incentives, encouragement towards research in terms of seed funding, financial support for attending conferences abroad, filing patents etc.

Check VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology Courses & Fees

What efforts has the department made to foster collaboration with the automation industry, and how do these collaborations benefit students and the department as a whole?

The department has collaborations with many industries like National Instruments, Dr.Reddys, GE, Jay Robotics Elico Ltd, ZF India, and central organizations like BHEL, NRSC, and DRDO. All these practice automation. Students are being sent there for internships/projects; and are exposed to the industrial automation practices. Most industries offer placement to the students after successful completion of an internship at their organizations.

Could you highlight recent improvements in departmental infrastructure and laboratories that have enhanced the learning experience for students?

The recent labs established in line with the technology and curriculum are the Internet of Things Laboratory-where students implement IoT-based applications, and Process Control Automation Lab-where students are trained in the automation of process stations using PLC and SCADA. National Instruments Academy, where students get CLAD certification, and computer labs and software facilities to implement Machine learning and Deep Learning applications on signals, images and text. The major projects, mini projects and Course-based projects by students in these labs are fetching placement offers and prizes at Hackathons & design competitions.

In your opinion, what are the primary challenges facing the field of EIE today, and how is the department addressing these challenges?

As the IT industry is dominating the core industries in Hyderabad, most of the students and parents are showing interest in IT jobs. Even at the time of admissions also they prefer IT-related branches. We are addressing these challenges, by making the students ready for IT as well as core jobs. We designed our curriculum to make the students well-rounded to opt into IT Core Engineering FinTech or management/entrepreneur roles.

What advice would you offer to students and aspiring professionals interested in pursuing a career in EIE?

EIE is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering, where the need for Instrumentation engineers is in every other domain of engineering-civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics and automobile. Moreover, all the branches are equally good and there is no complete product without the combination of all these branches.