P Krishna Kumar
For Dr. P. Krishna Kumar, learning has always been something that continues beyond alma maters. As the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at SRM Madurai College for Engineering and Technology, he believes that an educator must remain a learner first. Every new concept, he feels, adds something valuable, not just to understanding, but also to the way it teaches and guides students.
He started with NPTEL in 2018 with ‘Strength of Materials’. At the time, it was a way to revisit the fundamentals of Civil Engineering, but it slowly became a habit. He followed it up with ‘Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures’ in 2019 and ‘Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory’ in 2021. Each course helped him look at familiar subjects with fresh interest and gave him more confidence in the concepts he teaches every day.
He did not, however, restrict his learning to one area. In 2024 and 2025, he completed ‘Structural Analysis-I’ and ‘Basic Construction Materials’, further strengthening his knowledge in Structural Engineering and Construction. But he also chose to explore something completely different i.e. ‘Python for Data Science’.
He gradually developed a more focused approach to learning: identify your domain, fix it and start building your expertise in it.
For someone with his background, it was a conscious step towards interdisciplinary learning and a reminder that skills like data science and programming are becoming important in every field.
His efforts did not go unnoticed. During the July-December 2025 session, Dr. Krishna Kumar was recognised as an NPTEL Discipline Star in Civil Engineering. He was also named a Top Performing Mentor for the course ‘Building Materials as a Cornerstone to Sustainability’. For him, these recognitions reflected not only his own commitment to learning but also the time he invested in guiding other learners and helping them stay on track.
In 2026, he continued learning with ‘Smart Cities’, where he scored 94 marks and earned the Elite + Gold certification. By this point, he had successfully completed eight NPTEL courses, with results ranging from Elite to Elite + Gold. But more than the scores, what stood out is the consistency: he has continued learning year after year, even while managing academic responsibilities and departmental work.
One of the most memorable milestones in his journey came in 2026, when he was selected for an NPTEL internship at IIT Guwahati, held from 1st June to 31st July. Under the guidance of Prof. Sreedep Sekharan, the internship gave him wider academic exposure and a closer look at research-oriented learning. It also reinforced something he has always believed: platforms like NPTEL can open doors far beyond online lectures and certificates.
Today, Dr. Kumar brings these experiences into his role as a teacher, researcher, and mentor.
He encourages his students to explore courses beyond their syllabus, stay curious, and treat learning as a lifelong process.
For him, NPTEL has been more than just an online learning platform. It has been a journey of growth, from a learner revisiting fundamentals to a mentor guiding others, and from gaining knowledge to sharing it with the next generation.
~written by Khadija Hussain
