Mini Shaji Thomas

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 the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Mini Shaji Thomas
8th Director of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli
In office 2016–2021
Personal details
Born	1962 (age 63 years) Kerala, India
Alma mater	University of Kerala Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Website

Education

Thomas graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kerala in 1984, earning a gold medal for her academic performance.^{[citation needed]} She completed her M.Tech in Electrical Engineering (energy systems) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1986, where she again received a gold medal and was awarded the Siemens Prize.^{[citation needed]} In 1991, she earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (power systems) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.^[3][4]

Career

As the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Jamia Millia Islamia, Thomas introduced three new B. Tech programs in emerging, job-oriented fields and revised the curriculum as mandated by the National Education Policy 2020 to provide more flexibility. Thomas was the founding director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Jamia Millia Islamia and is currently a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology. She served as the Central Public Information Officer from 2008 to 2014 and as the Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 2005 to 2008.^[5] Before joining Jamia, Thomas was a faculty member at Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi and the National Institute of Technology, Calicut.^{[citation needed]}

During her time at NIT Trichy, Thomas and her team developed a plan to improve the institute's position among technical institutions, incorporating input from various stakeholders^{[citation needed]}. In 2018, NIT Trichy established a Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing, with an investment of Rs. 190 crore in collaboration with Siemens Industry Software for research and training, as well as a Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Machines.^[6]

Thomas is currently on the Board of Directors of the US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF) ^[7] and was the President of Shastri-Indo Canadian Institute (SICI) for 2020-21, a binational organization supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, which promotes understanding between India and Canada through academic activities and exchanges.^[8] Thomas was also the Mentor Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology Tiruchirappalli for 3 years.^[9]

Research contributions

Thomas's research focuses on areas such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems, substation and distribution automation, and smart grids. She has published over 150 research papers^[10] in international journals and conferences, supervised 16 PhDs^{[citation needed]}, completed numerous research projects, and coordinated the Special Assistance Program (SAP) on Power System Automation from UGC, Government of India. She is also a reviewer for journals in her field^{[citation needed]}.

Thomas established a SCADA laboratory and Substation Automation (SA) Laboratory at JMI, with industry involvement^{[citation needed]}. She also drafted the curriculum and started a full-time MTech program in Electrical Power System Management in the Faculty of Engineering & Technology, JMI, in 2003, with industry participation, featuring courses on power automation and hands-on training^{[citation needed]}. Thomas won the IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) Meritorious Achievement Award 2015 for "Design and Development of Curriculum and Laboratory Facilities for Professionals and Students in the Electricity Industry.^{[citation needed]}" She is the author of 'Power System SCADA and Smart Grids' ^[11] by CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, USA, and a book chapter in the McGraw-Hill Standard Handbook of Electrical Engineers, 17th edition, 2018. She has authored a chapter in the book 'Women in Power: Research and Development Advances in Electric Power Systems' in the Women in Engineering & Science series by Springer, 2023^{[citation needed]}. She is a 'Distinguished Lecturer' of IEEE Power & Energy Society^{[citation needed]}.

Thomas has been involved in professional societies and serves on the global boards of IEEE, representing the Asia-Pacific region. She has lectured at universities worldwide while engaging with technical experts globally.^[4][12]

Awards

• Recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award (DAA) of IIT Madras 2022.^[13]
• Best Teacher Award by IEEE Kerala Section in 2019.^[14]
• IEEE EAB Meritorious Achievement Award in Continuing Education for "Design and development of curriculum and laboratory facilities for professionals and Students in the Electric Utility Industry" by IEEE Educational Activities Board, USA in 2015.^[15]
• Larry K Wilson Trans-National Award by IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board, USA in 2013.^[16]
• Outstanding Power and Energy Chapter Chair by IEEE Power and Energy Society, USA in 2012.^[17]
• Outstanding Power Engineer award by IEEE Power and Energy Society Delhi in 2008.^[17]
• MGA Innovation Award by IEEE Member and Geographic activities Board, USA in 2008.^[17]

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^{[citation needed]}, the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Innovation award 2008^{[citation needed]}, the IEEE Outstanding Volunteer award 2005^{[citation needed]}, the IEEE Outstanding Branch counselor award 2002^{[citation needed]}, and the Power and Energy Society (PES) Outstanding Chapter Engineer award^{[citation needed]}. She is a certified trainer for Capacity Building of Women Managers in Higher Education by UGC and has conducted training sessions for women's empowerment.^[18]