Gali Madhavi Latha

Gali Madhavi Latha is an Indian academic and researcher in the field of geotechnical engineering. She is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and chair of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Her research is focused on various subfields of geotechnical engineering, including soil reinforcement, geosynthetics, and rock mechanics. She contributed to the construction of Chenab Rail Bridge, the highest rail bridge in the world.

Early life and education Latha earned her Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree in Civil Engineering in 1992 from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada, graduating with first class and distinction. She went on to obtain her Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Geotechnical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, where she received a gold medal for academic excellence. She completed her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the IIT Madras in 2000.

Academic career Following her doctoral studies, Latha conducted postdoctoral research at the Indian Institute of Science from 2002 to 2003. She subsequently served as an assistant professor at IIT Guwahati from 2003 to 2004. In 2004, she joined the Indian Institute of Science as a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering.

At IISc, she served at various academic positions and become a professor. Over the years, she has supervised numerous graduate students and contributed to geotechnical engineering education and research in India.

She has also worked on geocell-reinforced soils, conducting model tests on foundations, retaining walls, and slopes. Her research covers cyclic load response of geosynthetic-reinforced aggregates used in road construction and the seismic behavior of various types of retaining structures through shaking table studies.