Sudhindra Nath Panda, Ph.D., F.EWRI, F.ASCE, who is recognized for distinguished contributions to water resources engineering, education, research, and institutional leadership, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Panda’s professional service spans more than four decades. He began his academic career in 1983 as an assistant research engineer with the Kandi Watershed and Area Development Research Project at Punjab Agricultural University, where he contributed to the planning and construction of small earthen dams aimed at watershed development and sustainable water management.
Over time, he has served India’s premier institutions in a wide range of leadership and academic roles, including vice chancellor, director, dean, founder head, professor-in-charge (Water Works), research team leader, and distinguished professor at IIT Kharagpur. A landmark achievement of his career was the establishment of the School of Water Resources at IIT Kharagpur, which he founded and led as its first head, creating a nationally and internationally recognized center for interdisciplinary education and research in water sciences.
Panda’s research has made significant contributions to integrated land and water resources systems planning and management, particularly in developing policy frameworks for optimal land and water allocation under hydrological uncertainty in India’s coastal regions of Odisha and the semi-arid regions of Punjab and Haryana. He has also played a pivotal role in advancing rainwater conservation and reuse strategies for climate-resilient rainfed agriculture, with field-level impacts that have improved livelihoods of rainfed farmers in West Bengal through close collaboration with nongovernmental organizations.
His international academic engagement includes service as a visiting researcher and professor at the Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan, strengthening global exchange of knowledge in water resources engineering. Panda has been instrumental in internationalizing Indian institutions, fostering interdisciplinary research collaborations with universities and research organizations in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the United States.
A committed leader within the profession, Panda has served in numerous capacities as an advisor, chairperson, organizer, and member of councils, governing bodies, and selection committees in academic and scientific organizations at national and international levels. His sustained service to ASCE, particularly through the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI), has been influential and global in impact. His election as a fellow of EWRI-ASCE in 2025, followed by his election as a fellow of ASCE in 2026, reflects his standing among the world’s leading water resources engineers and his enduring contributions to the advancement of sustainable and resilient water resources management.
