When Engineers Shape Asia

Over the past two decades, China and India have undergone one of the most dramatic expansions of engineering education in human history. In 2020 alone, India awarded 1.5 million science and engineering degrees, and China awarded 2 million. In China, engineering now makes up a third of all university degrees, and this rate far outpaces the United States. China and India are producing engineers at an unprecedented scale, with significant implications for governance, social mobility, gender equity, and the labour market. What does it mean for a society when efficiency and measurable outcomes become the dominant lens through which its most educated citizens — and its leaders — see the world? Do you need an “engineered” society to replicate China’s economic growth? And how might India’s path differ? A webinar from La Trobe Asia and the Asian Smart Cities Research and Innovation Network (ASCRIN) at La Trobe University. Speakers: Dr Trissia Wijaya (McKenzie Research Fellow, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne) Abhiram Haridas (PhD Candidate, ASCRIN and IIT (Kanpur) Akkapeddi Rama Krishna Satya Srinivas (Graduate researcher, ASCRIN and IIT (Kanpur)) Dr Ruth Gamble (Director, La Trobe Asia)(Chair) Recorded on 28th April, 2026.