Welcome to

Smart Thermal & Renewables Lab

IIT Madras

Discover Our Work
Dr. Advaith

Dr. Advaith Sankar

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras

Our Vision

"Hold on to the childhood curiosity that made us gaze at the stars and dream. Join us in quietly turning that wonder into meaningful research. Here at IITM STAR Lab, we envision developing sustainable and smart thermal energy systems. Let’s journey together from a spark of an idea to a tangible design and prototype, all while drawing inspiration from one another in creating a brighter future with renewable thermal solutions."

Research Projects

Our research group undertakes a range of projects primarily organised into two major themes.

LTGWT Project

Socially Relevant & Innovation Project (SRIP)

Title: Low-temperature grey water treatment system for household and residential community

Role: Principal Investigator

INDEE3 Project

INDEE3: an Indo-Norwegian Project

Title: Sustainable cooling and heating in India

Role: Principal Investigator

Read more on this

IoE-CoE-II Project

Institute of Eminence - Centre of Excellence Research Project

Title: Domestic Compact Solar Desalination and Cold Storage Systems

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

PCM_CS Project

Research Based Consultancy Project with Industry

Title: Development of renewable energy driven cold storage with PCM-based thermal energy backup for agricultural produce preservation

Role: Principal Investigator

Hybrid PCM Project

IITM-Virginia Tech Project

Title: Experimental Analysis of Hybrid PCM - Liquid Cooling System EV Battery Thermal Management

Role: Principal Investigator (IITM)

Sensor integrated AI Systems Project

IMPACT 3.0: Innovation to Market Product Acceleration Program

Title: Sensor integrated AI Systems for Optimal Monitoring and Control of Energy Assets

Role: Principal Investigator (IITM)

ISRO-IITM_ML Project

ISRO-IITM Space Technology Cell Project

Title: Machine learning aided early failure detection for preventive maintenance of thermo-vacuum chambers

Role: Principal Investigator

RTTM-DD Project

New Faculty Seed Grant Project

Title: Real-Time Thermal Management and Data-Driven Alternate Ventilation Strategy for Energy-Efficient Building Design

Role: Principal Investigator

SMART-EV Project

Prime Minister's Early Career Research Grant

Title: Hybrid & Safe-Modular-Adaptive-Robust-Thermal (SMART) management system for Electric Vehicle Batteries

Role: Principal Investigator

JFMBP Project

Indo-UK Joint Faculty Bilateral Mobility Project (JFMBP)

Title: Optimizing Building Performance with Smart Glazing: A Multi-Aspect Analysis for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Integration.

Role: Principal Investigator

EDU-COOL Project

Edu-Cool: an Indo-Norwegian Project

Title: Educational Program for Sustainable Heating and Cooling Solutions for India

Role: Principal Investigator, Co-PI (till Apr 2024)

Read more on this

INDEE+ Project

INDEE+: Future Refrigeration India

An Indo-Norwegian Project

Role: Principal Investigator

Read more on this

ECTCS-AEV Project

Industrial Consultancy Project

Title: Energy Consumption and Thermal Comfort Studies for Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

Role: Principal Investigator

LTGWT Project

Socially Relevant & Innovation Project (SRIP)

Title: Low-temperature grey water treatment system for household and residential community

Role: Principal Investigator

INDEE3 Project

INDEE3: an Indo-Norwegian Project

Title: Sustainable cooling and heating in India

Role: Principal Investigator

Read more on this

IoE-CoE-II Project

Institute of Eminence - Centre of Excellence Research Project

Title: Domestic Compact Solar Desalination and Cold Storage Systems

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

PCM_CS Project

Research Based Consultancy Project with Industry

Title: Development of renewable energy driven cold storage with PCM-based thermal energy backup for agricultural produce preservation

Role: Principal Investigator

JFMBP Project

Indo-UK Joint Faculty Bilateral Mobility Project (JFMBP)

Title: Optimizing Building Performance with Smart Glazing: A Multi-Aspect Analysis for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Integration.

Role: Principal Investigator

EDU-COOL Project

Edu-Cool: an Indo-Norwegian Project

Title: Educational Program for Sustainable Heating and Cooling Solutions for India

Role: Principal Investigator, Co-PI (till Apr 2024)

Read more on this

INDEE+ Project

INDEE+: Future Refrigeration India

An Indo-Norwegian Project

Role: Principal Investigator

Read more on this

Hybrid PCM Project

IITM-Virginia Tech Project

Title: Experimental Analysis of Hybrid PCM - Liquid Cooling System EV Battery Thermal Management

Role: Principal Investigator (IITM)

Sensor integrated AI Systems Project

IMPACT 3.0: Innovation to Market Product Acceleration Program

Title: Sensor integrated AI Systems for Optimal Monitoring and Control of Energy Assets

Role: Principal Investigator (IITM)

ISRO-IITM_ML Project

ISRO-IITM Space Technology Cell Project

Title: Machine learning aided early failure detection for preventive maintenance of thermo-vacuum chambers

Role: Principal Investigator

RTTM-DD Project

New Faculty Seed Grant Project

Title: Real-Time Thermal Management and Data-Driven Alternate Ventilation Strategy for Energy-Efficient Building Design

Role: Principal Investigator

SMART-EV Project

Prime Minister's Early Career Research Grant

Title: Hybrid & Safe-Modular-Adaptive-Robust-Thermal (SMART) management system for Electric Vehicle Batteries

Role: Principal Investigator

ECTCS-AEV Project

Industrial Consultancy Project

Title: Energy Consumption and Thermal Comfort Studies for Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

Role: Principal Investigator

Our Stars

Meet the dedicated professionals leading our research initiatives.

Vijayakumar - PhD Team Member

Vijayakumar S.

Ph.D Research Scholar

Jawahar - PhD Team Member

Jawahar Prakash

Ph.D Research Scholar

Durga - PhD Team Member

Durga Prasad Pydi

Ph.D Research Scholar

suparna - PhD Team Member

Suparna Dhara

Ph.D Candidate

Sachin MS - Team Member

Sachin Angad Kharsade

MS Student

Rahul - M.S Team Member

Rahul Ramadas

MS Student

Ramu - MTech Team Member

Ramu Bodakunta

M.Tech [2026]

Christy MTech Team Member

Christy V Mathew

M.Tech [2026]

Jaya MTech Team Member

Jaya Prakash Nakka

M.Tech [2027]

Artika - MTech Team Member

Artika Bansal

M.Tech [2027]

Dr. Thilagan - PDF Team

Dr. Thilagan K.

Post Doctoral Researcher

Dr. Vinay - PDF Team

Dr. Vinay Kumar Yadav

Post Doctoral Researcher

Prakash - Team Member

Prakash Koundinyan G

Research Assistant

Ankur - Team Member

Ankur Bhansali

Junior Research Fellow

Aurosampad - Team Member

Aurosampad Mohanty

Junior Research Fellow

Antro - Team Member

Antro Jagatheesh

Senior Technician

Lakshmi - Team Member

Lakshmi

Senior Executive

Dr. Thilagan

Dr. Thilagan K.

Ph.D (Graduated 2025)

Last known : Post Doctoral Researcher

Team Member

Naresh Chandora

MS (Graduated 2024)

Last known : Airbus - CFD Analyst (ZEROe future aircraft)

Amith MS Team Member

Amit Kumar Goswami

MS (Thesis Defended 2025)

Last known : ACL Digital

Surya - Team Member

Surya Bhanu Singh

M.Tech (Graduated 2025)

Rokesh - Team Member

Jampa Rokesh Vara Prasad

M.Tech (Graduated 2025)

KARRI - Team Member

Satyanarayana Reddy Karri

M.Tech (Graduated 2025)

Last known : Fire Engineer, Australia

Priyanshu - Team Member

Priyanshu Misra

M.Tech (Graduated 2024)

Last known : NTPC Ltd, India

Dr. Siva Kumar Reddy - PDF Team

Dr. Siva Kumar Reddy Y.

Last known : Post Doctoral Researcher at University of Cincinnati, USA

Dr. Abishraj VR - PDF Team

Dr. Abishraj V.R.

Last known : Propulsion Engineerm, AgniKul Cosmos

Publications

Explore peer-reviewed publications showcasing our research contributions.

IJR Cover

Assessing Thermo-hydraulic performance: Enhanced evaporation in modified plate heat exchangers

Vijayakumar S., Advaith S., Mani A. International Journal of Refrigeration, Volume 179, November 2025, Pages 442-456. Read article

Solar Compass Cover

Simulation studies and experimental validation on solar multi - effect desalination system

Thilagan K., Advaith S., Mani A. Solar Compass, Volume 13, March 2025, 100110. Read article

TSEP Cover

Experimental insights into heat transfer and pressure drop: A comparative study of copper spray coated and plain corrugated gasket plate heat exchangers

Vijayakumar S., Advaith S., Mani A.Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, Volume 56, December 2024, 103070. Read article

solar energy Cover

Development and performance evaluation of solar absorption cold storage system for tropical climates

Vijayakumar S., Mani A., Advaith S.Solar Energy, Volume 279, 1 September 2024, 112822. Read article

ATE Cover

Investigation of heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in metal-foam filled channels in a plate heat exchanger: A comparative experimental study

Naresh Chandora, Mani A., Advaith S.Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 241, 15 March 2024, 122368. Read article

Energy AI Cover

Attention boosted autoencoder for building energy anomaly detection

Durga Prasad Pydi, Advaith S.Energy and AI, Volume 14, October 2023, 100292. Read article

REJ Cover

Assessing the impact of a novel hemispherical diffuser on a single-tank sensible thermal energy storage system

Dipti Ranjan Parida, Advaith S., Nikhil Dani, Saptarshi Basu. Renewable Energy, Volume 183, January 2022, 202-218. Read article

EJM-B_F Cover

On the generation and evolution of heated vortex rings in viscous fluids

Advaith S., Aswathi K.T., Saptarshi Basu. European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids, Volume 91, January–February 2022, 107-120. Read article

REJ Cover

Experimental investigation on single-medium stratified thermal energy storage system

Advaith S., Dipti Ranjan Parida, Aswathi K.T., Nikhil Dani, Utpal Kumar Chetia, Kamanio Chattopadhyay, Saptarshi Basu. Renewable Energy, Volume 164, February 2021, 146-155. Read article

JFM Cover

Understanding evolution of vortex rings in viscous fluids

Aashay Tinaikar, Advaith S., Basu S. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Volume 836, February 2018, 873 - 909. Read article

PoF Cover

Interaction of vortex ring with a stratified finite thickness interface

Advaith S., Manu K.V., Aashay Tinaikar, Utpal Kumar Chetia, Saptarshi Basu. Physics of Fluids, Volume 29, Issue 9, September 2017, 093602. Read article

ATE Cover

Short and long-term sensitivity of lab-scale thermocline based thermal storage to flow disturbances

Sandeep Hatte, Carolina Mira-Hernández, Advaith S., Aashay Tinaikar, Utpal Kumar Chetia, Manu K.V., Kamanio Chattopadhyay, Justin A. Weibel, Suresh V. Garimella, Vinod Srinivasan, Saptarshi Basu. Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 109, Part B, October 2016, 936-948. Read article

ATE Cover

Spatio-temporal disruption of thermocline by successive laminar vortex pairs in a single tank thermal energy storage

Aashay Tinaikar, Advaith S., Utpal Kumar Chetia, Manu K.V., Saptarshi Basu. Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 109, Part B, October 2016, 924-935. Read article

WSC 2026 Cover

Pathways To A Sustainable Seafood Cold Chain In India Using Natural Refrigerants

Suparna Dhara, Advaith S.World Seafood Congress 2026!!, 09-11 February 2026, Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India. Read article

FLUCOME2025 Cover

Digital Holographic Study of Sessile Acetone Droplet Evaporation

Jawahar Prakash J., Advaith S., Ganesan A.R., Mani A. FLUCOME 2025 – 17th International Conference on Fluid Control, Measurements, and Visualization, 04-07 November 2025, Delft, The Netherlands. Read article

ICP2025 Cover

Experimental Studies on Compact Desalination System

Thilagan K., Advaith S., Mani. A. International Conference on Polygeneration 2025, 09-11 October 2025, Antalya, Türkiye. Read article

ICP2025 Cover

Thermodynamic and Performance analysis of an energy- efficient low-temperature grey water treatment system

Prakash Koundinyan G., Thilagan K., Advaith S., Srikrishna Sahu International Conference on Polygeneration 2025, 09-11 October 2025, Antalya, Türkiye. Read article

ncrac2024 Cover

Experimental Insights into Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop: A Comparative Study of Copper Spray Coated and Plain Corrugated Gasket Plate Heat Exchangers

Vijayakumar S., Advaith S., Mani. A. 8th National and 2nd International Conference on Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 13-15 March 2024, IIT Madras, Chennai, India. Read article

ncrac2024 Cover

Simulation studies and experimental validation on solar multi-effect desalination system in Kanyakumari

Thilagan K., Advaith S., Mani. A. 8th National and 2nd International Conference on Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 13-15 March 2024, IIT Madras, Chennai, India. Read article

MHMT2024 Cover

Experimental Investigations on Measuring Falling Film Thickness on Vertical Plates with and without Copper Metal Foam

Naresh Chandora, Mani Annamalai, Advaith S. 9th World Congress on Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer (MHMT'24), 11-13 April 2024, Imperial College London Conference Center, London, United Kingdom. Read article

FMFP2023.JPG Cover

Experimental Studies on Falling Film Thickness Measurement on Inclined Plates with and without Surface Modification

Naresh Khimaram Chandora, Advaith S., Mani. A. 10th International and 50th National Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power, 20-22 December 2023, IIT Jodhpur, India. Read article

A system and a method for energy-efficient low temperature greywater treatment

Advaith S., Srikrishna Sahu, Prakash Koundinyan, Thilagan K. and Thileepan Panchatsaram, 202641045609, April 2026 [Published]

Twisted lobe convergent-divergent nozzle for an ejector and a method thereof

Mani A., Advaith S. and Sachin K., 202341060300, September 2023 [Published]

A diffuser for a single tank thermal energy storage system

Basu S., Parida D.R. and Advaith S., 201941011495, October 2020

News & Media

Stay updated with our latest clips, articles, and media coverage.

Media Clip 2

Times of India Article

IIT-M'S solar-powered desal unit aims at 10K liters of potable water a day. Clip dated : June 05, 2025.

Read Article
Media Clip 2

IIT M LinkedIn #TechTuesday

In a country like India, where over 90% of land receives ample solar insolation, this solution presents a sustainable, off-grid, and scalable method to address water scarcity using indigenous, clean technology. Clip dated : May, 2025.

Read Article
Media Clip 3

IIT-M TECH TALK

A Solar Multi-Effect Desalination Success!. Clip dated : May 07, 2025.

Read Article
Media Clip 4

IIT-M TECH TALK

Can the sun act as a cooling agent? Don’t be ridiculous! But that’s exactly what we have with solar-powered cold storage systems!. Clip dated : January 21, 2025.

Read Article

Events

Discover upcoming and past conferences and workshops hosted by our lab.

Past Event

International Conference on Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Date: March 13-15, 2024

Upcoming Event

Natural Refrigerants for Sustainable Heating and Cooling

Date: February 25, 2026

Join Us

Curious to join our research group? Check out the various positions available.

We invite applications for postdoctoral positions through various prestigious fellowships.

For information on the Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship at IIT Madras, please visit this link. Special fellowships for women candidates are also available; details can be found here.

Additionally, we encourage applications under national-level schemes such as the National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF) and the Women in Science and Engineering Post-Doctoral Fellowship (WISE-PDF).

Prospective candidates are requested to submit their curriculum vitae along with a concise research proposal outlining their proposed area of study to advaith[at]iitm[dot]ac[dot]in / starlabiitm[@]outlook[dot]com.

We invite applications from eligible candidates at any time.

Apply now through the IIT Madras Research Portal and embark on an exciting research journey with us!

Exciting opportunities coming soon!

Stay tuned for upcoming project positions. Check back regularly or follow our updates to be the first to know about new openings in our dynamic research team.

We welcome applications for summer and long-term internships.

Submit your detailed CV and Statement of Purpose to advaith[at]iitm[dot]ac[dot] / starlabiitm[@]outlook[dot]com in to explore hands-on research opportunities with us.

You can also check out the IITM Summer Fellowship Programme for more structured internship options.

Connect With Us

We welcome inquiries and opportunities for collaboration.

Contact Information

+91 (044) ---- 4670

advaith[@]iitm[dot]ac[dot]in / starlabiitm[@]outlook[dot]com

Room No. : 140, NAC-2, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India PIN : 600036