Research

Research Priorities: Engineering, materials science, material fatigue, mechanics

Subra Suresh is an Indian-born American engineer and is known as a leading international researcher into the mechanical properties of materials. Suresh’s research crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries in biomaterials, nanotechnology, and medicine.

His research focuses on the mechanical properties of materials, and he has always stressed the overlap between various disciplines, including materials science and engineering on the one hand and cell biology and medicine on the other. In the field of metallurgy, for example, Suresh looks closely at fatigue in metals, thin films, as well as the nano-biomechanics of, for instance, cancer cells. Equally, he examines links between nano-mechanical processes on the cellular level and human illnesses. He also studies the behaviour and movement of blood cells in various diseases, such as malaria.

In his role as science manager, Subra Suresh has led research institutions including the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and the American National Science Foundation. He is also committed to ensuring that women have better access to senior positions at mathematical and scientific institutions. Subra Suresh is the author of more than 300 scientific publications and holds numerous patents.

Career

• since 2018 President, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
• 2013-2017 President, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, USA
• 2007-2010 Head, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA
• 2000-2006 Head, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• since 2003 Professor, Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1999-2000 Clark B. Millikan Visiting Professor, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, USA
• since 1994 Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1993-2002 R. P. Simmons Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1989-1993 Professor of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, USA
• 1986-1993 Director, Facility “Mechanical Testing”, Brown University, Providence, USA
• 1983-1989 Lecturer in Engineering, Brown University, Providence, USA
• 1983 Guest Fellow, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
• 1983 Guest Fellow, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
• 1981-1983 Research Engineer, University of California, Berkeley, and Researcher, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA
• 1981 Doctorate, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1979-1981 Research Assistant, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1979 Master’s Degree, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, USA
• 1977-1979 Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, USA
• 1977 Bachelor’s Degree, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, India

Functions

• 2010-2013 President, National Science Foundation (NSF), USA
• 2005-2006 President, Materials Section, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), USA
• since 2005 Advisor, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, USA
• 2004-2005 Vice-President, NAE, USA
• 2004-2005 Advisor, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
• since 2004 Advising Editor, Acta Biomaterialia
• 2003 Advisor, Oraxion Diagnostics, Pasadena, USA
• 2002-2003 Advisor, Scientific Services Program (SSP), Battelle, Columbus, USA
• 2001-2002 Advisor, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), East Hartford, USA
• 2001-2002 Advisor, Palmer and Dodge LLP, Boston, USA
• 1999-2003 Advisor, Faculty of Science, NUS, Singapore
• 1999-2001 Advisor, Covington and Burling LLP, Washington D.C., USA
• 1999 Advisor, Exxon Bayway Refining Company (today: ExxonMobil), Linden, USA
• 1998-2004 Coordinating Editor, Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia
• 1997-2000 Advisor, Instron Corporation, Canton, USA
• 1997-1998 TFR Swedish National Chair in Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
• 1997-1998 Advisor, CeraMem Corp., Waltham, USA
• 1996-1999 Advisor, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA
• 1996 Advisor, Lightspeed Semiconductor Corporation, Los Altos, USA
• 1996 Advisor, Volvo Car Group, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 1995-1997 Advisor, Biosym Technologies Company, San Diego, USA
• 1993-2001 Advisor, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, USA
• 1994-2004 Principal Editor, Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia
• 1992 Advisor, Hibbitt, Karlsson and Sorensen Inc., Providence, USA
• 1992 Advisor, Volvo Flygmotor AB, Tröllhattan, Sweden
• 1984-1988 Advisor, Northrop Corporation, Hawthorne, USA
• 1984-1988 Advisor, Rockwell International, Oshkosh, USA
• 1981-1992 Advisor, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, Palo Alto, USA

Projects

• 2005 Founding Director, Global Enterprise for Micro-Mechanics and Molecular Medicine (GEM4), MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 2000-2002 Advisor, MIT-Singapore Programme “Advanced Materials”, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1999 Project Manager, MIT-Singapore Programme “Advanced Materials”, MIT, Cambridge, USA
• 1994-1998 Director, MIT-Harvard Programme “Modeling of Materials”, MIT, Cambridge, and Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

Honours and Memberships

• 2020 ASME Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, USA
• 2018 Honorary Member, St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
• 2018 Brown Engineering Leadership Medal, Brown University, Providence, USA
• 2015 IRI Medal, Industrial Research Institute (IRI), Washington D.C., USA
• 2012 Timoshenko Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), USA
• 2011 Padma Shri, Government of India, India
• 2008 A. C. Eringen Medal, Society of Engineering Science (SES), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
• since 2007 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 2007 European Materials Medal, Federation of European Materials Societies
• 2006 Honorary Doctorate, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2006 Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore
• 2006 Acta Materialia Gold Medal, Acta Materialia Inc., Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• since 2005 Honorary Member, Indian Academy of Sciences, India
• since 2005 Honorary Member, The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries, Trieste, Italy
• since 2004 Honorary Member, Indian Institute of Metals, India
• 2004 Albert Sauveur Achievement Award, American Society of Materials, USA
• since 2004 Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA
• 2004 Gordon Moore Distinguished Scholar Award, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Los Angeles, USA
• 2004 Humboldt-Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn, Germany
• since 2003 Member, Indian National Academy of Engineering, India
• since 2002 Member, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), USA
• 2001 TMS Distinguished Scientist/Engineer Award, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), Warrendale, USA
• since 2000 Elected Member, TMS, Warrendale, USA
• 1997 Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
• since 1996 Honorary Member, Materials Research Society of India, India
• since 1996 Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), USA
• since 1995 Member, American Ceramic Society (ACerS), USA
• since 1994 Member, ASM International, USA
• 1992 Ross Coffin Purdy Award, ACerS, USA
• 1990 Merit Award, AlliedSignal Foundation, New York City, USA
• 1989 Research Award, AlliedSignal Foundation, New York City, USA
• 1989 Teaching Award, Technical Analysis Corporation, Oak Brook, USA
• 1985-1987 Research Award, Ford Foundation, New York City, USA
• 1985-1990 Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation and The White House, USA
• 1985 Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers Inc. (AIME), USA
• 1983 Robert Lansing Hardy Gold Medal, AIME, USA
• 1982 Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment Award, U.S. Department of Energy, USA
• 1977 Tata Fellowship, The J.N. Tata Endowment, Mumbai, India
• 1971-1977 National Merit Fellowship, Government of India, India