Dr. R. Dhivagar

Dr. R. Dhivagar is an Associate Professor (Research) in the Division of Mechanical Engineering at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Energy Engineering from Anna University, Chennai (2020), an M.E. in Energy Engineering from Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore (2016), and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore (2014). His research interests include performance enhancement of solar still desalination systems using sensible and latent heat storage materials, phase change materials and bio-based energy storage media, photovoltaic-integrated solar stills for combined power and freshwater production, and condensation and evaporation heat transfer of low-GWP refrigerants in plate heat exchangers for electric vehicle battery thermal management.

His research focuses on heat transfer, renewable energy, solar desalination, thermal energy storage, and energy, exergy, economic and environmental (4E/5E) assessment of thermal systems. He has published 39 SCI/SCIE journal papers (24 in Q1 journals), 12 Scopus-indexed journal papers, and one other indexed paper, including 2 single-author review articles. His work has received 1,781 Scopus citations (h-index 25) and 2,032 Google Scholar citations (h-index 26). He holds three granted design patents: a robotic device to capture marine life samples (UK), a hand-operated cutting machine for agricultural use (India), and a twisted tape heat exchanger (India). He has also co-authored a textbook on Engineering Graphics. Stanford University and Elsevier have listed him among the World's Top 2% Scientists for four consecutive years (2023 - 2026).

Dr. Dhivagar is an Editorial Board Member of Renewable Energy Research and Application. He has reviewed more than 300 manuscripts for 54 international journals, including Desalination, Applied Thermal Engineering, International communications in heat and mass transfer, Journal of Energy Storage, Energy, and Solar Energy. He is a recognized Ph.D. supervisor in Mechanical Engineering at Karunya and is currently guiding three doctoral scholars. His honours include the Research Recognition Certificate from Anna University (2023), the Best Research Faculty Shield from QIS College of Engineering and Technology (2023), and the Excellent Research Faculty Plaque from Yeungnam University, South Korea (2026). He is a member of the International Association of Engineers (IAENG).

He has nearly ten years of academic and research experience. He has served as Associate Professor (Research) in Mechanical Engineering at Karunya since March 2026. Before that, he was a Research Assistant Professor at Yeungnam University, South Korea (2025–2026) and an Assistant Professor at QIS College of Engineering and Technology, Ongole (2021–2025). He was also a Research Scholar at Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore (2020) and an Assistant Professor at Sri Krishna College of Technology, Coimbatore (2016–2020). His teaching interests include Engineering Thermodynamics, Thermal Engineering, Gas Dynamics and Jet Propulsion, Renewable Sources of Energy, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, and Research Methodology.