👋🏼 Hello there, I’m Debojjal /deːboˈdʒɔl/ (Deb)!

Hi! I’m currently a graduate student specializing in Transportation Engineering at the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin. My academic journey began with a BS (research) degree from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where I majored in Earth & Environmental Science along with a minor in Mathematics. During my time there, I was associated with the Transportation Networks Lab at the Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation & Urban Planning (CiSTUP). Over the past two years, I have delved into sustainable logistics and transportation.

My roots trace back to the picturesque city of Kalyani, nestled near Kolkata. I then moved to Bangalore, often referred to as the Garden City of India, for my undergraduate studies. Currently, I call the vibrant and musically-rich city of Austin my home.

Thank you for visiting my site. I invite you to explore the site and learn more about my research. Should you wish to discuss my research or simply chat, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email.

Education

Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E) - Aug 2023 – Fall, 2024 (Expected) (Admitted to the Ph.D. program with an M.S. (Thesis) en route)
Major: Transportation Engineering; Minor: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, UT Austin
Advisor: Prof. Stephen Boyles

Bachelor of Science (B.S. by Research) - Aug 2019 – May, 2023
Major: Earth and Environmental Science; Minor: Mathematics, IISc, Bengaluru
Awards: Gold Medal for highest GPA in major, Highest project grade, First Class Distinction
Thesis: Energy Efficient and Safe Routing for Last-mile Logistics
Advisor: Prof. Tarun Rambha

Research Interests

My primary area of interest lies in transportation network analysis, traffic assignment and the optimization of routes with a focus on their environmental impacts. I have worked extensively on reverse logistics network design, variants of the Travelling Salesman Problem, and traffic routing. Recently, I developed a keen interest in congestion pricing and tolling. In my research, I consistently employ metaheuristics and mathematical programming as my go-to solution techniques.

Primary Focus: Transportation Network Optimisation, Sustainable Transportation, Congestion Pricing, Traffic Equilibrium

Allied Focus: Convex Optimization, Discrete Event Simulation, Metaheuristics, Machine Learning, Algorithmic Game Theory, Mathematical Programming

Achievements

I am an NTSE National Scholar recognized by MHRD, Govt. of India & KVPY Research Fellow. I was awarded Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search Fellowship by Padma Shree Prof. Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay (Currently director of ISI, Kolkata). Further, I received the Dhirubhai Ambani Fellowship and The Telegraph School Award. I was awarded the MITACS Globalink Research Internship Award to carry out 12 weeks of research in Canada. Most recently, I was granted the Graduate School Fellowship from the University of Texas at Austin.

Non Academic Interests

I am currently learning to play the guitar. My leisure moments are often spent engrossed in chess or exploring new content for my budding YouTube channel. I’m fervently passionate about the startup ecosystem and love hearing stories and pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs. I was one of the founding members of coachio.in. Oh, and yes! planning or going on a trip? Always count me in!