Host Institution India: University of Houston

Lokeswari Malepati

Ms. Lokeswari is a direct PhD candidate at the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Telangana. Her research focusses on developing computer vision algorithms suitable for usage in combination with drones for assessment of structures. She leverages multi-modal imaging and deep learning models for quantification of surface and subsurface damages in infrastructure.

Lokeswari holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. She has two years of experience in L&T’s research and testing laboratory where she worked on evaluating the suitability of lightweight concrete for structural applications and developing alternative connections for precast wall panels.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at University of Houston, Texas, Lokeswari is implementing the developed algorithms in the field for bridge inspections using drones. This research aims to evaluate the performance of these algorithms under practical scenarios and propose modifications to their architecture and training strategies. This work contributes to advancing unmanned aerial vehicle-based technologies for faster and more efficient structural assessments. In her free time, Lokeswari enjoys playing volleyball and table tennis.

Shrikant R. Bharadwaj

Dr. Shrikant Bharadwaj trained as a vision scientist at the School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, and the Indiana University School of Optometry. As a DBT Ramalingaswami fellow in 2009, he established the Visual Optics and Psychophysics Laboratory at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) with the agenda to understand how the optics of the eye influences human visual perception. Dr. Bharadwaj uses a combination of experimental, behavioral, and computational techniques to address this research agenda.

Dr. Bharadwaj actively publishes his research work in international vision science journals, and serves on the editorial board of Nature’s Scientific Reports, Optometry and Vision Science, PLOS One (Public Library of Science) and the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. He also served as a committee member on the WHO development group for refractive error interventions and was awarded the Jaggi Optometrist of the year award in 2021 by the Optometry Council of India.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence fellowship, Dr. Bharadwaj is working to understand visual perception in patients with an eye disease called Keratoconus. This disease distorts the eye’s cornea, causing profound loss of vision and quality of life in the patients. Through his research, Dr. Bharadwaj aspires to develop a comprehensive psychophysical assessment of visual functions in this disease, to dissect the roles of optics and neurology in vision loss using adaptive optics, and to optimize patient’s vision through personalized contact lens designs and perceptual vision training.