Gali Madhavi Latha
Gali Madhavi Latha | |
|---|---|
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | IIT Madras |
| Academic work | |
| Sub-discipline | geotechnical engineering, civil engineering |
| Institutions | Indian Institute of Science |
Gali Madhavi Latha is an Indian academic and researcher in the field of geotechnical engineering. She is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and chair of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Her research is focused on various subfields of geotechnical engineering, including soil reinforcement, geosynthetics, and rock mechanics. She contributed to the construction of Chenab Rail Bridge, the highest rail bridge in the world.
Early life and education
[edit]Latha earned her Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree in Civil Engineering in 1992 from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada, graduating with first class and distinction.[1][2] She went on to obtain her Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Geotechnical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, where she received a gold medal for academic excellence. She completed her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the IIT Madras in 2000.[3]
Academic career
[edit]Following her doctoral studies, Latha conducted postdoctoral research at the Indian Institute of Science from 2002 to 2003. She subsequently served as an assistant professor at IIT Guwahati from 2003 to 2004. In 2004, she joined the Indian Institute of Science as a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering.[4]
At IISc, she served at various academic positions and become a professor. Over the years, she has supervised numerous graduate students and contributed to geotechnical engineering education and research in India.[4]
Research
[edit]Latha's research primarily focuses on the mechanics of soil and ground reinforcement. Her work has included experimental and analytical investigations of soil-reinforcement interaction, especially the frictional behavior at sand-geosynthetic interfaces. She has applied image-based techniques to analyze micro-topographical surface changes in geosynthetics under shear and to correlate these changes with stress-displacement behavior.[5]
She has also worked on geocell-reinforced soils, conducting model tests on foundations, retaining walls, and slopes. Her research covers cyclic load response of geosynthetic-reinforced aggregates used in road construction and the seismic behavior of various types of retaining structures through shaking table studies.[5]
In rock engineering, her interests include the numerical modeling of jointed rock masses, the stability of rock slopes, and rock slope reinforcement strategies.[5]
Role in Chenab bridge project
[edit]Latha played an advisory role in the construction of the Chenab Rail Bridge, a infrastructure project located in the Himalayas. Given the region's complex geology, weather extremes, and inaccessibility, her team employed a "design-as-you-go" strategy, adapting to in-situ geological variations such as fractured rock formations and hidden cavities. Her contributions included the design and placement of rock anchors to enhance structural stability, enabling safe construction in highly variable rock mass conditions.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Shwenk, Martin; Murthy, Narayana; Poonawalla, Adar; Jain, Manu; Kamath, Nitin (2025-06-07). "Meet Dr Madhavi Latha, the IISc professor who dedicated 17 years for the Chenab Bridge". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ "Prof. Madhavi Latha Gali". IGS. 1971-09-02. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Explainers, FP (2025-06-07). "Who is Madhavi Latha, IISc professor who spent 17 years helping build J&K's Chenab Bridge?". Firstpost. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b "Indian Institute of Science". Indian Institute of Science. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b c Latha, Dr. Gali Madhavi. "Faculty". Civil Engineering. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ "Who is Madhavi Latha? Meet the IISc professor behind the world's tallest Chenab Bridge in Kashmir". Hindustan Times. 2025-06-07. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
External links
[edit]- Gali Madhavi Latha publications indexed by Google Scholar