Rourkela: Four researchers from National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, have been selected for the LOTUS Research Exchange Programme supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), paving the way for research stints at four Japanese universities.The researchers will work at Nagoya University, Osaka University, University of Fukui and Kyushu University in areas spanning engineering, materials science and biotechnology as part of Indo-Japanese scientific collaboration. They are likely to leave for Japan in Jan 2027.Ganesh Shiva Sagar, a third-year PhD scholar in NIT-R’s civil engineering department, has been selected for the one-year LOTUS Basic programme at Nagoya University, where he will work under Prof Igarashi Go.Sagar, who is pursuing his PhD under Prof Subhajit Mondal, is researching ways to recreate 2,000-year-old Roman concrete technology, known for its durability. During his stint in Japan, he will study how the recreated concrete performs under different environmental conditions and explore its potential for developing longer-lasting infrastructure. A native of Hyderabad, he completed his MTech in structural engineering before joining NIT-R.Puja Dokonia of the biotechnology and medical engineering department has secured a three-year JST LOTUS-ASPIRE postdoctoral fellowship at Osaka University. She will work under Prof Hiroshi Uyama of the Graduate School of Engineering.Her research interests include sustainable nanomaterials, environmental biotechnology, antimicrobial and antibiofilm technologies and environmental remediation. Her PhD supervisor at NIT-R is Prof Angana Sarkar.Two PhD scholars from the mechanical engineering department have also been selected for one-year research stints in Japan.Kanathala Yojitha, who works under Dr B Kiran Naik, will conduct research at the University of Fukui under Prof Chaobin Dang. Her project has received funding of JPY 4.452 million for the period from Oct 1, 2026, to Sept 30, 2027.Sameer Kumar Verma, who works under Dr Kishore Singh Patel and Dr B Kiran Naik, will undertake research at Kyushu University under Dr Kazuki Kuga. His project has also received JPY 4.452 million for the same period.The JST LOTUS programme promotes scientific collaboration between India and Japan through research exchanges involving graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. While LOTUS Basic supports research collaborations for up to a year, LOTUS-ASPIRE offers longer-term research opportunities of up to three years..