Om P. Damani

Om P. Damani is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He serves as Faculty In-Charge of the Sustainable Development unit of the Center for Policy Studies and is also associated with the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA). His work bridges computer science with social development challenges, focusing on practical applications for rural communities.

Dr. Damani's research interests span Technology for Development of the bottom 80%, System Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation for Social Development, System Architecture, and Data Science. His work demonstrates how computational approaches can address complex development challenges through projects like GramDrishti (for detecting rural infrastructure in satellite images), JalTantra (for optimizing water distribution networks), and FAI (Farm Assessment Index for holistic farming practice evaluation). His publications reveal a consistent focus on applying computer science to solve real-world problems in water management, agricultural systems, and rural infrastructure.

His research has been recognized with significant awards including the IIT Bombay Industrial Impact Award 2010, IIT Bombay Impactful Research Award 2019, and Best Poster Award at Agriculture Science Congress 2017. Dr. Damani has successfully translated theoretical research into practical tools that address development challenges, particularly in water resource management and agricultural systems.

As an educator, he has mentored numerous PhD students including Chintan Tundia, Shreenivas Kunte, Nikhil Hooda, Sivamuthu Prakash Murugan, Dipak L. Chaudhari, Prateek Kapadia, and Manoj K. Chinnakotla. His teaching portfolio includes courses on System Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation for Development (CS 752), Program Derivation (CS 420), and ICT for Development.

Dr. Damani's educational background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin (1994-1999), B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Kanpur (1990-1994), and prior professional experience at IBM T J Watson Research Lab and Akamai Technologies.