• Best Research Paper Award – Central Asian Journal of Water Research (2023).
• Telford Premium Prize – Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), UK (2020).
• Young Alumni Achiever Award – Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati (2021).
• Outstanding Talent Program – Shantou University (2022–2025, only foreign recipient).
• Excellent Young Talent Program – Shantou University (2019–2022).
• Young Doctor Award – Ministry of Education, Guangdong, China (2018).
• Talented Youth Scientist Program – MOST, China (2018).
• Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Award (2010–2014).
• DAAD Scholarship – Research internship in Germany (2009).
• Ministry of Education Scholarship (India) – Top 0.0014% nationally (2006–2010).
• Highest Publications in Web of Science (2010–2019) – On "Green Infrastructure" (per review by Spanish researchers)

Opportunity for students (undergraduate or postgraduate): Feel free to contact me at Ankit.Garg@xjtlu.edu.cn for the idea or about career related doubts (higher studies). Students will be given chance to work with International students and also former alumni of my group (now at Finland, US, UK etc). The idea is to build an International team and also inculcate understanding and sharing of different cultures along with technical knowledge or expertise.

Below is brief summary of research work:

1. Biochar Design from Local Wastes for Soil Enhancement

Objective: Develop tailored biochar from regional agricultural/industrial wastes (e.g., tea residue, rice husk) to optimize soil water retention and thermal properties.
Approach:

• Pyrolyze feedstocks at varying temperatures (300°C vs. 600°C) to modulate pore structure, surface functionality, and hydrophobicity (Huang et al., 2021).

• Establish soil-specific guidelines by correlating biochar properties (e.g., specific surface area, ash content) with soil texture (silty sand, clay, etc.).
  Key Reference:

Huang et al. (2021) demonstrated that low-temperature (300°C) biochar from woody biomass enhanced water retention in sandy soils by 35%, while high-temperature (600°C) biochar performed better in clayey soils due to increased microporosity (Sci. Rep., 11, 7419).

2. AI-Driven Optimization of Biochar-Soil Interactions

Objective: Leverage machine learning to predict biochar efficacy for water retention across diverse soils.
Approach:

• Train artificial neural networks (ANNs) on datasets linking biochar properties (pH, CEC, porosity) to soil hydraulic parameters.

• Incorporate soil grain size distribution as a critical input variable (Garg et al., 2022).
  Key Reference:

Garg et al. (2022) developed an ANN model with >90% accuracy in predicting water retention curves for biochar-amended soils, highlighting the dominance of biochar pore volume in coarse-grained soils (Acta Geotech., 17, 1315–26).

3. Biochar-Amended Plant Microbial Fuel Cells (PMFCs) for Energy and Sensing

Objective: Explore biochar’s role in enhancing bioelectricity generation in PMFCs and develop low-cost soil biosensors.
Approach:

• Test biochar types (e.g., manure-derived vs. lignocellulosic) as PMFC anodes to boost electron transfer (Gan et al., 2024).

• Correlate bioelectricity output with soil properties (e.g., moisture, organic content) for biosensing applications.
  Key Reference:

Gan et al. (2024) reported a 2.8-fold increase in PMFC power density using 500°C wood biochar due to its conductive carbon networks (ACS Appl. Bio Mater., 7, 6554–67).