Introduction

Prof. Reddy did his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the (Govt) University College of Engineering, Hyderabad, India in 1995. After his BE, he worked as a faculty in Electrical Engineering, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. After his ME & Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science (respectively in July 2005 and Jan 2008), Prof. Reddy joined, J-Power Systems Corporation, Hitachi, Japan, a joint venture company of Hitachi Cables Ltd. and Sumitomo Electric Company, and served as a Senior R&D Engineer in its Ultra High Voltage (UHV) research lab till 2011. He contributed to the design of the world's first nanocomposite HVDC power cable during this time (250 kV, between Hokkaido and Honshu). Currently, he is working as a Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar since 2011) and is the Dean of International Relations and Alumni Affairs. He is an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation. He is a member of IEC, member of the Bureau of Indian Standards committee on Dielectrics, member of the Board of Studies of several universities in India. Prof. Reddy participated in academic-industry collaborative research in Japan with several universities of Japan (Toyohashi University; Waseda University; Tokyo City University; Numazu Institute of Technology, etc.). He also participated in the deliberations of the technical standards committee on Space Charge Measurements in dielectric materials. Prof. Reddy has published papers in reputed journals and conferences (IEEE/IET/IEEJ), in the fields of Nano-dielectrics, Power Cables (HVDC/AC), Power Transformers, Bushings; Mechanism of Breakdown, Space Charges, and Conduction in dielectric materials. He has guided six Ph.D. students to their defense and currently guiding ten Ph.D. students apart from several master's and bachelor students. He had authored a book on “Reliability and Life Estimation of Power Equipment”, with New Age International Publishers. He is working/worked on several projects with private industries like Reliance, Adani, KEI Industries, APAR Industries, Raychem Polymers etc. apart from public industries such as CPWD, CPRI, etc. He has been the Organizing Chair of (IEEE) CATCON 2017, General Chair of IEEE ICIIS 2018 and 2020, General Co-Chair of IEEE ICIIS 2017, 2019 and TPC Chair of CATCON 2020, and International Advisory Member of ISEIM since 2011, being held in Japan. Prof. Reddy has also contributed to the making of the institute by leading on several fronts including technical and non-technical fronts. Starting with faculty-in-charge of the guesthouse, faculty-in-charge of industrial relations, placement cell coordinator, the toughest administrative position "Associate Dean of Student Affairs", with independent charge, and Dean of International Relations and Alumni Affairs. His student affairs deanship tenure saw growth of students from 600 to 2600, shifting campus, a phenomenal increase in student activities, largest student festivals in north India, apart from natural calamities like a flood in the campus and the Covid pandemic - all requiring huge time and energy, resulting in a double rate of aging personally.