A Ph.D. from IIT (BHU), Gold Medalist, Best Research Award recipient, and innovator of a patented sustainable brick, HoD Civil Engineering Dr. Chayan Gupta provides dynamic leadership while inspiring students toward nation-building through applied knowledge.

Dr. Chayan Gupta is serving as an Associate Professor and Head of the Department in the Civil Engineering Department at Medicaps University, Indore.

With a strong academic and professional background in Civil Engineering, he consistently dedicates his time not only to academic responsibilities but also to meaningful student and faculty interactions. As a Head of Department, he remains actively involved in curriculum development, design implementation, academic planning, and mentoring.

His constant aim is to motivate students, prepare them for nation building, and introduce them to emerging and practical techniques in the field of civil engineering so that they become responsible contributors to society.

Dr. Chayan Gupta's field of work is Civil Engineering. Within the civil engineering profession, he has particularly specialized in Geotechnical Engineering, which is related to soil or what we call Soil Engineering. In this field, his work focuses on soil behavior, soil fundamentals, and ground improvement techniques. Specifically, his work on understanding how soil behaves, how it can be improved, and how a structure can be safely constructed on a particular type of soil. This area forms the core of his profession and academic work.

His research vision is rooted in the belief that a civil engineer must not remain limited to theoretical or bookish knowledge, as civil engineering is fundamentally based on practical application. He strongly advocates that engineers should adopt a practical, field-oriented approach and work toward sustainable infrastructure development for nation building.

HoD Civil Engineering Dr. Chayan Gupta belongs to Bagli, a small town in the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh. He completed his schooling in a government school in Hindi medium and comes from a farmer family background. His early life remained deeply connected with soil and agriculture. Growing up in a region dominated by black cotton soil, he observed a practical challenge: while this soil is considered fertile and valuable from a farmer’s perspective, it creates structural problems such as cracks and damage in buildings and roads. This curiosity about soil behavior and the science behind solving such real-life challenges inspired him to pursue engineering.

He completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from a private institution in Ujjain. Transitioning from a Hindi-medium rural background into an English-medium technical education environment was challenging, yet he accepted it with determination. Through discipline, consistency, and persistent effort, he overcame the language barrier and completed his degree with distinction without any backlogs, which he considers a matter of pride.

With a strong desire to address real-life problems in his native region, he prepared for GATE and secured an All India Rank around 3000. This achievement gave him the opportunity to pursue his M.Tech in Geotechnical Engineering from NIT Hamirpur. During his master’s research, he transported nearly 200–300 kilograms of soil from his hometown to the institute located in the hills and conducted extensive research on it. He worked on sustainable combinations of soil with waste materials to develop improved and eco-friendly construction solutions. His research resulted in multiple publications, conference presentations, and recognitions.

Continuing his academic journey, he pursued his Ph.D. from IIT (BHU), further strengthening his research in sustainable infrastructure and soil engineering. His work has consistently focused on developing innovative, sustainable construction materials and ground improvement techniques.

During his Ph.D., he had the opportunity to work at CSIR-AMPRI, Bhopal, under the guidance of a principal scientist. There, he worked on utilizing zinc waste material from a civil engineering perspective and contributed to the development of a sustainable brick. This innovation was patented by the Indian Patent Office, and for this research contribution, he was awarded a Gold Medal and recognized with the Best Researcher Award at IIT (BHU). He believes that limited resources and challenges should never become excuses if one is consistent and clear in purpose.

In the Rigveda, which is one of our ancient Vedas, there is a Vedic mantra: ‘चरेवेति चरेवेति.’ Its meaning is ‘keep moving forward, do not stop.

This Vedic mantra, “चरेवेति चरेवेति,” serves as a guiding philosophy in his life. He believes that continuous movement and consistent progress are the keys to success. Just as flowing water remains pure while stagnant water becomes impure, an individual must keep moving forward without stopping. Consistency, discipline, and clarity of intention are, according to him, the real foundations of long-term success.

Medicaps University Civil Engineering HoD Dr. Chayan Gupta emphasizes that early career challenges arising from rural background or language barriers should not discourage anyone. Through sustained discipline and focus, he progressed from a Hindi-medium school to earning a Ph.D. from one of the country’s premier institutions. His journey reflects the idea that obstacles transform into stepping stones when approached with determination.

For the youth, his message is clear: one should never complain about a lack of resources. Whatever resources are available are sufficient if utilized wisely. India, according to him, is progressing toward becoming a developed nation and holds immense potential. He encourages the youth to focus on society-oriented research, sustainable development, and effective utilization of local resources. He advocates the philosophy of waste-to-wealth and emphasizes strengthening indigenous knowledge systems while aligning them with modern scientific approaches.

He further believes that every individual—whether a farmer, teacher, engineer, or student—should consider their work as a form of national service rather than merely a job. When work is performed with a sense of responsibility toward the nation, collective progress becomes inevitable.

Finally, he advises young civil engineers to stay connected to their roots and develop social empathy. He believes that civil engineering demands not only technical expertise but also sensitivity toward societal needs. Bookish knowledge alone is insufficient; practical observation and field experience are essential. A good civil engineer must be a keen field observer who bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and real-world implementation. He emphasizes that technology should not remain confined to papers but must reach the field, where real transformation occurs.