Dr. Surendra Singh Rathod

Dr. Surendra Singh Rathod

Principal
Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues College of Engineering

Dr. Surendra Singh Rathod received his ME from VJTI and Ph.D. from I.I.T. Roorkee. With 27 years of teaching experience, he previously served for 23 years at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Sardar Patel Institute of Technology, where he was Professor, HoD of Electronics, and Dean Academics. He currently serves as the Principal at Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues College of Engineering, Mumbai.

His expertise lies in VLSI design, device modeling, and circuit simulation. He is an approved Ph.D. research guide at the University of Mumbai, and has guided 7 Ph.D. students to completion. His research has yielded over 100 conference papers and 50+ journal publications in reputed platforms including IEEE Transactions, Journal of Applied Physics, and Elsevier. His recent work has been featured in IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence. He holds seven Indian patents, a monograph, and two book chapters.

Dr. Rathod has played key roles as Technical Program Chair (3 times) and Sponsorship Chair at the IEEE ICCICT conference. He also has six courses on Udemy, is on the governing bodies of several colleges, and serves on advisory panels for industries. He was recognized with the ISTE Best Engineering College Teacher Award (2012) and an outstanding achievement award from the Governor of Pondicherry (2007). His students have won numerous accolades at UG, PG, and PhD levels. He is a faculty fellow of IUCEE.

Keynote Title

The Joy of Learning in Technical Education: A Bloom Long Overdue


Overview

For years, technical education in India has prioritized rote learning, rigid assessments, and grades over genuine understanding. We prepared students for exams, not for life — and in doing so, lost the joy of learning.

It’s time we ask: Are we creating pressure, or nurturing potential? Are we assessing marks, or meaning? True education should shift from teaching to inspiring, from syllabus coverage to discovery.

Why does joy matter in engineering? Because curiosity fuels creativity. A joyful learner explores, connects ideas, and becomes a problem solver — not just a syllabus follower. That spark when code finally runs — that’s the real beginning of learning.

Thankfully, change is underway. Outcome-based education, interdisciplinary projects, and experiential learning are rekindling curiosity. But these aren’t add-ons — they are essential.

Let’s make space for questions without answers, for failed experiments, for diverse learners. The world needs engineers who not only know, but care and imagine.

Joyful learning isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. Let’s build an education system that sparks curiosity, nurtures purpose, and redefines success — not just for jobs, but for life. The bloom is overdue. Let’s water it — together.

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