Founder of the Centre
Prof Ashutosh Sharma
(BT/CHE/1982)Prof. Ashutosh Sharma is a visionary academician who has made some exceptional interdisciplinary contributions in nanosciences and nanotechnology fields. Since 9 January 2015, he has been serving as the Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. He is also the Institute Chair Professor & Founding Coordinator of DST Thematic Unit of Excellence on Soft Nanofabrication and Chairman of Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur since 2006. He is a recipient of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award in engineering sciences for his "original pioneering contribution to the understanding of the behavior of thin films and other highly confined nanoscale systems." In 2007, IIT Kanpur conferred upon him the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Academic and Research Interests:
- Soft nanofabrication
- Mechanics, patterns and instabilities of soft visco-elastic interfaces and ultrathin films
- Self-organized meso-patterning of polymers, carbon, ceramics and hydrogels
- Functional and nano-materials: adhesive, catalytic, optical, super-wetting and nano-composites
- Multiscale MEMS/NEMS & microfluidic systems: materials and platforms
- Soft interfaces: Wetting, adhesion and friction
- Carbon micro/nanostructures & composites: fabrication and applications in environment, health and energy; bio-platforms; electrochemical systems
- Interfacial and colloidal interactions
Awards and Honours:
- Infosys Prize in Engineering and Computer Science, Infosys Science Foundation (2010).
- Elected Fellow, TWAS--The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (2010).
- The TWAS Prize in Engineering Sciences, TWAS, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, Trieste, Italy (2008).
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (2007)
- Institute Chair Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (2007-date)
- Elected Fellow, Indian National Science Academy
- Elected Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering
- Elected Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences
- Elected Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India
- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences (2002)
- J. C. Bose National Fellowship, Department of Science & Technology (2006-date)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2006)
- Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing (2012-2014).
- Member of Editorial Board, Chemical Engineering Science (2007-2010)
- Member of Editorial Board, Nanomaterials and Energy, ICE publishing (UK) (2011-2013).
- Member of Editorial Advisory Board, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (2006-2007)
- Member of Editorial Board, Indian Chemical Engineer (Journal of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers; 2006-)
- Member of Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science (2000-2002)
- Herdillia Award of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers for excellence in basic research (2003)
Contact Information:
Address: IInd floor, Advanced Imaging Centre
Phone: +91 0512 259 7026
Email: ashutos@iitk.ac.in