Dr. Varinder S. Kanwar, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh, India,  obtained his Masters in structural engineering and his Ph.D  in civil engineering from Thapar University, Patiala. He also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development from IGNOU, New Delhi. Dr. Kanwar carries more than 22 years of research, training and administrative experience having previously worked at NIT Hamirpur, Government Polytechnic Hamirpur, Thapar University, Patiala and Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. He is an active member of various professional societies, including ASCE, Indian Concrete Institute, Institution of Engineers (India) and Punjab Science Congress. He is a Fellow of Institution of Engineers (India). His major research areas include health monitoring of structures and alternate construction materials. He has authored 3 books on Water Supply Engineering, Health Monitoring of Structures & Modern Temples of Resurgent India - Engineering Pilgrimage to Bhakra, Beas and Ranjit Sagar Dams; published 16 journal articles and 20 research papers in conference proceedings and edited 10 conference proceedings. He is also actively involved in joint research activities carried out by Chitkara University, Glasgow Caledonian University, ESTP Paris, Edith Cowan University and Federal University Australia. He was awarded by the Institution of Engineers (India) with the E.P. Nicolaides Prize. He has also been awarded with ‘Excellent Contribution in Education Sector’ by CMAI Association of India in 2017. His present assignment involves a close interaction with Department of Higher Education, Government of Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, University Grants Commission, AIU and other regulatory agencies.

Dr Sanjay Kumar Shukla is an internationally recognized expert in the field of Civil (Geotechnical) Engineering. He is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of International Journal ofGeosynthetics and Ground Engineering. He is also the Founding Research Group Leader (Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering) at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia. He holds the distinguished professorship in Civil Engineering at four international universities, including  Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji. He graduated in Civil Engineering from BIT Sindri, India, and earned his MTech in Civil Engineering (Engineering Geology) and PhD in Civil (Geotechnical) Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. His primary areas of research interest include geosynthetics and fibres for sustainable developments, ground improvement techniques, utilization of wastes in construction, earth pressure and slope stability, environmental, mining and pavement geotechnics, and soil-structure interaction. He is an author/editor of 12 books, and more than 235 research papers, including over 145 peer-reviewed journal papers. Dr. Shukla’s generalized expression for seismic active thrust (2015) and generalized expression for seismic passive resistance (2013) are routinely used by practicing engineers worldwide for designing the retaining structures. He has been honored with several awards, including the most prestigious IGS Award 2018 by the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), USA, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development and use of geosynthetics during the 2014-2017 award period. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, Institution of Engineers (India) and Indian Geotechnical Society, and a member of American Society of Civil Engineers, International Geosynthetics Society and several other professional bodies. He is the Senior Editor of Cogent Engineering (Civil and Environmental Engineering), and serves on the editorial boards of many international journals, including ICE Ground Improvement, Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, and Journal of Mountain Science.