Assistant Professor
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Dr. Harsimran Kaur is an Assistant Professor Grade I in the Department of Architecture, Planning and Design at IIT (BHU), Varanasi. She specializes in Urban Sustainability, Hill Settlements, Architectural Heritage Conservation, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Spatial Analytics, and Data Visualization. Dr. Kaur completed her Ph.D. in June 2020 from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, where she also earned her M. Architecture in June 2015 with first division and distinction. She obtained her B. Arch in June 2011 from Punjab Technical University, achieving first division.
Dr. Kaur has held several notable positions, including her current role as Head of the Department since January 2024. She has been serving as an Assistant Professor at IIT (BHU) since July 2020. Previously, she was a Teaching Assistant at IIT Roorkee from January 2016 to December 2019 and an Assistant Professor at Lovely Professional University from July 2015 to December 2015.
Dr. Kaur has been involved in numerous consultancy and research projects, such as the creation of the IIT (BHU) Virtual Reality 360° Campus Tour funded by the IIT(BHU) Seed Grant and a study on the socio-economic impact of PM Awas Yojana(U) in Varanasi District sponsored by ICSSR. Other significant projects include heritage consultations for the National Monument Authority, a 3D mapping project using drones and GIS software funded by SERB-DST, and various heritage impact assessments and architectural consultancy works for organizations like Northern Railways, Ashirbad Constructions Pvt. Ltd., PSP Project Limited, and DCRUST Murthal.
Her extensive publication record includes articles in high-impact journals such as "Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health," "Visions of Sustainability," "Progress in Disaster Science," "Environment, Development and Sustainability," and "Journal of Urban Planning and Development." Her work often focuses on urban sustainability, heritage conservation, and environmental analysis.
Dr. Kaur's achievements have been recognized with several awards, including being shortlisted for the IIA National Awards for Excellence in Architecture 2021, receiving the Outstanding Contribution by Young Professional Award from the Indian Concrete Institute in 2022, and being declared Champion at the national IITB-ISRO-AICTE Mapathon in 2021. She is also a certified Indian Green Building Council Accredited Professional and has received an International Travel Grant from IIT Roorkee for attending the SEB-2019 conference in Budapest, Hungary. Additionally, she was awarded the Senior Research Fellowship by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for her Ph.D. at IIT Roorkee and was invited to the International Vancouver Summer Program at the University of British Columbia during her master's degree.
Dr. Kaur has organized and led several workshops and expert talks, such as the one-day workshop on the socioeconomic impact of PMAY(U) Project in Varanasi, a high-end workshop on 3D Mapping and Modeling using Drone and GIS Software, and a national training program on Water Urbanism for Resilient Development. She has also contributed to discussions on climate risk preparedness using intangible cultural heritage, sustainable hillside development, and the management of historic towns in South Asia.
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Key Indicators for Enhancing Transportation Infrastructure Resilience to Urban Flooding
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM MT