Shubhang S. Galagali

Education

National Institute of Technology Karnataka [NITK], Surathkal	Mangalore, KA, India
Bachelor of Technology	August 2023 – May 2027
Major in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering - CGPA: 9.51/10.00 Minor in Computer Science and Engineering - CGPA: 9.00/10.00
Class 12: 94%, Class 10: 98.4%	Bengaluru, KA, India

Publication

1. Swapnil Bhure, Divya Nalajala, Shubhang Galagali, Abhik Chaudhury.
   "Dynamic change of process parameters for producing single-crystalline CMSX-4 builds using laser-directed energy deposition(L-DED)"; International Conference on Advanced Materials and Critical Minerals for Energy Transition - December 2025. (Accepted for Oral Presentation)

Experience

Research Intern May 2025 – Dec. 2025

IISc Bengaluru

• Worked under Prof. Abhik Chaudhury in the Materials Modelling Group, at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru - work done is currently being published.
• Worked on Laser-Directed Energy Deposition (L-DED) 3D printing and computational data analysis of temperature and other process parameters during fabrication of CMSX-4 builds for jet engine turbine blade applications.
• Created a workflow with 80% automation using Python for thermal data analysis and file handling using temperature gradients at the melt pool solidus contour; currently researching methodologies to prevent stray-grain formation after 40 mm build height.

Metallurgical Failure Analysis - Industrial Cooling Fan December 2024

MRPL, Mangalore

• Contributed as a member of a three-person team from NITK, along with Prof. Subray Hegde & Dr. Sumanth Govindarajan, during an on-site visit to Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).
• Inspected the failure of a Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) blade of one of the exhaust fans in the Process Cooling Towers - noted the operational history and recorded fracture signatures on the failed component.
• Co-authored the Preliminary Investigation Report (PIR) and submitted to MRPL.

Ongoing Projects

AI-Assisted Failure Analysis of Shafts | Python, Linux Aug. 2024 – Present

Guides: Prof. Subray R. Hegde & Dr. Sumanth Govindarajan, NITK Surathkal

• Developing an AI-powered application that analyses images of failed machine components, specifically shafts, to provide metallurgical failure analysis and actionable recommendations for preventing future failures.
• Studied the most common mechanisms of shaft failures in industries and the fracture signatures of each type of failure on the fracture plane. Automated image retrieval from research papers using Linux shell scripting to build training and testing datasets.
• Currently conducting a literature review on parameters for data labelling while creating a custom dataset and feature extraction methods for classification of the mechanism of shaft failures.

Projects

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle | SolidWorks, Capytaine | Ideation Document Jul. 2025 – Dec. 2025

GUJCOST Robofest 5.0

• Co-designed the mechanical architecture and 3D CAD model of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) featuring modular thruster assemblies, buoyancy control pistons, and a gripper mechanism for object manipulation — submitted for the Ideation Stage of GUJCOST Robofest 5.0 (Govt. of Gujarat initiative).
• Performed structural optimization and component integration for enhanced hydrodynamic stability and load distribution, using iterative design analysis to ensure compactness and manufacturability of the AUV chassis.
• Drafted comprehensive technical documentation detailing subsystem schematics, bill of materials, and mechanical design workflow, forming the foundation for Proof-of-Concept fabrication and future control system integration.

PET Tiles - The Waste to Wealth Saga! | Compression Moulding | Project Report Apr. 2025 – May 2025

MT253: Principles of Extractive Metallurgy

• Designed and implemented a sustainable process to convert discarded PET bottles into low-cost customizable tiles, serving as a proof-of-concept for decentralised circular waste management systems.
• Recycled Polyethene Terephthalate/PET tiles were made using thermoplastic compression moulding. Waste PET bottles were shredded to 16 sq. cm., melted at 300°C, and poured into preheated stainless steel moulds under compressive load.
• Fillers were added to enhance mechanical and aesthetic properties, followed by rapid water quenching to obtain durable tiles, thus converting PET waste into a functional product.

Multiscale Materials Analysis | Python, VESTA, abTEM, ASE | Project Report Oct. 2024 – Apr. 2025

IEEE - NITK Chapter

• Studied the working principles of Electron Microscopy (TEM & SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Explored the theory of energy bands in crystals and solutions of the Schrödinger Equation for specific cases: free electrons, bound electrons, tunnelling, and solid states.
• Learnt simulation tools like ASE, VESTA, and abTEM to integrate computational methods for analysing electronic properties of materials and their structural representation, enabling cost-effective research independent of physical equipment and resource constraints.
• Conducted simulations on materials such as GaAs, Re₆Se₈Cl₂, cubic BAs, SrTiO₃, Ag, Au, Hg, and conductive polymers (e.g., Polyaniline, PEDOT), computing properties like band structure and density of states.

Pathfinder MPC: Charting the Way! | MATLAB | Project Report Jan. 2025 – May 2025

IEEE - NITK Chapter

• Implemented Pure Pursuit Control (PPC), Bicycle Model (BM) & Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithms for extraterrestrial rover systems, enhancing predictive capabilities and real-time adaptability. Reviewed how self-driving tech can be used to explore distant planets or map uncharted terrains in space.
• Compared the performance of the three models under different scenarios, including dynamic obstacle avoidance, response time, computational cost and scalability.
• Exploring a deep learning approach using the Transformer architecture for autonomous systems to track moving targets.

Automated Recognition of License Plates | Python, TF, OpenCV | Project Report Feb. 2024 – May 2024

IEEE - NITK Chapter

• Developed a robust vehicle Number Plate Recognition system [NPR] for Indian vehicles.
• Learnt the basics of Machine Learning, including Regression, Classification, Clustering and Neural Networks.
• Worked on implementing a YOLO Model to snip the boundaries of the license plate from the given picture of a vehicle and fed it to a custom-built CNN Model for feature extraction, followed by OCR-enabled text extraction.
• Deployed TesseractOCR and EasyOCR for efficient number plate text extraction.

Competitions

SAE ADDC 2026 (Runners Up) | SolidWorks, 3D-Printing | LinkedIn Aug. 2025 – Jan. 2026

Team AeroNITK

• As a member of the Structures Team@AeroNITK (2024-2025), I researched different types of Landing Gears, their design and role, to improve their impact on our aircraft dynamics, both mid-flight and during landing.
• Contributed towards the fabrication of an autonomous drone, designed and developed as part of Society of Automotive Engineers India - Southern Section (SAEISS) Autonomous Drone Development Challenge (ADDC) 2026.
• Won second runners-up (third prize) out of 80 teams for the best payload dropping system - Certificate.

Technical Skills

Laboratory Skills: Metallography, UTM, Cold Rolling, XRD, BHN/HV Hardness Testing, Compression Moulding.

Languages: Adept: Python, C++; Familiar: JavaScript, HTML, MySQL.

Software Stack: Blender, Fusion360, SolidWorks, MATLAB, ThermoCalc, OpenFOAM, MicroSim, MS Excel.

Developer Tools: Jupyter Notebooks, Git, Google Cloud Platform, VS Code, Linux Shell

Libraries: OpenCV, PyTorch, TensorFlow, pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib

Achievements and Leadership

• Recipient of Institute Merit Scholarship - NITK Surathkal (2024, 2025). Class Rank 1 out of 56 students.
• Tata Student Delegate: Sponsored by Tata Steel to attend the International Conference on Advanced Materials and Critical Minerals, IIT Hyderabad, India (December 2025).
• Recipient of 'Vidhyanidhee' IEEE Bangalore Section Scholarship 2025.
• Won a Robotics - Exoskeleton Design Competition by IE Robotics (Institute of Engineers) - (Project Report).
• Recipient of Grade I (the highest grade) of Samsung Fellowship for Cohort-5 of the Indian Semiconductor Workforce Development Program (ISWDP) 2025.
• Secured Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS) SRFP Fellowship 2025.
• Was among 37 builders chosen from 270 applicants for UniDAO 2.0 at NITK Surathkal, a select initiative by Devfolio & ETHIndia. Fellowship - POAP Badge.
• Was among 50 participants in the Google Study Jams at NITK Surathkal - Badges Earned.
• Spent the Summer of 2024 diving into Data Analytics through a course offered by C&A Club, IIT Guwahati, and stood in the Top 25%ile at an All-India level - Certification.

Positions of Responsibility

• Contributor - Exercism.org - contributing to open-source solutions and mentoring new learners in Python.
• Organizer - MetaMORPH - Led the successful comeback of the flagship event of the MME Department during NITK's tech fest — ENGINEER 2025.
• Lead - Simulator Project (Team AeroNITK); Lead - Rocketry Subsystem (Amateur Astronomy Club, NITK); Member - IEEE NITK Student Chapter & Quizzing Society.

Cohorts Attended

Phase Field Modelling and Simulation Workshop | Certificate July 2025

IISc Challakere Campus

• Attended the Microstructure Simulator (MicroSim) 5.0 Workshop sponsored by the National Supercomputing Mission, Government of India.
• Gained comprehensive understanding of advanced phase-field models, including Allen-Cahn, Cahn-Hilliard, KKS, Wheeler-Boettinger-McFadden, Grand-Potential formulations.
• Participated in hands-on sessions involving GP-MPI, GP-AMReX, and KKS-CUDA modules, developing skills in multiscale simulation, CUDA-based acceleration.

Summer School on Approximation Algorithms 2025 | Acceptance May 2025

Department of Computer Science and Automation (CSA), IISc Bengaluru

• Was selected to attend the Summer School on Theoretical Computer Science, supported by the Walmart Center for Tech Excellence.
• Participated in sessions on Approximation Algorithms, Vertex Cover, MAX-CUT, Travelling Salesman Problem, Minimum Makespan, Online Algorithms, Cheeger's Inequality.

CeNSE Winter School - 2024 | Certificate of Distinction December 2024

Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc Bengaluru

• Explored the 'Wafer to System' process, gaining insights into semiconductor manufacturing.
• Participated in sessions on Electron Microscopy (SEM, TEM), Vacuum Technology, Neuromorphic Computing, MEMS, and hands-on sessions with TCAD.

Molecular Simulations for Materials Design Workshop - MEEHCON 2024 November 2024

Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut

• Gained insights into Computational Material Sciences, starting with basic principles of Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Density Functional Theory (DFT).
• Learned to apply MD and DFT in material sciences and nanotechnology using LAMMPS and Quantum Espresso.

Coursework

Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering, Physical Metallurgy, Metallurgical Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Phase Diagrams, X-Ray Diffraction and Electron Microscopy, Transport Phenomena in Materials Processing, Polymer Technology, Iron and Steel Making, Heat Treatment, CAD, Phase Field Modelling, Introduction to Computational Materials Science (Density Functional Theory and Molecular Dynamics); Instrumental Methods of Analysis, Testing of Materials, Mechanics of Materials; Electronic Properties of Materials, Aerospace Materials, Applied Cyber Physical Systems, Modelling and Simulation in Materials Processing.