Dr. A. Nagaraju is the HOD CSE-(DS) & IT at Malla Reddy Institute of Technology and Science. He pursued an M.Sc. in mathematics from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad in 2000; and his M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, OU, New Delhi 2013. He has completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana on awarded on 15 th March 2023. His further qualifications also include a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, awarded on 25 Th February 2009, and a PGDCA in Computer Applications from ICSS, Hyderabad in 1998. He also passed the Departmental test- Accounts Executive Officer – (PC.No.141)- APPSC in November 2011. He has a total of 23 years of teaching experience in various engineering colleges. He has also received multiple awards and recognition from various prestigious universities. Some of them include the Global Faculty Award from AKS Educational Academy, New Delhi from Delhi in 2021, and the Global Research Excellence Award from Global Research & Research Awards in 2021. He was a topper of the NPTEL Course received in the subject operations research from IIT, Roorkee in 2019 and received a Gold medal in the NPTEL Course in the subject operations research from IIT, Roorkee in October 2019. Furthermore, he received an Elite Certificate in Matrix Analysis with Applications from IIT Madras in April 2019 and an Elite Certificate in Mathematical Methods and Its Applications from IIT Madras in Oct 2019. He has also received the Best Faculty & Research Excellence Award from Malla Reddy Institute of Technology and Science in 2022. He has received Best Faculty and Administrator from the Sree Datta Group of Institutions, Shariguda, Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad in 2014; and Best Faculty award from SV Group of Institutions, Hyderabad in 2012; Best Faculty Appreciation from Vice-Chancellor, Dr.B.R.Ambedker University, Hyderabad in the year 2002. He has also received many cash awards many times for producing better Academic results in the subjects at the undergraduate level and has received the best faculty award from Sree Dattha Group of Institutions, Hyderabad in the year 2017. He is the author of 32 book chapters and two books, and published 30 research Articles, and published patents for 4 National and 3 international inventions, and presented papers at 6 international and 10 national-level conferences, Editorial Member of two journals.

Dr. A. Nagaraju sir has not only made a significant contribution in academics, he also administered and organized various programs and events for the overall development of the students. He is currently, working as the HoD of Data Science with commitment and dedication.

Malla Reddy Institute of Technology and Science

You have held key positions throughout your professional career, what are the special practices at the MRITS institution that you observed and would like to highlight?

MRITS is an institution that focuses on student's career development from the initial basic stage to settling into their in life. Computer Science and Engineering – Data Science and Information Technology. Both have vast development of technology enhancements nowadays. My role here is to Eurostar students on new technologies, face new challenges, and achieve their goals in their careers, which has helped students become more familiar with new technologies.

Technology is going through a lot of dynamic changes these days, what steps are you taking to be updated with the latest trends and incorporate them into the curriculum at MRITS?

We provided a Correlated curriculum based on industry requirements, with student enthusiasm, and with students' dynamic learning capacities, The institution has been preparing a Curriculum, upgrading year by year as per dynamic changes in technologies. MRITS always encourages studies to new enhancements in technology, Students should be involved in various activities Course Erra, NPTEL, and SIH innovation, IIC, Yukthi activities every year. We prepare the curriculum and support student internships with software industries to close this gap between academia and industry. 

What are the current biggest challenges in the field of IT & DS domain in general, and how do you plan to address them as a HOD?

Before applying data science algorithms and techniques, the foremost challenge that data scientists and data analysts face is to understand the data. There are several issues associated with it including identifying the issue with the data set, finalizing the right approach and techniques, and finding appropriate data sets. These problems can be overcome using effective solutions such as understanding the business requirements and using modern tools.

Empowering companies to enhance their business. With so much data constantly being produced by network servers, IoT sensors, official social media pages, databases, and company logs, it has to be handled and cannot be ignored. 

Data management systems and data integration tools have to be handled as well. Data tools, such as Azure Stream Analytics, help in collecting data from different sources, aggregating them, and filtering them.

The challenges of Data Science include identifying the data problem, finding the most appropriate data, lack of skilled workforce, and data cleansing. In that, the best data governance tools are IBM Data Governance, OvalEdge, Collibra, Truedat, Informatica, Alteryx, and Talend.

We are encouraging and mandating students to learn the above tools by using NPTEL and Coursera. It requires a lot of hard work to train students in creative learning and helping them in guiding in this domain is not very easy. 

We assist the faculty in training the students as per the developing technology and give them real-time projects to help them in developing their skill set.

How do you collaborate with industries and other academic institutions to provide practical exposure and internships for your students?

We have connections with key figures in the companies and associations you wish to collaborate with. Through networking events, seminars, and industry-specific gatherings, you can meet potential partners. Collaborate closely with industry partners to understand their needs and the credentials they seek in recent grads or interns. Each party's terms, demands, and obligations are outlined in these agreements. Help students find internships by providing placement services so they may find appropriate jobs. We see to it that students receiving internships receive support and guidance. Academic advisors, business mentors, and career counselors can all offer guidance and criticism.

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Can you explain to us the infrastructural facilities available concerning the Data Science & IT Department at MRIT?

We offer the CSE(DS) & Information Technology Department, students use smart classrooms to help them understand the material better, well-equipped labs, knowledgeable instructors, activity rooms and seminar halls for group discussions, and a research development center to help them in the long run.

How do you support and encourage the students at DS & IT department towards innovation?

By using our design expertise, we help the pupils become more creative. Students can take a value-added course offered by our institute. The purpose of the technical cultural fest is to help students become more organized and team-oriented. Effective innovation requires students to share knowledge.

Faculty and students should be encouraged to collaborate and have open communication. Organize innovation challenges, hackathons, and seminars to get participants hands-on experience fixing real-world problems. Students should be encouraged to look for real-world issues that data science and information technology may assist in resolving. Encourage individuals in the field to speak about data science and information technology applications, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

What is the future of Data Science from your perspective and what Opportunities of you have?

Opportunities in the fields of banking, finance, insurance, entertainment, telecommunication, cars, and other industries are predicted to arise from data science in the future. A data scientist will aid in the expansion of an organization by helping it make wiser judgments.

Three categories of jobs exist in data science which include Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer. An analyst of data gathers information from databases. In addition, they summarise the outcomes of data processing. Data scientists are people who handle, mine, and purify data. They are also in charge of developing models for big data interpretation and analysis. A data engineer mines data to extract meaningful insights. He is also in charge of managing the architecture and design of the data. Additionally, he constructs huge warehouses with the aid of additional transform load.

These positions occasionally overlap and are closely related.

What is your vision as a HOD of IT & DS departments for the coming years at MRITS?

Work on projects that are innovative, creative, and problem-solving all the time. Using a variety of tactics and resources, the teaching community should adopt a student-centric teaching strategy that leads to outcome-based education.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

As the Head of the CSE(DS)&IT Department with a concentration on Data Science and Information Technology, my goal is to establish the department as a worldwide leader in Data Science and Information technology education, research, and innovation. We can inspire our children to become lifelong learners and innovators by giving them opportunities for leadership, entrepreneurship, and research. Encourage students to take part in and excel in data science hackathons, conferences, and contests at the national and international levels and make them into grand successes.