Meet The Mentors

Dr. Reshma Gummadi is an experienced Associate Professor in Information Technology at Prasad V. Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology, Vijayawada, with nearly 20 years of teaching, research, and academic administration experience, holding a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from Acharya Nagarjuna University. She has strong expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science, and has made significant contributions through research publications, patents, books, and funded projects while actively participating in curriculum development, accreditation, and student mentoring. She has received notable recognitions such as the Young Researcher Award and Best Performing Educator, and frequently serves as a resource person at national and international events. Her research profile includes 15 publications indexed in SCI, Scopus, and Springer AISC, with 119 citations and an H-index of 4, focusing on applications of AI and ML in healthcare, finance, and smart systems, demonstrating both strong academic impact and practical relevance.

Gayathri Gunarathna is an experienced Lecturer in Computing and ICT Teacher from Sri Lanka with strong academic and technical expertise in computing, software engineering, programming, web development, and database systems. She currently serves as a Lecturer in Computing/IT at Londontec City Campus, where she delivers IT modules, prepares teaching materials, guides students in programming and web technologies, and supports academic progress. She has also worked as a Senior ICT Teacher and Web Developer, gaining practical experience in teaching, curriculum delivery, software development, system maintenance, and technical troubleshooting. She holds UK qualifications including an MSc in Computing from Wrexham Glyndŵr University and a BSc (Hons) in Software Engineering from Kingston University. Her research interests include Artificial Intelligence, digitalisation in education, emerging computing technologies, and digital forensics.

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Mr. Dushyant Tiwari is a distinguished graduate of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. He founded Scripta Lex Law Firm and established an independent legal practice, representing clients before the Supreme Court of India, the Allahabad High Court, the Delhi High Court, and several tribunals, including the NCLT, NCLAT, and consumer forums in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
As an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court of India, Mr. Tiwari has gained extensive experience in handling complex legal matters in Criminal Law, Family Law, Arbitration, Constitutional Law, Consumer Law, Commercial Law, and Insolvency and Bankruptcy (IBC). He serves as a panel counsel for the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and has been appointed as Amicus Curiae in various cases before the NCDRC.
Mr. Tiwari is an active member of both the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Delhi High Court Bar Association. With a reputation for excellence, he is dedicated to delivering expert legal solutions and achieving the best possible outcomes for his clients.

I am Saurav Singh, a results-driven Consultant and Mentor with over 3 years of experience in innovation-based education, mentoring, and public policy. I have served as a Regional Mentor of Change under Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, where I guided over 50 Atal Tinkering Labs and mentored more than 3000 students in innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurship projects across Bihar and Jharkhand.

With a strong background in technology, education strategy, and social innovation, I have contributed to the development of innovation ecosystems and policy research. I am passionate about driving data-driven program management and am eager to contribute to Wadhwani Foundation’s mission of fostering innovation and employability.

I am currently focusing on UPSC preparation with a special interest in public policy and governance, while continuing my work as an independent consultant in education and innovation projects.

Dr. Janmejoy Gupta is an Architect-Urban Planner with 21 years of industrial and teaching experience. He is presently Professor in the Department of Architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, India, and formerly served as Dean, Research. His research areas include passive design strategies for thermal comfort in dwellings, energy efficiency in buildings, indoor environmental quality, and sustainability in urban planning. He has authored more than 20 international journal publications and several book chapters, including SCOPUS, Web of Science, and ESCI-indexed publications. He is also a reviewer for journals including Environmental Progress by Wiley Publications and has authored a book on Housing, Climate and Comfort. He has been involved in institutional consultancy and research projects, including a MoHUA, GoI-funded AMRUT-CUPCB-SPAV research project on energy efficiency considerations in zoning regulations. He is an Indian Green Building Council Accredited Professional since 2010.

A motivated, detail-oriented Data Science enthusiast with hands-on experience building and deploying machine learning and NLP solutions. Proficient in Python, data preprocessing, and model optimization, with a focus on turning complex data into actionable insights. Experienced in creating interactive Streamlit dashboards to showcase AI applications clearly and effectively. Currently seeking an internship or entry-level role in Data Science or AI Engineering to contribute analytical thinking, creative problem-solving, and strong collaboration skills in an innovation-driven team.

Dr. Debashree De is a seasoned scientific writer (Ex-novartis) with 15 years of research experience. She received her Ph.D. Degree in Structural Biology and Biochemistry from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in 2012 and earned her postdoctoral from Centro di Rierca E. Menni, Fondazione Poliambulanza- Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy. She worked as a Scientific Research Writer and Lead Development Manager for BrainAura, a startup company based out of India and the UK and also as a senior scientific writer in novartis. She has 15 Years of Experience in the field of peptide biochemistry. Her area of expertise includes: Structural biology and biochemistry, Scientific writing, Real World Evidence. She is the author of 14 publications (manuscripts, reviews, book chapters) with one of her review article on her research being the focus of a news article . She is also the member of prestigious peptide societies, reviewer of journal PlosOne as well as the recipient of CSIR and ICMR senior fellowships. She has successfully optimized methodologies for the study of amyloid beta aggregate destabilization on Surface Plasmon Resonance (published).

Thomas J. Webster’s (H index: 129; Google Scholar) degrees are in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh (B.S., 1995; USA) and in biomedical engineering from RPI (Ph.D., 2000; USA). He has served as a professor at Purdue (2000-2005), Brown (2005-2012), and Northeastern (2012-2021; serving as Chemical Engineering Department Chair from 2012 – 2019) Universities and has formed over a dozen companies who have numerous FDA approved medical products currently improving human health in over 20,000 patients. His technology is also being used in commercial products to improve sustainability and renewable energy. He is currently helping those companies and serves as a professor at Brown University, Saveetha University, Vellore Institute of Technology, UFPI, and others. Dr. Webster has numerous awards including: 2020, World Top 2% Scientist by Citations (PLOS); 2020, SCOPUS Highly Cited Research (Top 1% Materials Science and Mixed Fields); 2021, Clarivate Top 0.1% Most Influential Researchers (Pharmacology and Toxicology); 2022, Best Materials Science Scientist by Citations (Research.com); and is a fellow of over 8 societies. Prof. Webster and his team have over 1,350 publications with over 55,000 citations. He is a recent Nobel Prize in Chemistry Nominee.

Dr. Atul Vashist is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Allied Sciences (SEAS), Bennett University (Times of India Group), Greater Noida, India. He is the former Principal Scientist in the Department of Infection and Immunology, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, India. He received his Ph.D. Degree in Biotechnology from National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, Agra and earned his postdoctoral from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Cornell University, Ithaca, USA. He has more than 15 years of research and teaching experience for conducting laboratory sessions in Microbial Genetics, Molecular Biology and Recombinant DNA Technology. His Area of Expertise include infectious diseases, molecular biology, protein chemistry, mycobacteriology, nuclear medicine, hydrogel technology. To date, he is the author of 20 research articles published in peer reviewed international Journals and authored Five Book Chapters etc.

Dr. Aqsa is an Assistant Professor and researcher with over a decade of professional experience in academia and research, specializing in Criminal Law. She has supervised 40 undergraduate theses and served as a project coordinator for the ‘Standardized Module for Legal Awareness Program,’ a project undertaken by Jamia Millia Islamia in collaboration with the National Commission for Women in 2014. She has published six papers in reputed law journals and has presented numerous papers at national seminars and conferences on legal issues. She was honored with the Best Paper Presentation award in the field of Victimology. In addition to her research, she is actively involved in delivering guest lectures, judging moot court competitions, and serving as a resource person for workshops on legal issues at national forums.