Dr. Purnima Jallihal

Dr. Purnima Jalihal is a renowned ocean energy expert and former Head of the Energy and Fresh Water Group at the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), India. She has led innovations in wave, marine current, and ocean thermal energy (OTEC), and played a key role in developing ocean thermal desalination.
She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Duke University, USA, and has received several honors, including the Vishwakarma Medal (2006) and the Uehara Prize (2019) for her contributions to ocean energy technologies.
Dr. Jalihal has served on various national and international committees, including as Vice Chair of the IEA’s Ocean Energy Systems (OES) and Chair of BIS Mirror Committee ETD-54. She was India’s Mission Innovation Champion in 2020 and was featured in CNBC TV18’s Future Female Forward event in 2023.
She now serves as Professor of Practice at Atria University, where she leads the Water-Energy Nexus Laboratory.