Thomas George Thundat (born 1957) is an Indian-American scientist. He is currently the SUNY Distinguished Professor and a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University at Buffalo. Thundat conducts research in the field of

nanosensors Nanosensors are nanoscale devices that measure physical quantities and convert these to signals that can be detected and analyzed. There are several ways proposed today to make nanosensors; these include top-down lithography, bottom-up assembly, ...

and micro

cantilevers A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

. He previously had a temporary appointment as an honorary Distinguished Professorship at the

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. As one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), it is recognized as an Institute of National Importance and has be ...

, a Centenary Professorship at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and holds a One Thousand Talents Professorship at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He has held visiting faculty positions at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

in Knoxville, and the University of Burgundy in France. Before arriving at UB, Thundat was a Canada Excellence Research Chair professor in Oilsands Molecular Engineering at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, and a Fellow of the

National Institute for Nanotechnology The National Research Council of Canada Nanotechnology Research Centre (formerly National Institute for Nanotechnology) is a research institution located on the University of Alberta main campus, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Its primary purp ...

(NRC-NINT) in Edmonton. Previously, he worked for many years at the

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research and ...

(ONRL), where he was a UT-Battelle Corporate Fellow and group leader of the Nanoscale Science and Devices Group.

Education

He received his BSc in Physics from the University of Kerala in 1978, and an MSc in Physics from IIT Madras in 1980. He earned a PhD in physics from SUNY Albany in 1987. Thundat's doctoral advisor was

Walter Maxwell Gibson Walter Maxwell Gibson (1930-2009) was an American chemist. Gibson was born in Enoch, Utah. He studied at Southern Utah University and the University of Utah. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley where he studied under ...

. Thundat then was a postdoctoral fellow at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

Research

Thundat conducts research on nanomechanical sensors. He has worked on the development of high-performance ultra-precise molecular-scale sensing, imaging and characterization systems based on micro

. His work has been featured in press outlets such as ''Time''. He has also conducted research on the development of single wire ( single-contact) electricity transmission concept (2010), the development of hyphenated sensor concepts (for combining electrical, optical, and mechanical

resonance Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscillatin ...

s) (2000), a novel class of physical, chemical, and biological sensors based on

adsorption Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which a f ...

-induced force (1991), and the concept of micromechanical infrared detection & imaging technique including mechanical

Infrared spectroscopy Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) is the measurement of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter by absorption, emission, or reflection. It is used to study and identify chemical substances or function ...

(1995). He is a co-author on more than 500 peer-reviewed publications in refereed journals, about 50 book chapters, and around 50 US patents. His research articles have been cited more than 30,000 times with an

h-index The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with obvious success indicators such as winn ...

of almost 100. Thundat's recent research has focused on physical, chemical, and biological detection using nanomechanical sensors as well as single-wire electrical power delivery. His other areas of expertise include the chemical physics of interfaces, biophysics, nanoscale transport phenomena and

quantum confinement A potential well is the region surrounding a local minimum of potential energy. Energy captured in a potential well is unable to convert to another type of energy (kinetic energy in the case of a gravitational potential well) because it is captur ...

. Thundat's research group has developed novel high-performance sensor platforms and concepts based on atomic-scale interface engineering. His team is also working on single-contact electricity transmission — similar to what

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

standing waves In physics, a standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave that oscillates in time but whose peak amplitude profile does not move in space. The peak amplitude of the wave oscillations at any point in space is constant with respect ...

to power a network of devices in quasi-wireless mode.

Honors

Thundat has received several scientific and research awards, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Young Scientist Award, three R&D 100 Awards, the ASME Pioneer Award, was a finalist for the 1998 and 2000 Discover Magazine Awards, served on the editorial advisory board of the

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...

Top 50 Technology Leaders Award, the Jesse Beams Medal,

Foresight Institute The Foresight Institute (Foresight) is a San Francisco-based research non-profit that promotes the development of nanotechnology and other emerging technologies, such as safe AGI, biotech and longevity. Foresight runs four cross-disciplinary pr ...

Nano 50 Award, and multiple national awards from the

Federal Laboratory Consortium The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) is a U.S.-based nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides a forum to develop strategies and opportunities to help transfer laboratory mission technologies into commercial ...

for excellence in

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

. Oak Ridge National Laboratory named him Inventor of the Year twice. He is also a

Battelle Memorial Institute Battelle Memorial Institute (more widely known as simply Battelle) is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation u ...

Distinguished Inventor. He serves on the editorial boards of 25 international journals.

Fellowships

Thundat has been elected Fellows of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

(APS) (2002), the

Electrochemical Society The Electrochemical Society is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry and solid-state science and related technology. The Society membership compris ...

(ECS) (2008), the

American Association for Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

(AAAS) (2006), the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

(ASME) (2010), the SPIE (2012), the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

(IEEE) (2021), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) (2017), and the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 2010. ...

(NAI) (2014).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thundat, Thomas Academic staff of the University of Alberta University at Buffalo faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellows of SPIE Fellow Members of the IEEE Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors Living people 1957 births