Scientist Ravichandran Honoured by American Society of Mechanical Engineers for Works in Applied Mechanics

Renowned scientist and Jio Institute’s Provost Guruswami Ravichandran has been awarded the Timoshenko Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for his contributions to the mechanics of engineering materials and biological systems.

The Timoshenko Medal was established in 1957 after engineer and educator Stephen P Timoshenko. The award is given annually for distinguished contributions to the field of applied mechanics, and is recognised as the highest honour worldwide.

“We are privileged to have Dr Ravichandran as a driving force behind our commitment to excellence in education and research. We look forward to his continued guidance to be able to make a significant impact on education and the society at large,” said Palak Sheth, project director, Jio Institute, after congratulating the scientist for his “remarkable achievement”.

Ravichandran has made significant contributions to the field of solid mechanics and materials science and engineering. He is renowned for his expertise in experimental mechanics, particularly in dynamic behaviour and failure of materials.

He has made substantial advancements in understanding the dynamic behaviour of materials, including metals, polymers, and composites, under high strain rates and high pressures.

His research has led to crucial insights into the deformation and failure mechanisms of materials and the development of novel techniques for characterising their thermomechanical properties. He also contributed to the development of a novel three-dimensional traction force microscopy technique for studying biological cell-matrix interactions and a method for investigating the mechanics of large-strain ferroelectric actuators under combined electromechanical loading.

Ravichandran has also held the position of the John E. Goode, Jr. Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He had been a part of the Caltech faculty since 1990.

Besides, he is an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering and Academia Europaea. He was also named Chevalier de l’ordre des Palmes academiques by the Republic of France in 2011.