Suhas Pandurang Sukhatme is an Indian scientist, teacher, author and a former Chairman of the

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) was constituted on 15 November 1983 by the President of India by exercising the powers conferred by Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962) to carry out certain regulatory and safety func ...

of the Government of India, known for his expertise in

heat transfer Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the generation, use, conversion, and exchange of thermal energy (heat) between physical systems. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as thermal conduction, ...

and energy technologies. He was honoured by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

, in 2001, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

Biography

Suhas Pandurang Sukhatme was born to Indumati Sukhatme and Pandurang Vasudeo Sukhatme, renowned statistician and a

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

award winner, on 5 November 1938 at

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

in the Western Indian state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. He graduated in Engineering in 1958 from the

Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi (IIT BHU) is a public technical university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1919 as the Banaras Engineering College, it became the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu Univers ...

and pursued his higher studies at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. He secured a master's degree (SM) in 1960, a higher degree in Engineering (MechE) in 1961, and a doctoral degree (ScD) in 1964. During his stay at MIT, he worked as a research assistant during 1959–64. He moved to Dynatech Corporation where he worked for a year as a staff engineer. In 1965, he returned to India to join the

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay or IITB) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is considered as one of the best engineering universities in India and is top ranke ...

as an assistant professor at the department of mechanical engineering. After a series of promotions, as the professor in 1970, as the head of the department in 1973, and as the deputy director in 1975, he became the director of the institution in 1995, a post he held till he retired in 2000 with the title of the Professor Emeritus of the institution. During this period, he also had a brief stint at the

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

as a visiting professor in the academic year, 1982–83. Post retirement from IIT Bombay, he worked as the Chairman of the

of the

from 2000 till 2005. Suhas Sukhatme holds the life memberships of the Indian Society for Heat and Mass Transfer (ISHMT) and the Solar Energy Society of India and is a former member of the

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 Academ ...

council. He serves as a member of the Promotions and Assessment Committee of the

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 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 ...

, Nuclear Sciences Research Board of the

Department of Atomic Energy The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) (IAST: ''Paramāṇu Ūrjā Vibhāga'') is a department with headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. DAE was established in 1954 by a Presidential Order. DAE has been engaged in the development of nucl ...

, and the advisory councils of the

and the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar. He also sits in the Governing Board of two national institutions, the

Institute of Chemical Technology Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) is a state-funded deemed university in Mumbai, India. The institute also has campuses at Bhubaneswar, Odisha and Jalna, Marathwada. It is focused on training and research in the fields of chemical engin ...

, Mumbai and the

National Institute of Industrial Engineering National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) formerly National Institute for Training in Industrial Engineering, is a graduate business school under Ministry of HRD, Government of India located in Powai near Vihar Lake in Mumbai, and ...

(NITIE), Mumbai. Sukhatme is an author of over 70 scientific papers and three books viz. ''A Textbook on Heat Transfer'', ''Solar Energy - Principles of Thermal Collection and Storage'' and ''The Real Brain Drain''. His contributions are known behind the establishment of an inter-disciplinary postgraduate and research programme in Energy Systems Engineering at IIT Bombay. The program has grown over the years to become an independent department, the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. He has also assisted in the formation of Mumbai-based institutions, the

Shailesh J Mehta School of Management Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (popularly known as SJMSOM or simply SOM) is a public business school and part of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. SJMSOM was established in 1995. In 2000, the school was renamed to Shailesh J. Mehta ...

and the Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology. Suhas Sukhatme is married to Shobha, a medical doctor and has two children, Gaurav, a member of faculty at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and Jai, teaching at

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. The couple lives in

Powai Powai (Pronunciation: əʋəiː is an upscale residential neighbourhood located in central Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks of Powai Lake, and is bound by the hills of Vikhroli Parksite to the south-east, Chandivali t ...

, Mumbai.

Awards and recognitions

Sukhatme was awarded the ''Prince of Wales Gold Medal'' in 1958 by the

Banares Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. ...

for topping the University examinations . In 1983, he received 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 science, applied or Fundamenta ...

from 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 l ...

(CSIR). In 2001, he received the

Om Prakash Bhasin Award Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science and Technology is an Indian award, instituted in 1985 to recognize excellence in the areas of science and technology. The award, given individually or collectively to a group, is annual in cycle and carries a p ...

from Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay or IITB) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is considered as one of the best engineering universities in India and is top ranke ...

, the first recipient of the award. A recipient of the degree of the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the Banares Hindu University, Sukhatme was awarded the civilian honour of

by the

in 2001. Sukhatme delivered the Daulat Singh Kothari Memorial Award Lecture in 2005 at the

(INSA) where he is an elected Fellow. He is also an elected Fellow of Maharashtra Academy of Sciences,

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 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 ...

and the

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu * Sudha Bhattacharya * Ch ...

. He is an elected member of the Society of Sigma Xe and a Fellow of the

Indian Society for Technical Education The Indian Society for Technical Education is a national, professional, non-profit Society registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860. First started in 1941 as the Association of Principals of Technical Institutions (APTI), ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sukhatme, Suhas Pandurang Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering People from Vadodara Scientists from Maharashtra 1938 births Living people Alumni of the University of Cambridge 20th-century Indian physicists MIT School of Engineering alumni People from Vadodara district Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India Fellows of the Indian National Academy of Engineering Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Engineering Science

Biography

Awards and recognitions

See also

References

Further reading

External links