Sridhar Balasubramanian

Dr. Sridhar Balasubramanian is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay). He holds adjunct/visiting roles at the University of Notre Dame (USA) and PSG College of Technology (India). His research focuses on Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Turbulence, Particle-laden flows, and Rotating Convection. He has been recognized with prestigious awards including NASI membership (2021) and the IEI Young Engineer Award (2015). Balasubramanian leads advanced experimental facilities, including the Geophysical and Multiphase Flows laboratory equipped with a Coriolis rotating table. He has secured significant grants from agencies like the Ministry of Earth Sciences and DST, India. His work spans over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, patents in weather prediction and flow measurement, and extensive collaborations with global institutions. Media engagements include roles as a columnist for The Weather Channel and frequent expert commentary on climate and weather phenomena.

Education:

• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering (2008), Arizona State University
• M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering (2005), Arizona State University
• B.E., Mechanical Engineering (2003), Shanmugha College of Engineering

Research Interests: Balasubramanian’s work integrates experimental and computational methods to study fluid dynamics in geophysical and environmental contexts, including tsunami wave dynamics, ocean mixing, and shock-driven instabilities. His lab specializes in PIV/PLIF diagnostics for turbulence and mixing analysis.

Grants & Projects:

• CHARACTERIZATION OF FLOW STRUCTURES IN ROTATING CONVECTION (Ministry of Earth Sciences, ONGOING)
• TIME RESOLVED PIV & PIV-PLIF FACILITY (IIT Bombay Infrastructure Grant)
• DISPERSED PARTICLE-LADEN PLEUMES (SHASTRI Indo-Canadian Grant)

Awards & Media: Featured in The Economic Times (2019), panelist for Weather Channel’s “Monsoon 2020”, and frequent contributor to climate discussions in Indian media.