Sunder Bukya

Dr. Sunder B is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences at Mahindra University, Hyderabad. He earned his PhD in Cognitive Science from the Centre for Neural & Cognitive Sciences, University of Hyderabad, and subsequently completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Applied Linguistics & Translation Studies, University of Hyderabad, where he worked on language processing. Before joining Mahindra University, he served as Assistant Professor (Guest Faculty) at the University of Hyderabad, teaching and mentoring students in cognitive science and interdisciplinary studies.
His teaching includes cognitive science, research methodology, communication, decision-making, and interdisciplinary courses integrating psychology, linguistics, and technology. Dr. Sunder’s research adopts experimental and computational approaches to investigate attention, perception, memory, decision-making, bilingualism, speech perception, and applied linguistics. He has published in peer-reviewed journals, authored book chapters, secured funded research projects, and contributed to a patent on driver distraction risk assessment using eye-tracking and spatiotemporal modelling. He has presented his work at national and international conferences and actively contributes to academic leadership through curriculum development, conference organisation, and interdisciplinary research collaborations, advancing cognitive science and human-centred technologies.

• 10/2023 – 07/2024: Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF), Centre for Applied Linguistics & Translation Studies, University of Hyderabad, India
  Project Area: Language Processing
• 08/2016 – 11/2022: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Cognitive Science, Centre for Neural & Cognitive Sciences, University of Hyderabad, India
  Thesis Title: Concept Sharing
  Supervisor: Prof. Ramesh Kumar Mishra
• Master of Arts (5 year Integrated), Language Sciences, School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. (2008-2013)

Journal Publications:

• Bukya S., Bhargavi C. (2026). Adaptive Depth Calibration Training Reduces Spatial Anxiety and Enhances Spatial Task Performance. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 19(4): 224-231. https://doi.org/10.17485/IJST/v19i4.1727.
• Bukya, S., (2026). The role of hearing aids and cochlear implants in post-viral hearing loss: A speech perception analysis. Russian Otorhinolaryngology. 25(2):84-97. https://doi.org/10.18692/1810-4800-2026-2-84-97
• Bukya, S., Gupta, M.K., & Kumar, S.B.R. (2025). Speech Perception in High-Frequency Sloping Hearing Loss Under Different Aided Conditions: Single Case Study. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg77, 1301–1306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-025-05325-7
• Bukya, S., Mishra, R. K., and Arulmozi, S. (2022). Metaphor Generation Process in Banjara Language, Journal of Fundamental & Comparative Research, UGC Care journal group-1, ISSN: 2277-7067, Vol-9, Issue-1, 98-108.
• Bukya, S., (2021). Suffix Negatives of Banjara Language, Indian Journal of Applied Research, ISSN: 2249-555X, Vol-11, Issue-1, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.36106/ijar

Patent:

• Bukya, S., Goyal, N., Ranjan, S., Showry, V., Bahl, A., & Vattem, S. S., A System and Method for Predictive Driver Distraction Risk Assessment Using Eye-Tracking and Spatiotemporal Modelling, Patent Application No. 202641054251, OfficialJournal of the Patent Office, Government of India, Patent Office Journal No. 20/2026,p. 56085, (2026).

Conference Preceding Publications:

• Bukya, S., Phani Krishna, P., Male, S.R. (2026). Gender Disparities in Spatial Cognition: The Influence of Stereopsis and Mental Rotation. In: Bhattacharyya, S., Banerjee, J.S., De, D., Mahmud, M. (eds) Intelligent Human Centered Computing. HUMAN 2025. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 1691. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3671-9_3

Book Chapter Publications:

• Bukya S. (2025). “Cognate-Driven Word Recognition in Banjara-Telugu Bilinguals and Banjara-Telugu-English Trilinguals”. In: Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (Ed.) Collected Studies on Bharatiya Bhasha Pariwar: Perspectives and Horizons. Chapter 11: Pp. 136-147. New Delhi: National Book Trust of India (ISBN: 978-93-6719-468-3). https://www.nbtindia.gov.in/books_detail__6__general-titles__8870__collected-studies-on-bharatiya-bhasha-pariwar-perspectives-and-horizons.nbt
• Baishya A, Bukya S. (2025). “Linguistic harmony among the North East Indian Languages”. In: Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (Ed.) Collected Studies on Bharatiya Bhasha Pariwar: Perspectives and Horizons. Chapter 17: Pp. 216-223. New Delhi: National Book Trust of India (ISBN: 978-93-6719-468-3). https://www.nbtindia.gov.in/books_detail__6__general-titles__8870__collected-studies-on-bharatiya-bhasha-pariwar-perspectives-and-horizons.nbt

Awards:

• Received the International Best-Case Study of the year 2024 award in the conference “International Science, Technology & Research Awards Congress 2024”, issued on 20^th October 2024. Certificate No: ISTA0Z1033.

Academic & Research Events Organized:

• Conference Convenor “Linguistic Harmony: Exploring Unity Among Indian Languages” Mahindra University, Sponsored by Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS), Ministry of Education, Government of India
  Date: January 23, 2025 | Venue: Mahindra University, Hyderabad

Successfully organized a one-day national conference focusing on linguistic diversity, Indian language technology, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). The event featured distinguished speakers from across India, fostering academic discussions and interdisciplinary collaboration in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Conference Presentations:

International Conference Presentations

• Dec. 2024 Presented a paper titled: Exploring Cognitive Load and Behavioral Intention in Online Food Delivery Services: Insights from the Indian Market at International Scientific Research Congress held December 21-22, 2024, Istanbul, Turkey.
• May 2024 Presented a paper titled: Measuring cochlear implant satisfaction in adults with post-lingual hearing impairment: Satisfaction beyond communication abilities at the 2nd International Webinar on ENT: Head and Neck Surgery held May 23-24, 2024 | GMT+7 (Bangkok, Thailand).
• May 2024 Presented a paper titled: Speech perception performance in sloping high-frequency hearing loss and frequency-lowering strategy in digital hearing aids: A case report at the 2nd International Webinar on ENT: Head and Neck Surgery held on May 23-24, 2024 | GMT+7 (Bangkok, Thailand).
• Oct. 2023 Presented a poster titled: Gender Disparities in Spatial Cognition: The Influence of Stereopsis and Mental Rotation at the Fourth International Symposium on the Mathematics of Neuroscience (Rhodes, Greece, 2023) held on 1^st October 2023.
• Aug. 2020 Presented a paper titled: Metaphorical Effects in Banjara. LAEL webinar entitled Metaphors in the experience of illness by Elena Semino. Pontifical Catholic University of Sao, Brazil, held on 25^th August 2020.

Projects:

• Driving Behavior and Cognitive Efficiency in Visual Search Tasks among Young Drivers in India; Amount: Rs. 6.7 Lakhs; Investigators: Dr. Sunder Bukya (PI); Dr. Nidhi Goyal; Dr. Shivaram Male
• Symbols to Syntax: Decoding the Indus Valley Script Through AI; Amount: Rs. 6.8 Lakhs; Investigators: Dr. Paromita Das Gupta; Dr Rahul Dass; Dr Sreedevi Polpakkara; Dr Nidhi Goyal and Dr Sunder Bukya (Co-PI)
• Transforming Stakeholder Mindsets to Target Sustainable Development Goals in Infrastructure Development; Amount: Rs. 2.47 Lakhs; Investigators: Dr. Sulakshya Gaur; Dr. Kalyan Ram Joyasula; Dr. Sunder Bukya (Co-PI)

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2864-1726

• 07/2024 – Present: Assistant Professor, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, India
• 11/2023 – 06/2024: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Centre for Applied Linguistics & Translation Studies, University of Hyderabad, India
• 07/2023 – 10/2023: Assistant Professor (Guest Faculty), Centre for Neural & Cognitive Sciences, University of Hyderabad, India

His research lies at the intersection of Cognitive Science, Cognitive Psychology, and Applied Linguistics, focusing on the cognitive mechanisms underlying human language, perception, memory, attention, and decision-making. He applies experimental, behavioural, and computational approaches, including eye-tracking and multimodal cognitive experiments, to investigate human cognition in real-world contexts. His current research explores attentional processes in working memory, visual cognition, spatial cognition, driving behaviour, bilingual language processing, and speech perception. He is also interested in developing human-centred cognitive technologies and interdisciplinary applications that integrate cognitive science with artificial intelligence, language processing, and human-computer interaction. My long-term goal is to bridge fundamental cognitive research with practical applications in education, transportation, healthcare, and language technologies.