Professional experience: 2 years

Research experience: 6 years  

EDUCATIONAL PROFILE:

PhD (pursuing) (2020 – present)

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Research Area: Industrial solid waste valorization

MTech in Environmental Engineering (2013 – 2015)

Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University, Karnataka / Distinction with First

Rank

BTech in Civil Engineering (2008 – 2012)

SAINTGITS College of Engineering, MG University, Kerala / First class 

COURSES HANDLED:

•        Environmental Engineering  

•        Hydrology and Water Resource Engineering

•        Design & Engineering

•        Transportation Engineering

PROJECTS/THESIS GUIDED:

•        Guided BTech students at VIT Vellore for their Capstone project titled: Chromium leaching from chrome tanned leather shavings: A sustainable approach for tannery industries.

•        Guided BTech students at Mar Baselios College of Engineering & Technology for their final year project titled: Land-use and land-cover changes of Ulloor village, Thiruvananthapuram.

•        Guided BTech students at Sarabhai Institute of Science & Technology for their final year project titled: Design of super structure of Pettah -Anayara road over bridge

•        Guided BTech students at Sarabhai Institute of Science & Technology for their final year project titled: A study on the dynamic behavior and design of elevated water tanks under seismic conditions

RESEARCH INTEREST:

•        Industrial and municipal solid waste management 

•        Waste valorization techniques

•        Sustainability and circular economy principles in engineering practices

•        Transformation of Laboratory scale prototypes to industry level  

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS:

Conference publications

•      Saira Chandy, M D Subash Chandra and T. V. Ramachandra, “Comparative

Assessment of Soil Quality in the sacred and non-sacred grove forests”, LAKE

2014: Conference on Conservation and Sustainable Management of Wetland Ecosystems in Western Ghats, 13 - 15 November, 2014.

•      E. S. Annie, K. A. Aysha, T. J. Merlin, G. C. Saira, S. Shanthakumar, “Chromium leaching from chrome tanned leather shavings – A sustainable approach in tanneries”, RECYCLE 2025, 5^th International Conference on Waste Management, IIT Guwahati, 5^th & 6^th June 2025.

Journal publications

• G. C. Saira and S. Shanthakumar, “Zero waste discharge in tannery industries –

An achievable reality? A recent review,” Journal of Environmental

Management, vol 335, Jun. 01, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117508. (IF: 8.4)

• G. C. Saira and S. Shanthakumar, “Dechroming of bioavailable chromium from chrome tanned leather shavings through hydrothermal carbonization: A study on chromium speciation, mobility and environmental behaviour”, Separation and purification technology, vol 396 part 1, 1 August 2026, doi:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137978. (IF: 9)

Patent publication

G. C. Saira and S. Shanthakumar, “Sulphuric acid assisted hydrothermal carbonization for the reduction of volume and chromium from chrome tanned leather shavings,” Indian patent - 202641004835, (Published on Jan. 18, 2026)

ACHIEVEMENTS:

•      Received First Rank in MTech Environmental Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal. 

•      Received APJ Abdul Kalam Research award for the month of February 2023 for publication in Journal of Environmental Management at VIT, Vellore

•      Received Raman Research Award for the month of April 2026 for publication in Separation & Purification Technology, at VIT, Vellore.