Mini Shaji Thomas

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Mini Shaji Thomas
Prof. Mini Thomas.jpg
8th Director of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli
In office
2016–2021
Personal details
Born1962 (age 63 years)
Kerala, India
Alma mater University of Kerala
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Website

Mini Shaji Thomas (born 1962) is an Indian electrical engineer who served as the director of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli from 2016 to 2021. [1] She was the eighth director and first female director of the institute since its founding in 1964. [1] [2] Currently, she is Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. [3]

Contents

Education

Thomas graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kerala in 1984, where she was awarded a gold medal for academic performance. [4] She then completed M.Tech in Electrical Engineering (energy systems) from IIT Madras in 1986, where she again received a gold medal and was awarded the Siemens Prize. [5] [6] In 1991, she earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering (power systems) from IIT Delhi. [7] [8]

Career

As Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Jamia Millia Islamia, Thomas oversaw the introduction of three B.Tech programs in new fields and revisions to the curriculum aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. She was the founding director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Jamia Millia Islamia and is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology. Thomas served as the Central Public Information Officer from 2008 to 2014 and as Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 2005 to 2008. [9] Before joining Jamia, she was a faculty member at Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi and the National Institute of Technology, Calicut. [10]

At the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Thomas and her team developed a strategic plan for the institute that included input from multiple stakeholders. [11] In 2018, NIT Trichy established a Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing, with an investment of ₹190 crore in collaboration with Siemens Industry Software, to support research and training. The institute also set up a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Machines. [12]

Thomas serves on the Board of Directors of the US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF). [13] She was President of the Shastri-Indo Canadian Institute (SICI) from 2020 to 2021, a binational organization supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, which promotes academic exchange between India and Canada. [14] She also served as the Mentor Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Tiruchirappalli for three years. [15]

Research contributions

Thomas's research interests include Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems, substation and distribution automation, and smart grids. She has published more than 150 research papers [16] in international journals and conferences, supervised 17 doctoral students, [17] and coordinated research projects, including the Special Assistance Program (SAP) on Power System Automation supported by the UGC, Government of India. She also serves as a reviewer for academic journals in her field. [18]

She established laboratories for SCADA and Substation Automation at Jamia Millia Islamia, with industry collaboration. [19] In 2003, she drafted the curriculum and launched a full-time M.Tech program in Electrical Power System Management at the Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, which incorporated industry participation and practical training. [20] Thomas received the IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) Meritorious Achievement Award in 2015 for contributions to curriculum and laboratory development in the electricity sector. [21]

She is the author of Power System SCADA and Smart Grids [22] (CRC Press, 2017), and contributed a chapter to the McGraw-Hill Standard Handbook of Electrical Engineers, 17th edition (2018). She has also authored a chapter in Women in Power: Research and Development Advances in Electric Power Systems (Springer, 2023). [23]

Thomas is a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Power & Energy Society. [24] She has served on the global boards of IEEE, representing the Asia-Pacific region, and has delivered lectures at universities internationally. [8] [25]

Awards

In addition, Thomas received the 'Career Award' for young teachers from the Government of India, the IEEE Power and Energy Society Outstanding Chapter Chair Award 2013, the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Innovation Award 2008, [30] the IEEE Outstanding Volunteer Award 2005 [31] , the IEEE Outstanding Branch counselor Award 2002, and the Power and Energy Society (PES) Outstanding Chapter Engineer Award. [31] She is a certified trainer for the Capacity Building of Women Managers in Higher Education by UGC and has conducted training sessions for women's empowerment. [32]

References

  1. 1 2 "NIT-T gets 1st woman director in five decades". The New Indian Express. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli | Principals/Directors" (PDF). NIT Tiruchirappalli. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Faculty Of Engineering And Technology - Jamia". jmi.ac.in. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "Department Of Electrical Engineering - Jamia". www.jmi.ac.in. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  5. ↑ archive, From our online (25 November 2016). "NIT-T gets 1st woman director in five decades". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  6. ↑ theokhlatimes (10 March 2025). "Jamia Professor Mini Thomas in list of 100 most influential women of 2025 by business magazine - The Okhla Times" . Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "NIT Trichy - Director". www.nitt.edu.
  8. 1 2 "Mini Shaji Thomas" (PDF). Jamia Millia Islamia. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "JMI faculty is first woman Director of National Institute of Technology, Trichy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Proff Mini Shaji Thomas PDF | PDF | Smart Grid | Electrical Grid". Scribd. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  11. ↑ "NIT Trichy director Mini Shaji Thomas completes term, to rejoin Jamia Millia Islamia". The Times of India. 27 November 2021. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "NIT Trichy gets Rs 190crore facility which 'even IITs don't have' - Times of India". The Times of India. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Board of Directors IUSSTF". www.iusstf.org. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Past Presidents of SICI | SHASTRI INDO CANADIAN INSTITUTE". www.shastriinstitute.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Mentor Director IIIT Srirangam". The Hindu. 15 March 2019.
  16. ↑ "Google scholar profile of Dr. Mini Shaji Thomas". GoogleScholar. 9 June 2021.
  17. ↑ theokhlatimes (10 March 2025). "Jamia Professor Mini Thomas in list of 100 most influential women of 2025 by business magazine - The Okhla Times" . Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "PRESIDENTS SINCE BI-NATIONAL,2005 | SHASTRI INDO CANADIAN INSTITUTE". www.shastriinstitute.org. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  19. ↑ "PRESIDENTS SINCE BI-NATIONAL,2005 | SHASTRI INDO CANADIAN INSTITUTE". www.shastriinstitute.org. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  20. ↑ "Brief Profile: Prof. (Mrs.) Mini Shaji Thomas" (PDF). Jamia Millia Islamia. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  21. 1 2 "Jamia Professor wins IEEE EAB Meritorious Achievement in Continuing Education Award 2015". IndiaEducationDiary. 23 April 2020.
  22. ↑ Thomas, Mini S.; McDonald, John Douglas (19 December 2017). Power System SCADA and Smart Grids. CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-4822-2675-1.
  23. ↑ "Substation Automation | springerprofessional.de" . link.springer.com (in German). doi:10.1007/978-3-031-29724-3_14 . Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  24. ↑ "Mini Shaji Thomas". IEEE Power & Energy Society. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  25. ↑ "Mini Shaji Thomas IEEE profile". IEEE Collobratec.
  26. 1 2 3 "2015 IEEE educational activities board awards". IEEE Transactions on Education. 59 (1): 69–74. 1 February 2016. Bibcode:2016ITEdu..59...69.. doi:10.1109/TE.2015.2510281.
  27. ↑ "Jamia faculty wins IEEE MGA Larry K Wilson Translational Award 2013". MEA. 3 December 2013.
  28. ↑ "NIT Trichy Director Mini Shaji Thomas gets best teacher award from IEEE Kerala section". ToI. 13 January 2019.
  29. ↑ "Office of Alumni & Corporate Relations".
  30. ↑ "IEEE Member and Geographic Activities | Recipients of MGA Awards and Recognition Program". mga.ieee.org. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  31. 1 2 "Dr. (Mrs) Mini Shaji Thomas" (PDF). The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI). Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  32. ↑ "Mini first women director of NIT Trichy". dtnext. 29 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017.
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