Introduction

Mainak Ghosal is a research scholar and professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at the JIS College of Engineering, Kalyani. His research interests include structural engineering and management, with a focus on the application of nanomaterials on cement mortar and concrete. He has published more than 50 papers in various journals and conference proceedings, such as Materials Today: Proceedings, European Journal of Advanced Engineering and Technology, and International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology. He has also authored a book chapter on the influence of cement behavior with and without polymer nano composites.

Mainak Ghosal has received several awards and recognitions for his research contributions. He was awarded the Certificate of Best Researcher on Nanotechnology/Nanomaterials/Nanoscience by the National Conference on Advancements in Interdisciplinary Research (NCAIR-2021) in Lucknow, India. He was also invited as a speaker at the 3rd International Conference on Innovative Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Development in Chandigarh, India, where he presented his work on the performance of carbon based nano-enabled cement composites and concrete.

Mainak Ghosal is an active member of various professional associations and organizations related to his field of expertise. He is an Life member of the Council of Engineers and Valuers (CEV), the Institution of Engineers (India), the Indian Concrete Institute, the Indian Society for Technical Education, and Ex. Governing Council Member of the Indian Association of Structural Engineers, Ex. Honorary Secretary of the Consulting Engineers Association of India, Ex. Joint Secretary of the Coal Ash Institute of India & at present serving as the Chairman of All India Valuers Association, West Bengal Centre . He is also a reviewer for several journals, such as the International Journal of Scientific, Engineering and Science, the International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology, and the International Journal of Structural Engineering and Technology.

Mainak Ghosal is a leading researcher and educator in the field of nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and nanoscience. He has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge and innovation in his domain. He is a role model for aspiring engineers and scientists who want to pursue a career civil engineering and its applications.

Early Life and Education

Mainak Ghosal was born on 10th February(Thursday),1972 at Ranaghat Sub Division of Nadia District, West Bengal. He studied in Mary Immaculate School, Ranaghat up to Class III and then joined St. Thomas School ,Kidderpore ,Calcutta(now Kolkata).He passed ICSE in 1988 & but turbulent political conditions forced him to change to West Bengal Board by joining Scottish Church Collegiate School, Kolkata and passed Higher Secondary Examination in 1990. Mainak, in the meantime had developed a passion for drawing, photography, music, films and casually helped his father in his writing pursuits of local books in Bengali. In 1992, he passed with Distinction and First Division marks in BSc(Pure Science) from Gobardanga Hindu College, a record feat never achieved by any students before in his College.

In the next subsequent year i.e., 1993 he appeared for the Joint Entrance Examination(JEE) with the subjects of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and secured a decent rank which saw him took admission in Jadavpur University’s Construction Department at Salt Lake Campus rejecting B.E College and other Regional Engineering Colleges which were offering various demanding subjects like Computer Science, Electrical Engineering etc. Another factor which facilitated his admission in Salt Lake campus was his Father’s advice was that its proximity to his residence at Birati.

Jadavpur University which was and is still now infamous for its Ragging incidents saw its tentacles spread towards Mainak Ghosal. He was ragged by students senior to him and even his colleague in academic and in the process he was asked to sing songs or utter foul languages but it never turned out to be physical.

Mainak actively followed Mountaineering & Photography courses in Jadavpur University Mountaineering & Photography Clubs besides pursuing his studies. He was taken to various excursions to various places like Ajodhya Hills in Purulia etc. after semester examinations by the respective clubs for training and Certificates were provided after successful completion. Finally, in 1998 he passed out of Jadavpur University securing First Class marks. He even passed Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering in the same year but never responded to Masters Course due to his thirst to gain knowledge and insights from the industry sector.

Industrial Experience

Field/Quantity Surveying with C&C Consulting Firm

In 2002, after responding to classified job advertisements section in an English daily, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got selected for the Surveyor’s job at C & C Consulting firm‘s Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.’s Barauni Petroleum Refinery Expansion Project. The job involved Field/Quantity Surveying of the Civil Works of IOCL Barauni which saw the annual production capacity boosted by 3MTs. The Project Cost=340 Crores.

The job also involved Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd. Steel Plant Expansion Project’s Engineering survey for Mechanical Civil work of CCP-II under RSP at Jajpur, Orissa

Project Work with M/s Brite Insulation

In 1998 itself, he bagged an Off – Campus job from M/s Brite Insulations, a Special Class Contractor of Railways for the Supervision of the Dhakuria-Santoshpur Via-Duct’s Abutment & Deck concreting at Kolkata with Indian Railway Construction International Limited(IRCON) as the Client.

Again from 1999 to 2000 he got involved with M.S. Consult as a Junior Engineer in Detailed Analyzing/ Drawing/ Detailing/ Designing of Civil Engineering Structures.

In 2002, he again got involved with this firm for their Major Pre-Stressed Concrete Girder Construction of East Coast Railway – DKB Rail Link Project. The client involved here was Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited(RITES). The work involved was Construction of 30.5 m PSC Girder over Mallijhor Natural Drainage under DKB Rail Link Project. The work also involved taking East Coast Railways approval for Redesigning the CC crib stagings over canal bed. The Project cost = 2 Crores.

Project Work with M/s Madras Pile Foundation

In 2002,Mr.Mainak Ghosal got involved with M/s Madras Pile Foundation’s American International School’s multi storied Building project at Taramani, Chennai whose Principal Contractor was E-mas (a Malaysian Firm). The work involved 400 driven piled cast-in-situ Pile foundation executions of 500 mm diameter & 22 to 25 m length & Routine Load Testing & also sand piling for swimming pool foundation. The Project was approximately equal to 2 Crores.

Project Work with M/s Development Consultants & Engineers Pvt. Ltd.

In 2003, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got associated with M/s Development Consultants & Engineers Pvt. Ltd.(a sister concern of M/s Development Consultants Pvt. Ltd.) for their GL+3 Rawatbhatta Atomic Power Plant[RAPP] Housing Project of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. at Kota, Rajasthan. The Work involved preparation of Quality Approved Plan for G+3 RAPP Housing Project, Supervision & Execution of 25 m Water Tank & Housing Foundation in rocky stratum after blasting.

Project Work with BTS(1952) Pvt. Ltd.

Construction of Ammunition Sheds at 19th FAD, Banar, Jodhpur & Offset of OTM Accommodation. Work involved surveying using 20″ Theodolite for MES road items, Sheds, Barbed Fencing, Housing etc., providing Shuttering solutions by using 20″ dia,6 m long MS pipes,ISMC75&100 runners,12mm thick Plys,600×900 MS shuttering Plates, Earthwork estimation for Roads, BBS preparations, Anti Termite Treatment using Cholropyriphos, Work also involved in-situ Construction of 13,000 Kl Static Water Tanks, MES roads.

Project Work with M/s Nahar Decor

In 2004, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got a job in M/s Nahar Decor’s Essar Steel Gujrat Ltd.‘s Construction of 10 nos. Officer’s Flat at Surat, Gujrat. Work involved Redesigning of Piles Group & land surveys & land acquisition & Sub-Contractors rate finalization & plumbing design. It involved Re-Designing using Nc=5.7 of 2 nos. Pile group to single Under-Reamed Pile groups of 300mm diameter & 6.5m length in Black Cotton soil. Also involved in Land Surveying, Claiming Forest Land from Gujrat Forest Dep’t, Site Mobilization, Surface Dressing/Land Development. etc.

M/s Simplex Piles’ work via Apex Consultancy

In the later half of 2004, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got involved after giving an interview for 35th International Film Festival of India’s[IFFI] Infrastructural Project at Panaji, Goa. The Goa State Industrial Development Corporation was the client while M/s Simplex Piles was the main contractor. The 40 Crore Project was completed in a record time of just 4 months. Renovation activities involved Road repairs, Table Tops laying, Table Decks Construction on River Mandovi’s shores, Walkway Paving, Bollards/Pergolas laying,4 core Electrical Cable laying’s, Erection of 4m/9m Electric Poles, Breda Pillars[9 nos. shipped from Europe] for the first time in India.

Some of the Projects in the Year 2005

Firstly, M/s Hindustan Builders hired Mr.Mainak Ghosal in Jannuary,2005 for Military Engineering Service‘s Binnaguri Hangar Shed Project. The job involved Tender Price Quotation/Bidding for Binnaguri Hangar Shed Project of estimated 5.3 Crores which was just 1% more than L1 ‘s. Ultimately M/s Hindustan emerged L2.

Secondly, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got involved with M/s K N D Engineering Technologies Ltd.’s 400 KV DC HT Transmission Tower Construction Project at Saharsa, Bihar with Power Grid Corporation of India as client. Supervision of Bore Piling foundations on River Kosi, Bihar. Work included DMC[mixing rate=2.56 gm Bitumen/Water] of 10 nos. 16×4 pile groups .Point Bearing Piles were of 1/1.2 m dia. & 39/40m depth from cut-off levels as per in-situ N-soil conditions. Piling involved in-situ casting via 8″ Tremie pipes after providing MS Liner as scour resistors of 10mts length. The Piling Rate = 6.65 Lacs/Pile.

As a Civil Engineer in Westinghouse Saxby Farmer Ltd(A Govt. Company)

After clearing an interview, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got a job as a civil engineer in M/s Westinghouse Saxby Farmer Co.(A Govt. Company) and was posted at Rabindra Bharati University‘s “Sangeet Bhawan” Construction Project. The job involved Supervising the construction of a round shaped G+4 glass/aluminum cladded ‘Sangeet Bhawan’ [14400 Sqft] having Coffer-Beamed Dancing Hall, Atrium Hall, Lift well provisions. Later in this Company he was involved in Central Road Fund‘s Widening/Strengthening of 6.6Kms Solpatta-Sonakonia Road. The Work involved scrapping the existing black top, tack coating, Bituminous Macadam/Dense Bituminous Macadam rolling, borrowed earth shouldering, replacing Causeways by RCC Culverts, Vendor monitoring.

Involvement in Thermal Power Projects

In 2006 & 2007, Mr. Mainak Ghosal was recruited by M/s Superintendence Co. of India Pvt. Ltd. for their 3rd party Quality Inspection work of 2×125 MW Thermal Power Project at Barsingsar, Rajasthan(BHEL/NLC). The job involved Quality Surveillance & Auditing of 2x125MW Barsingsar Lignite based Thermal Power Station through Task Performer Bridge & Roof Co[Under Bharat Yantra Nigam Ltd.].Work involved in-situ Material & Concrete checking, Non Destructive Testing /Ultra sonic Pulse Velocity Testing, Compaction & OMC by Core-cutter method as per required Dry Density. the Project Cost=56 Crores.

The work also involved Quality Checking & Inspection of 2x250MW Coal based Chandrapura Power Station. It involved Dye Penetration Tests for Root Welds, Ultrasonic Tests & Radiography of Pre-Fabricated Steel structures through Task Performer National Building Construction Co. Total Steel used=9000 Tons

Fencing Work with M/s D. K. Projects Pvt. Ltd.

M/s D. K. Projects Pvt. Ltd. is enlisted by Military engineer services (MES), Government of India (Ministry of Defence) certifying us as “SS” Class (Super Special Class) contractor. The Job Profile of Mr. Mainak Ghosal dealt in the construction work of Runway’s, Ready-mix concrete Road & Highway’s construction, Border Security Fencing, Building & RCC Boundary Wall etc.

Assistant Civil Engineer in West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation

Between 2007 – 2008, Mr. Mainak Ghosal got appointed from WBSIDC and Generated new development deals for a SSI development company that focuses on Micro and Small industrial projects, including cost-benefit analysis and also their maintenance.

As a Consultant with M/s BuildFab & Engineer in Santipur Municipality

Mr. Mainak Ghosal gave Instruction regarding execution and cover up on field projects of Airport Authority of India(AAI) Ltd & Life Insurance Corporation(LIC) Ltd. & Mr. Mainak Ghosal involved in Advising in Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme IHSDP related Project works of Santipur Municipality.

Assistant Civil Engineer in Public Health Engineering Directorate,Govt. of W.Bengal

Between 2009 – 2010 Mr. Mainak Ghosal was appointed as a Civil Engineer for Checking and Approval of Water Tank & Pipe Line Design/Drawings using AUTOCAD & STAAD & to be Associate in Land Acquisition for PHED Projects.

Consultancy in M/s Mondal & Associates

In the meantime, Mr. Mainak Ghosal was involved with M/s Mondal & Associates for Consultancy in Drawing & Designing using AUTOCAD & STAAD Pro and also for Consultancy in Industrial Projects using Vaastu & Feng Sui Principles.

Academic Recognition

Assistant Professor in Global Institute of Management & Technology, Krishnanagar

Between 2011– 2015, Prof.Mainak Ghosal was involved in Consultancy, Valuation, Training & Placement Planning, Lecturing, Seminar, Evaluation & allied administrative works at GIMT, Krishnanagar.

As Assistant Professor in other Engineering Colleges

At JIS College of Engineering and Ideal Institute of Engineering, Kalyani, Prof. Ghosal was involved in recognizing, respecting & nurturing the creative potential of each student; responding to the queries in a spontaneous manner; assessing students’ work for internally assessed components of qualifications

Pursuing Masters Programs in Between

Completed his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in 2012 and Graduated with a B Grade in Management Science from Indira Gandhi National Open University Then Prof.Mainak Ghosal again appeared in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering(GATE) and successfully passed GATE to take admission in the most coveted Masters Degree in Structural Engineering from Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology,Shibpur(erstwhile Bengal Engineering & Science University) in 2012 .He secured First Division in Masters in 2014 and is now pursuing PhD in the School of Advanced Materials, Green Energy & Sensor Systems, IIEST, Shibpur. Meanwhile, in 2020, he secured Distinction marks in Masters of Science in Real Estate Valuation from Annamalai University. At present, Prof. Ghosal is actively pursuing LLB from Kingston Law College under West Bengal State University.

Academic Recognition

Having more than 65 Titles/Publications under his belt Prof.Mainak Ghosal has also coordinated a Refresher Course on Pile Foundations on behalf of Indian Association of Structural Engineers recently in 2022.

Some of his notable publications include:

1. “A comparative assessment of nano-SiO2 and nano-TiO2 insertion in concrete” .
2. “Application of nanomaterials on cement mortar and concrete: a study” 
3. “A comparative study of nano embedments on different types of cements” 
4. “Superplasticizer compatibility with cement properties–A study” 
5. “Impact of nano silica on the cementitious systems of built environment” 
6. “A Study on Performance of Carbon Based Nano-enabled Cement Composites and Concrete” 
7. “Engineering the properties of nanomaterials for its use in cement concrete” 
8. “Application of thermosetting v/s thermoplastic polymeric composites and polymeric nanocomposites in cement concrete for greater sustainability” 
9. “A compatibility study of ordinary Portland cement and flyash based cement with nano-silica” 
10. “Effect of Nano-Materials on Building Materials” 

Prof. Ghosal has also attended and presented papers at several conferences as an Invited Speaker. He also has the experience of conducting Session chairs and delivering Key Note Lectures. Recently he has published a Patent on nanomaterials and has agreed to edit a book entitled ‘Recent Advancements in Engineering, Management, Arts and Science‘ to be published by Tech Press with an ISBN number in Febraury,2024.

He has been awarded the Best Researcher Award in the 6th International Scientist Awards held on 20 & 21 June,2020 at Chennai organized by VDGOOD Association.

In 2020 he was conferred with a Sir C.V.Raman Life Time Achievement International Award by IRDP Group of Journals, Chennai for the outstanding excellence and remarkable achievements in the field of Teaching, Research and Publications.

On the occasion of Lucknow University‘s Centenary celebrations Prof.Mainak Ghosal was awarded the Best Researcher Global Academic Research Excellence Award jointly by Amiruddaula Islamia Degree College, Lucknow & Science Tech Institute , Lucknow during the three days National Conference on Advancement in Interdisciplinary Research(NCAIR – 2021)

In 2022, Prof. Ghosal was awarded Best Researcher Award for his contribution and Honorable achievement in innovative Research by ScienceFather of Scifax company.

Consultancy Services offered by Mainak Ghosal

 Having successfully completed over 3000 Valuation projects of the Banking Sector, Prof.Mainak Ghosal also provides valuation and structural engineering solutions for real estate projects. He is an empaneled Wealth Tax Valuer and IBBI Registered Valuer and also a Court Appointed Engineer Commissioner. He has a dedicated YouTube channel where he shares his knowledge on every subject starting from Nanotechnology to varied social aspects.

Conclusion

To conclude the journey of Mainak Ghosal g has a mix of both opportunities and challenges…some of the challenges and opportunities he faces, some of the goals and aspirations he has, and some of the advice and inspiration he offers.