Viswanathan Kumaran (born 1966) is an Indian chemical engineer,
rheologist and a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the
Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute was ...
.
He is known for his studies on stability of flow past flexible surfaces
and is an elected fellow of the
Indian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and Nobel Laureate C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meet ...
,
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology.
In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Acade ...
and the
Indian National Academy of Engineering
The Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), founded in 1987, comprises India's engineers, engineer-scientists and technologists covering the entire spectrum of engineering disciplines.
The Academy is registered under the Societies Reg ...
.
The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ( IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the ...
, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, ...
, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 2000.
A recipient of the
TWAS Prize in 2014
and the
Infosys Prize
The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and social scientists of Indian origin (not necessarily born in India) by the Infosys Science Foundation and ranks among the highest monetary awards in India to r ...
2016 in the Engineering and Computer Science category, Kumaran was listed in the ''Asian Scientist 100'', a list of top 100 scientists from Asia, by the
Asian Scientist
''Asian Scientist'' is an English language science and technology magazine published in Singapore.
History and profile
''Asian Scientist'' was launched in March 2011 by Asian Scientist Publishing Pte Ltd (now known as Wildtype Media Group Pte Lt ...
magazine.
Biography
V. Kumaran, born on 17 June 1966 in the south Indian state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
, earned his graduate degree in chemical engineering (BTech) from 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 ...
(IITM) in 1987 and moved to the US for his higher studies and secured a PhD in 1991 from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
.
His post-doctoral studies were at the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
during 1991–93 and on his return to India, he joined the
Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute was ...
(IISc) as an assistant professor where he holds the position of a senior professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering
and heads ''V. Kumaran's Research Group''.
Legacy
Kumaran's work is focused on the field of complex flows of
complex fluids Complex fluids are mixtures that have a coexistence between two phases: solid–liquid ( suspensions or solutions of macromolecules such as polymers), solid–gas ( granular), liquid–gas (foams) or liquid–liquid (emulsions). They exhibit unusu ...
and he is known to have carried out theoretical and experimental researches on the ''stability of flow past flexible surfaces''.
These researches, reported to be of significance in biological applications,
microfluidics
Microfluidics refers to the behavior, precise control, and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small scale (typically sub-millimeter) at which surface forces dominate volumetric forces. It is a multidisciplinary field th ...
as well as in the marine and aerospace propulsion, were the first such studies in India and assisted him to demonstrate
fluid inertia.
The work has also assisted in developing
Lab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a device that integrates one or several laboratory functions on a single integrated circuit (commonly called a "chip") of only millimeters to a few square centimeters to achieve automation and high-throughput screening. ...
devices used in cardiovascular and pulmonary
Point-of-care diagnostics.
He has documented his researches in several articles and the online article repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 48 of them.
Besides, he has authored a book, ''Dynamics of suspensions with significant inertial effects''
and has contributed chapters to books edited by others which include ''Nonlinear Science and Complexity''
and ''Rheology of Complex Fluids'', both published by
Springer
Springer or springers may refer to:
Publishers
* Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag.
** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...
.
Kumaran, who has guided a number of master's and doctoral scholars in their studies and hosts many of them in his research group,
coordinated the research program on ''Granular Physics'' organized by
Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
The Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) is a research institute of the University of California, Santa Barbara. KITP is one of the most renowned institutes for theoretical physics in the world, and brings theorists in physics and rela ...
.
He was one of the keynote speakers at The XVth International Congress on Rheology of the
Society of Rheology
The Society of Rheology is an American professional society formed in December, 1929 to represent scientists and technologists working in the field of rheology, the science of the deformation and flow of matter.
Current membership is of the order ...
held in August 2008 at
Monterey, California, where he presented the theme papers on ''Rheology of dense sheared granular flows''.
His research group also hosts MicroX Labs, a start-up company,
which won the first prize in the ''Tata Social Enterprise Challenge'' in 2013–14.
His associations with science journals include memberships in editorial boards of ''Sadhana'' of the
Indian National Academy of Engineering
The Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), founded in 1987, comprises India's engineers, engineer-scientists and technologists covering the entire spectrum of engineering disciplines.
The Academy is registered under the Societies Reg ...
, Indian Journal of Chemical Technology of
National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources and ''Soft Materials'' of
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...
as well as the editorial advisory board membership of ''Acta Mechanica'' of
Springer
Springer or springers may refer to:
Publishers
* Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag.
** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...
.
He has attended several seminars and conferences where he has delivered keynote or invited speeches
''Chemical Engineering Colloquium'' of the Indian Institute of Sciences in December 2013,
2015 Annual Meeting of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
and ''68th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics'' in November, 2015 feature among them.
Awards and honors
Kumaran received the Young Scientist Medal of the Indian National Science Academy in 1996.
The Indian National Academy of Engineering awarded him the Young Engineer Award in 1997, for his contributions in the development of
Computer-aided design system for
very large scale integrated circuits and work in
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...
;
INAE would honor him again in 2006 with an elected fellowship.
In 1998, he was elected as a fellow by the Indian Academy of Sciences
and he received the Amar Dye-Chem Award of the
Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers
The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) is the professional body for chemical engineers in India. The headquarter of IIChE is in the campus of Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the offi ...
in 1999.
The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ( IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the ...
awarded him the
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, ...
, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2000.
Kumaran became an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 2002
and was selected for the Swarnajayanthi Fellowship of the
Department of Science and Technology of India the same year;
he received the J. C. Bose National Fellowship of the DST, too, in 2007. Prof. Rustom Choksi Award for Excellence in Research of the Indian Institute of Science reached him 2011
and he shared the 2014
TWAS Prize with Chih-Yuan Lu of
Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation
Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS) is a Taiwanese specialized IC foundry service provider, founded in December 1994 in Hsinchu Science Park by Morris Chang. In March 1998, VIS became a listed company on the Taiwan Over-The- ...
.
The
American Physical Society, which chose him as the APS-IUSSTF Chair Professor in 2014,
elected him as a fellow in 2015
and the
Asian Scientist
''Asian Scientist'' is an English language science and technology magazine published in Singapore.
History and profile
''Asian Scientist'' was launched in March 2011 by Asian Scientist Publishing Pte Ltd (now known as Wildtype Media Group Pte Lt ...
magazine included him in the ''Asian Scientists 100'' list in 2016 for his work on ''laminarturbulent transition of flow through soft-walled tubes and channels''
carried out during the year 2015, placing him at 73.
Th
Infosys Science Foundationawarded him the
Infosys Prize
The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and social scientists of Indian origin (not necessarily born in India) by the Infosys Science Foundation and ranks among the highest monetary awards in India to r ...
in 2016 for his research on complex fluids and complex flows and especially in transition and turbulence in soft-walled tubes and channels.
Selected bibliography
Books
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Chapters
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Articles
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Presentations
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See also
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Very-large-scale integration
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Point-of-care testing
Point-of-care testing (POCT or bedside testing) is defined as medical diagnostic testing at or near the point of care—that is, at the time and place of patient care. This contrasts with the historical pattern in which testing was wholly or most ...
*
Rheology
Rheology (; ) is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid (liquid or gas) state, but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with Plasticity (physics), plastic flow rather than deforming Elasticity (phy ...
Notes
References
External links
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumaran, Viswanathan
Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Engineering Science
1966 births
Indian technology writers
Engineers from Tamil Nadu
Academic staff of the Indian Institute of Science
IIT Madras alumni
Cornell University alumni
University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
Indian chemical engineers
Rheologists
Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences
Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy
Fellows of the American Physical Society
TWAS laureates
Living people
Fellows of the Indian National Academy of Engineering