Brief Biography 

Prof. Manas Kamal Bhuyan received his Ph.D. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, India. He carried out postdoctoral research at the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia, and later worked as a Researcher with the SAFE Sensor Research Group, NICTA, Brisbane.

He has held academic positions as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Roorkee and Jorhat Engineering College, Assam, and also served in the Indian Engineering Services. In 2014–2015, he was a Visiting Professor at Indiana University and Purdue University, Indiana, USA.

Prof. Bhuyan is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including the National Award for Best Applied Research/Technological Innovation (presented by the Hon’ble President of India in 2013) (click here for the video), the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship, the Outstanding Achievers’ Recognition (2021) awarded by the Hon’ble Vice President of India, and the BOYSCAST Fellowship. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, a Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE), and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) – IEI.

With almost 31 years of combined experience in industry, teaching, and research, Prof. Bhuyan has authored over 320 research publications in reputed journals and international conferences. He is the author of the textbook "Computer Vision and Image Processing: Fundamentals and Applications," published by CRC Press, USA (2019). He has also developed two highly popular NPTEL video courses: "Machine Learning & Deep Learning" and "Computer Vision and Image Processing – Fundamentals and Applications," along with a web course titled "Computer Vision and Applications."

His current research interests include machine learning and artificial intelligence, image and video processing, computer vision, human–computer interaction (HCI), virtual reality and augmented reality, and biomedical signal processing. He has also made significant contributions to Indian Sign Language (ISL) research, assistive technologies, and medical image analysis.

Prof. Bhuyan is currently a Professor in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at IIT Guwahati. He also serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Chubu University, Japan, and is an Associate Faculty Member at both the Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the Centre for Linguistic Science and Technology at IIT Guwahati.

Academic and Research Profile

Prof. Manas Kamal Bhuyan is a pioneering researcher in Indian Sign Language (ISL) and assistive technologies, with over 27 years of impactful work at the intersection of AI, computer vision, and disability empowerment. A National Awardee and Fulbright Fellow, he is internationally recognized for developing AI-driven ISL education and recognition systems that have transformed the lives of persons with disabilities.

His flagship project, the Automatic Indian Sign Language Education and Recognition Platform, offers a robust solution for real-time gesture recognition—including continuous and two-handed gestures—empowering deaf students in diverse learning environments. Dr. M.K. Bhuyan pioneered a comprehensive approach to sign language recognition, addressing challenges such as dynamic backgrounds, illumination variation, coarticulation, movement epenthesis, and complex two-handed gestures. In addition, he developed assistive interfaces for the deaf, mute, and patients. Unlike many researchers who focus on limited aspects of gesture recognition, his holistic contributions have significantly advanced the field and fostered inclusive communication technologies. His innovations also extend to healthcare, notably through the development of patient assistance systems using a range of deep learning architectures.

Dr. Bhuyan developed an AI platform for colon cancer detection, significantly advancing early diagnosis techniques. This innovative work was featured on Rajya Sabha TV’s Gyan Vigyan News during the Research News segment on early detection of colon cancer (click here for the video) (click) (click). Additionally, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he created the Virtual Presence Platform that enabled remote participation in the 22nd Convocation of IIT Guwahati (2020), ensuring an interactive and seamless experience for graduates, faculty, and guests during global restrictions. This platform received extensive coverage in national news for its innovative approach in adapting to pandemic challenges (click here for the video) (click) (click).

His research has been acknowledged in international strategic reports, including the SAFE Project Review by the Government of Australia. His expertise in computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning has had a profound impact on fields such as human-computer interaction (HCI), medical image analysis, and video surveillance. His ongoing research in polyp segmentation and classification shows significant promise for future applications in healthcare and medicine.

Prof. Bhuyan has authored two textbooks, developed two NPTEL video courses, one MHRD web course, and published over 320 papers in reputed journals and conferences. His global collaborations, including with Purdue University (USA) and the University of Queensland (Australia), aim to advance cross-cultural sign language technologies.

His accolades include the National Award for Best Applied Research and Innovation (2012), conferred by the Government of India for his significant contribution to developing an AI-based sign language recognition and education framework supporting persons with disabilities. The award was presented by the Honourable President of India at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 6th February 2013. He was also awarded a prestigious fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, to attend and deliver an invited talk at the Indo-French Seminar on Matrix Information Geometries, held at École Polytechnique, Paris, France in 2011, which later led to a published book chapter.

Other honors include the Fulbright Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2013–14), Achievers of Assam recognition (2021), the BOYSCAST Fellowship (2006), and inclusion in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. He has received multiple Best Paper Awards at international forums such as BIOIMAGING 2019 (Czech Republic), PATTERNS 2017 (Greece), Smart City Workshop 2025 (India), and MVA 2023 (Japan), where his paper "Automatic Polyp Detection in Endoscope Images Using a Hessian Filter" was honored as the Most Influential Research Paper Over the Decade.

In addition to his technical achievements, Prof. Bhuyan plays a vital role in science and technology policy, serving on expert panels for DRDO, SERB, and ANRF, and contributing significantly to the development of Assam’s Science, Technology & Innovation Policy.

Prof. M.K. Bhuyan is a regular reviewer for a wide range of prestigious international journals across AI, computer vision, biomedical engineering, and signal processing. His reviewing contributions span leading IEEE journals such as IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics: Systems, IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics & Security, IEEE Signal Processing Letters, IEEE Access, and IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

Prof. M.K. Bhuyan has successfully guided 30 Ph.D. scholars, 1 post-doctoral researcher, 45 M.Tech. students, and 53 B.Tech. students. He has led several sponsored research projects funded by agencies such as MeitY, SERB, the Ministry of External Affairs (under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme), the National Mission Project on Education through ICT, MHRD, DIT, AICTE, and Media Lab Asia. In addition, he has undertaken numerous industry consultancy projects, contributing to real-world technological advancements.

Academic Positions

• Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, IIT Guwahati (Since 2018)

• Professor, Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, IIT Guwahati (Since 2020)

• Visiting Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chubu University, Japan (Since 2020)

• Visiting Professor, Purdue University, USA (2014–2015)

• Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Roorkee, India

• Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia

• Researcher, SAFE Sensor Research Group, NICTA, Brisbane, Australia

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Administrative Roles

• Dean, Infrastructure, Planning and Management, IIT Guwahati (2022–2025)

• Associate Dean, Infrastructure, Planning and Management, IIT Guwahati (2019–2022)

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Awards and Fellowships

• National Award for Best Applied Research/Technological Innovation, presented by the Hon’ble President of India (2013)

• Outstanding Achievers’ Recognition, Hon’ble Vice President of India (2021)

• Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2014)

• BOYSCAST Fellowship, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India (2006)

• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Engineering and Technology (2002)

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Professional Memberships

• Senior Member, IEEE (Membership No. 92023537)

• Fellow, Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) (Membership No. 505523)

• Fellow, Institution of Engineers (India) (IEI) (Membership No. F-1318736)

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Publications and Courses

• Author, Computer Vision and Image Processing: Fundamentals and Applications, CRC Press, USA

• NPTEL Instructor:

  • Machine Learning & Deep Learning (Video course)

  • Computer Vision and Image Processing – Fundamentals and Applications (Video course)

  • Computer Vision and Applications (Web course)

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Key Research Contributions and Recognitions

• Best Paper Award – Multimodal Vision-Based Hand Rehabilitation System with Hand and Eye Movement Analysis, Smart City Workshop 2025, IIT Guwahati, IIT Madras, University of Ibaraki (Japan), and Hitachi Research (Japan)

• Most Influential Research Paper Over the Decade – Automatic Polyp Detection in Endoscope Images Using a Hessian Filter, 18th International Conference on Machine Vision Applications (MVA 2023), Japan

• AI Platform for Colon Cancer Detection, featured on Rajya Sabha TV – Gyan Vigyan News

• Virtual Presence Platform, developed for the 22nd Convocation of IIT Guwahati, widely featured in national media

• Best Research Paper Award – Polyp Shape Recovery Using Vascular Border from Single Colonoscopy Image, BIOIMAGING 2019, Czech Republic

• Best Poster Award – Dense 3D Reconstruction of Endoscopic Polyp, BIOIMAGING 2018, Portugal

• Best Paper Award – Detection and Classification of Defective Electronic Circuit Boards Using CNN Features and Keypoint Extraction, PATTERNS 2017, Athens, Greece

• Research Acknowledgment – Contribution recognized in the SAFE (SENSORS) Strategic Project Review 2007, National ICT Australia

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Keynote Speaker

• 2nd International Conference on Signal Processing and Computer Vision (SIPCOV-2025), NIT Silchar, India, 08 August 2025

• Indo-French Seminar on Matrix Information Geometries, École Polytechnique, Paris, France (2011)

• IEEE Asian Conference on Defence Technology (ACDT 2019), Bali, Indonesia

• Second International Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer Engineering and Their Applications (EECEA 2015), Manila, Philippines

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Advisory and Government Roles

• Member, Board of Governors, NIT Meghalaya

• Advisor, Assam Transport Department, Government of Assam

• Chairperson, Assam Police Procurement Review Committee, Directorate General of Police, Government of Assam

• Expert Member, Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), Government of India

• Member, Programme Advisory Committee (PAC-EECE), Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), DST, Government of India

• Member, Programme Advisory Committee on Exponential Technologies, SERB, DST, Government of India