Ramana Grandhi

Dr. Ramana Grandhi is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Previously, he was a Distinguished Professor at Wright State University, where he led the Engineering Ph.D. program for 15 years and served as Executive Director of International Collaborations and Graduate Programs. His work bridges academia and defense research through partnerships with the U.S. Air Force, NASA, DARPA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and others.

• Ph.D., Engineering Mechanics, Virginia Tech (1984)
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (1980)
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal (1978)

Dr. Grandhi’s research centers on multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO), aircraft and space structures, risk-based design, and advanced manufacturing, particularly additive manufacturing and laser peening. His work integrates computational mechanics, uncertainty quantification, and high-fidelity modeling to enhance structural reliability and performance. He has pioneered methods in topology optimization, fatigue life prediction, and multi-fidelity modeling.

The recent publications highlight a strong trend in uncertainty-aware structural design, additive manufacturing validation, multi-scale modeling, and non-destructive evaluation. His team develops physics-based and data-informed models to optimize aerospace components under real-world variability and manufacturing constraints. Key themes include Bayesian uncertainty quantification, hybrid optimization frameworks, and experimental validation of computational models.

Dr. Grandhi has received numerous prestigious honors, including:

• AIAA Fellow and ASME Fellow
• AIAA MDO Award (biennial)
• Solberg Award (American Society of Naval Engineers)
• Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman Award
• University Professor Title (Wright State University)
• Distinguished Professor Title (Wright State)
• Multiple Best Paper Awards from AIAA

Throughout his career, Dr. Grandhi has advised 25 PhD students, 50 MS theses, and 30 postdoctoral fellows, demonstrating a strong commitment to education and mentorship. His research has been funded by agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), DARPA, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Defense, with industry partnerships from GE, Pratt & Whitney, Caterpillar, and General Motors. He has led large-scale collaborative projects focusing on structural integrity and advanced manufacturing.

Dr. Grandhi leads a multidisciplinary research group at AFIT focused on computational design and structural optimization. His lab collaborates with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and leverages high-performance computing for large-scale simulations. The team works on next-generation aerospace systems, including deployable space structures, thermally loaded components, and fatigue-critical aircraft parts.