Dr. P. Jegathambal is a Professor at the Water Institute, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, specializing in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. She completed a Post Doctoral Programme in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and earned her Ph.D. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering through the DAAD Sandwich Programme at IIT Madras and RWTH Aachen University. She holds an M.E. in Environmental Engineering from Government College of Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, where she secured first rank, and a B.E. in Civil Engineering from Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai Kamarajar University, where she also secured first rank.
With over two decades of experience, her research focuses on water and wastewater management, water treatment technologies, hydrological modelling, soft computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analytics, GIS and remote sensing, and sustainable groundwater and water resources management. Her academic and research work includes studies on biogas production from poultry waste, aggregates from solid waste pyrolysis, textile wastewater treatment using powdered activated carbon, multicomponent reaction transport modelling in porous media, electrocoagulation, desalination, groundwater modelling, bioremediation, and nanoparticle transport. She has also supervised 22 international IAESTE interns from Austria, Germany, and Japan on research areas including electrocoagulation, desalination, groundwater modelling, and bioremediation.
Dr. Jegathambal has undertaken several externally funded research projects in areas including environmental isotope hydrology and geochemistry, sustainable water management, electroplating effluent treatment, textile industrial effluent remediation, titanium dioxide-coated electrodes, nanoparticle transport, tank recharge characteristics, and decision support systems for wetlands. Her research contributions have resulted in three granted patents related to textile dyeing effluent treatment, water purification using nanocomposite membranes, and wastewater decolorization through electrocoagulation. She has also contributed to consultancy projects concerning the hydro-ecological assessment and conservation management of Ramsar wetlands and has published research in journals covering water and wastewater treatment, desalination, groundwater quality, nanocomposite membranes, and sustainable water resources.
Her professional contributions include participation in international and national professional development programmes and membership in professional organizations including the Institution of Engineers, IAESTE, IWRA, IAH, IWA, IWWA, and ISTE. She has coordinated workshops and conferences and received several recognitions, including the Outstanding Scientist Award, Women Researcher Award, RULA Research Leadership Award, Excellence in Technology Development Award at the World Aqua Congress, DAAD Short-Term Stay and Postdoctoral Fellowship, and DAAD Sandwich Fellowship. She also received the Second Best B.E. Project Award from TANSCST and a Gold Medal as the best outgoing Civil Engineering student.