Prahalada Rao

Prahalada Rao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He specializes in manufacturing, sensing technologies, and data science with a focus on additive manufacturing processes. His research emphasizes sensor-based monitoring, thermal physics, and quality assurance in advanced manufacturing.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, Oklahoma State University (2013)
  • M.S., Industrial Engineering, Oklahoma State University (2006)
  • B.Eng., Production Engineering, Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute, Bombay University (2003)

His research interests include additive manufacturing (e.g., laser powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition), real-time process monitoring using heterogeneous sensors, and data-driven quality control. He has pioneered methods combining spectral graph theory and machine learning for defect detection in 3D printing.

Key contributions span thermal modeling of additive processes, predictive analytics for part quality, and bio-manufacturing applications. His work has attracted over $2M in federal funding from NSF, DOE, and ONR.

Awards:

• 2018 NSF CAREER Award for smart additive manufacturing research
• 2017 SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award
• 2019 UNL College of Engineering Research Award

Grants & Funding:

• NSF CAREER: Smart Additive Manufacturing (2018-2023)
• DOE: Thermal Physics in Metal Additive Manufacturing (2019-2024)
• NSF AI Institute Planning: Secure Smart Manufacturing (2020-2023)

He advises on advanced manufacturing projects and collaborates with industry on ceramic/metal 3D printing and bioprinting applications. His lab focuses on bridging sensor data analytics with manufacturing physics to achieve zero-defect production systems.