M. Ramakrishna

M. Ramakrishna is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, where he has held positions since 1991 (progressing from Assistant to Full Professor). He is also associated with the Prospective Center of Excellence on Geophysical Flows. His educational background includes a B.Tech in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT Madras (1982), and MS (1984) and PhD (1988) degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he developed novel numerical methods for boundary layer flows.

His research focuses on Fluid Mechanics, Numerical Methods, and Computational Fluid Dynamics, with specific expertise in turbulence modeling, aerodynamics, gasdynamics, and high-performance computing techniques. Recent work advances WENO schemes, particle-based fluid simulation, and experimental validations of complex flows.

Award highlights include:

• John DeYoung Outstanding Research Award (1984, 1987)
• Sigma-Xi Graduate Research Award (1985)
• Best CFD Paper Award from IIT Madras CFD Center (2004)

He has supervised 6 current PhD students and over 20 past graduate students. Major sponsored projects include:

• ISRO-funded hypersonic vehicle design and plasma jet modeling
• DRDO-supported helicopter rotor load analysis
• DST-funded establishment of IIT Madras CFD Center