Soumendra N. Basu

Soumendra N. Basu is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Division Head of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering at Boston University. He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science from MIT in 1989 and an M.S. in Materials Science from Case Western Reserve University. Basu leads two research labs and one undergraduate lab, focusing on materials degradation, coatings, and interface stability.

• High Temperature Oxidation Laboratory: Investigates oxidation behavior up to 1,600°C using advanced equipment.
• Microscopy Laboratory: Prepares electron-transparent samples for TEM analysis.
• Undergraduate Materials Laboratory: Trains students in metallography and materials testing.

His research spans environmental barrier coatings for silicon-based ceramics, plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings, and photonic materials like InGaN alloys. He studies microstructural evolution, defect analysis, and degradation mechanisms under extreme conditions. Recent work includes modeling residual stresses and optimizing coatings for durability.

Scientific Collaborators include:

• MIT Lincoln Labs
• Boston University colleagues: M. Gevelber, D. Wroblewski, V.K. Sarin
• UCLA's V. Gupta

Basu has advised numerous graduate students, including Guosheng Ye and Dharanipal Doppalapudi, and his labs have received funding from NSF, DOE, and LANL. He also contributes to cricket, having won the MVP trophy for the Melbourne Cricket Club.