Suryanarayana Doolla, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was suspended as Dean (Student Affairs) on Monday amid an investigation into the death of a 20-year-old student. The Mumbai Police have registered an FIR naming Doolla and other officials following the student’s death on September 18.

The professor came under scrutiny after he was invigilating a mid-semester examination held from 11 AM to 1 PM that day. During the examination, Doolla allegedly found the student using a mobile phone and uploading the question paper to an artificial intelligence platform to seek answers. The student, who was from IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide later that day.

Who is Suryanarayana Doolla?

Suryanarayana Doolla is a professor in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay. He has also served as the institute’s Dean (Student Affairs), a position he took up in March 2023, according to information available on IIT Bombay’s official website.

Doolla’s academic work focuses on power electronics and power systems. His work includes teaching and research in the field of energy systems.

Before joining IIT Bombay, Doolla worked at Machine 2 Machine in Hyderabad from 2006 to 2008. He later joined Power Research and Development Consultants in Bengaluru in 2009.

Doolla completed his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Nagarjuna University in 2000. He then earned an MTech in Energy Systems Engineering from IIT Bombay. He completed his PhD in Power Systems from IIT Delhi in 2007.

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Suryanarayana Doolla’s roles and awards at IIT Bombay

Doolla has held several administrative positions at IIT Bombay during his academic career. His responsibilities have included student affairs, hostel management and national-level entrance examinations.

He served as the organising chairman for JEE Advanced, CEED and UCEED in 2022. He was also the warden of Hostel 6 from 2012 to 2021 and had earlier served as its associate warden in 2011.

Doolla has also received recognition for his teaching and research. His awards include the Prof S P Sukhatme Excellence in Teaching Award from IIT Bombay in September 2021 and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering in 2017.

He received the Young Faculty Award from IIT Bombay in 2009 and the Bhaskara Advanced Solar Energy Fellowship in 2017.

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FAQs

Q: Who is Suryanarayana Doolla?
Suryanarayana Doolla is a professor in IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering. His academic work focuses on power electronics and power systems.

Q: Why was Suryanarayana Doolla suspended?
IIT Bombay suspended Doolla from his deanship amid an investigation into the death of a student who died by suicide on September 18.