Madhavi Latha Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Madhavi Latha

• Madhavi Latha wanted to be a doctor, but her family’s financial situation did not allow it. After that, she became the first engineer in her community.

• During her period at NIT Warangal, she earned a gold medal in her studies.

• She pursued her postdoctoral research at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru from 2002 to 2003.

• During the same time, she served as an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.

• In June 2003, she started working as an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). She served in the position till May 2009.

• In June 2009, Madhavi Latha was promoted to the position of associate professor. She served in the position till May 2015.

• She then became a professor in June 2015 and served in the position till July 2024.

• In July 2021, Madhavi Latha was appointed as the chairman of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at IISC.

• In July 2024, she was appointed as a Professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• She has worked in the field of geotechnical engineering and research.

• During her post-doctoral studies in Rock Engineering at IISc in Bangalore, Latha also worked as a faculty member.

• She became the first woman to be appointed as a faculty member in her department at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

• During this period, she had to fight for basic facilities like a women’s toilet at the institute.
• She studies the behaviour of soil and ground while using reinforcements.
  

  Madhavi Latha while inducted as a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE) during the INAE Annual Convention (2024)

• Madhavi Latha researched the interaction of soil with geosynthetics. Her study focused on friction when they meet.

• She has worked on improving the strength of soil by using geocells. She tested how it works under the foundations, walls, and slopes of buildings.

• She studied the building of roads with reinforced materials. She tested the repeated pressure like the movement of a vehicle.

• She researched the behaviour of retained walls during earthquakes.

• She has worked on cracked rocks and checked the stability of slopes. She has designed methods to keep the rock slopes safe.

• On 6 June 2025, she made headlines for shaping and building the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Reportedly, it became the the highest railway bridge in the world.
• The bridge is 359 metres high and 1,315 metres long. Reportedly, it is taller than the Eiffel Tower.

• She worked as an advisor during the construction of the Chenab Rail Bridge.

• She helped in designing rock anchors to keep the structure of the bridge safe in weak and unpredictable areas.
  

  Madhavi Latha posing near the Chenab Bridge with her team members

• She worked on slope stability and designed the foundation of the bridge in difficult and risky rock areas.

• When she became viral on social media for her contribution to the the Chenab Bridge, she requested the media not to make her famous. Madhavi Latha gave all the credit of the bridge to Indian Railways.

• She was put into the project in 2005 by Northern Railways and the contractor Afcons as part of IISc’s support team.
• On this project, she worked for 17 years as a geotechnical consultant.