Odisha Researcher Dr. Surabhi Jain Bags Prestigious INSPIRE Fellowship for Groundbreaking Work in Sustainable Engineering

Bhubaneswar: Dr. Surabhi Jain, a researcher from Odisha, has been selected for the prestigious INSPIRE Fellowship under the 2024 cycle by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

The fellowship, which supports promising researchers with a five-year grant, is one of the most competitive recognitions in the country aimed at fostering innovation in science and engineering.

Out of 36 fellows selected across India in the engineering stream, only six are from Civil Engineering—and Dr. Jain stands out as one of them.

An alumna of NIT Rourkela and IIT Madras, she has pursued postdoctoral research at GTIIT, China, and IIT Dhanbad. She was also the only Indian woman selected for the PECFAR Fellowship in 2022, through which she collaborated with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany.

Dr. Jain’s research is rooted in sustainable engineering, with a focus on transforming industrial waste—including mining tailings—into environmentally friendly construction materials. She holds a patent on green building products made from industrial by-products and is actively translating research into practice through her startup, Ecosustain Forums, which promotes waste-to-wealth innovations.

In addition to her scientific contributions, Dr. Jain plays a key role in environmental advocacy as the Joint Secretary of the Orissa Environmental Society, one of the state’s oldest environmental organizations.

With the support of the INSPIRE Fellowship, Dr. Jain aims to further her work in sustainable infrastructure and climate-resilient development, aligning with India’s environmental and sustainability goals.