Dr Ajay is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Delft University of Technology (Joint appointment in the Section of Pavement Engineering and Section of Resources & Recycling). He obtained his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2020. Prior to his current appointment, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at NUS Environmental Research Institute, Singapore.

His teaching and research interests include Nextgen Engineering Education, Asset Management, Computational Pavement Mechanics, Environmental Impact Assessment, Concrete Pavements, Airport Engineering and Next-Generation Pavements. He has authored over 15 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers in these research areas. He is actively involved in the development of new MSc programs and curriculum for various tracks (Construction Materials, Structural Engineering, Traffic and Transport Engineering, Resources and Waste Engineering) at TU Delft. 

As a Lecturer, Ajay is actively engaged in education, overseeing the academic progress of master and bachelor students. He teaches a broad array of courses that explore topics ranging from fundamental mathematics to infrastructure design, environmental engineering and policy management. He is a passionate and innovative educator dedicated to creating a more equitable future through engineering education. He employs innovative teaching techniques such as active learning, experiential learning techniques and gamification in his classrooms. He is at the forefront of numerous projects aimed at educational innovation, collaborating with various faculties and the teaching academy at TU Delft. His goal is to consistently pursue transformative societal contributions while upholding world-class standards of engineering excellence. He is a passionate advocate for integrating social science and humanities into engineering education. 

Beyond his roles in teaching and research, he spearheads various initiatives in the realm of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). As a global speaker on DEIB related matters, he collaborates closely with the university's diversity and inclusion team to shape the policies. As the first person in Civil and Environmental Engineering to openly discuss DEIB challenges in education, he is a trailblazer in his field. He is committed to creating a more inclusive and accessible learning environment for all students.  

Awards and Honors:

• Top 100 Outstanding Future Leaders & Role Model List (Ranked 24 at global level), Awarded by Involve and YouTube, November 2024
• Outstanding Presentation Award, 2nd International Symposium of Pavement Functional Design and Management, Portugal, April 2023.
• Best Paper Award for Methodological Development, 14th International Conference of EASTS, Japan, September 2021. 
• Airfield Internship Award, Changi Airports International, Singapore, August 2019.
• NUS Research Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Singapore, 2016-2020.
• K.N.Chintamani Memorial Award for best undergraduate final year project, June 2016.
• Gold Medallist in Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering), PSGCT, June 2016.
• IRCC Internship Award, IIT Bombay, India, November 2015.
• Summer Fellowship Award, IIT Madras, India, April 2015.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2020
• Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering), Anna University, India, 2016

Positions held

• Lecturer (Tenured), Department of Engineering Structures, TU Delft, 2024 - Present
• Lecturer, Section of Pavement Engineering, TU Delft, 2022 - 2023
• Postdoctoral Fellow (Teaching and Research), NUS Environmental Research Institute, Singapore, 2021
• Doctoral Researcher/Airport Engineer, Changi Airports International, Singapore, 2019