Dr. Riya Bhowmik is presently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu. She also serves as Associate (Dean), Outreach and Skill Development Programs at IIT Jammu since April 2021. Prior to joining IIT Jammu, she was a Research Fellow and Early-Doc Fellow in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. She has obtained her Ph.D. in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering from IIT Delhi in November 2019. She has completed her Masters’ from CSIR-Central Building Research Institute while working as a Trainee Scientist.
Dr. Bhowmik has acquired wide experience working in industry-sponsored projects on reinforced earth walls, slopes, and landfills. Her current research goal is to investigate the effectiveness of geosynthetics-based solutions to the problems faced by mountainous infrastructure. She is presently working on three sponsored research projects (cumulative funds acquired ~ 10 million INR) on the same.
During her Ph.D., Dr. Bhowmik has developed an inclined pullout device and filed a patent for its design and test methodology. She has published peer-reviewed papers in leading journals like Geotextiles and Geomembranes, Geosynthetics International, ASCE International Journal of Geomechanics, among others. She has also published book monographs and articles in reputed international and national conferences, co-authored with her doctoral and Masters' students at IIT Jammu.
She was awarded the 'Distinction in Doctoral Research for the year 2019' by IIT Delhi. She has also won the prestigious ‘Indian Geotechnical Society-Mr. H.C. Verma Diamond Jubilee Award–2019 for Innovative Instrument Design’, 'International Geosynthetics Society - Student Paper Award', and ‘IGS- Young Geotechnical Engineer Best Paper Award on Retaining Structures’. She has bagged multiple International Travel Grant awards from agencies like DST, CSIR, and IUSSTF.