Atul Bhaskar

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Professor of Applied Mechanics

A.Bhaskar@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7715

RC10d Mining Block, Sir Frederick Mappin Building

Full contact details

Atul Bhaskar
Department of Mechanical Engineering
RC10d Mining Block
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD

Profile: Undergraduate in mechanical engineering (IIT Kanpur, India), master's in Applied Mechanics (IIT Delhi, India) with the highest possible GPA, PhD (University of Cambridge). Following my PhD (Mechanics, Materials & Design Group at Cambridge), I was awarded a Senior Rouse Ball Studentship for post-doctoral work (Trinity College, Cambridge). I was then elected a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, while working on a rail-wheel contact dynamics for my post-doctoral work. I taught briefly at IISc, Bangalore and then at IIT Delhi before returning to the University of Southampton as a Lecturer, being promoted to Senior Lecturer, and then Professor, where I held the title of Professor of Applied Mechanics since 2013. I moved to the University of Sheffield in 2022 with the same title.

Qualifications: I received my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur (India), and master's in Applied Mechanics from IIT Delhi (India). Following this, I was awarded a Cambridge Nehru Scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of Cambridge. After my PhD, I won the prestigious Senior Rouse Ball Studentship for post-doctoral work awarded by Trinity College, Cambridge. After completion of my Senior Rouse Ball tenure, I was elected a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge where I worked on rail-wheel contact dynamics. I took up a permanent position of Assistant Professor at IISc, Bangalore (Aerospace Engineering) and then at IIT, Delhi (Mechanical Engineering), returning to the UK to take up lectureship at the University of Southampton where I became a Professor in 2013 with the title Professor of Applied Mechanics. I moved to the University of Sheffield with the same title in 2022.

Research interests

Solid Mechanics & Cellular Media: Linear and non-linear mechanics of beams, plates and shells, mechanics of composites, sandwich constructions, contact mechanics, statics, dynamics & acoustics of cellular media, asymptotic analysis applied to the statics & dynamics of solids, dynamics and acoustics of poro-elastic media, end effects in solid mechanics, multi-scale mechanics, scaling laws, lattice structures, solid foams, elastic metamaterials, mechanics of additively manufactured matter, elastic stability.

Structural dynamics and Vibrations: Linear vibrations of discrete and continuous systems, wave propagation, vibration of periodic structures, experimental modal analysis, linear and non-linear vibrations of composite plates, structural dynamics of porous media, damping in vibrations: analytical, numerical and experimental aspects, random vibrations, crashworthiness, dynamics of gyroelastic continua, aeroelasticity, impact of space debris of elastic satellite structures.

Mechanics & manufacturing of bio-structures: Additive manufacture of lattice scaffolds, cardiovascular stent design: response, plasticity, dynamics, mechanical response of scaffold structures, bio-tribology and micro-patterning.

Design search & optimisation: Sensitivity analysis, structural dynamic modification, application of design search methods for structural dynamics problems, evolutionary structural optimisation, response surface analysis, hybrid methods.

Applied mathematics: R-function theory, Differential transforms and their application to mechanics, Dynamical systems theory applied to reaction-diffusion systems, parameter dependent eigenvalue problems in structural dynamics & structural stability.

Publications

Journal articles

Shalchy F & Bhaskar A (2024) Elasticity of diametrically compressed micro‐fabricated woodpile lattices. Advanced Engineering Materials. View this article in WRRO
Ibsen CH & Bhaskar A (2023) Exploring digital twins and structural vibration in collaborative research. Open Access Government, 38(1), 238-239.
Jose K, Ferguson N & Bhaskar A (2022) Branched flows of flexural waves in non-uniform elastic plates. Communications Physics, 5(1).
Jose K, Ferguson N & Bhaskar A () Branched flows of flexural elastic waves in non-uniform cylindrical shells. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0286420-e0286420.

Conference proceedings papers

Bavaresco MW, Ferguson N, Ibsen CH & Bhaskar A (2022) Estimation of flexural wavenumbers in the presence of multiple wave components. Internoise 2022 - 51st International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering

Grants

1. British council (Exploratory grant) INTERLINKS £10k, 2022-23.

2. Integrated Design of Engineering Structures (InDEStuct), Horizon 2020, Collaborative Doctoral Training Network with Vestas Aircoil, Denmark. Main thrust: vibration of heat exchangers, structural design. Role: PI. My share of the budget 926,808 Euros. 2018-2022.

3. British Council under Creative Spark (in the area of the use of additive manufacturing for design industry) - partnership with Kiev National University of Technology & Design (KNUTD). Renewable each year, budget up to £50k per year, up to 5 years. Role: PI, 2018-2023.

4. Partnership within Creative Spark scheme of the British Council with NPUA, Yerevan, in the area of Enterprise in Higher Education. Renewable each year, budget up to £50,000 per year}, up to 5 years. (Role: PI), 2018-2023.

5. Knowledge Transfer Partnership with SMD Ltd., Poole (Role: Lead Academic & PI), £125,000, 2017-2019.

6. Hybrid Medical Polymers (HyMedPoly), H2020. Role: PI. Total budget: 3.5 M Euros, my share 423,000 Euros, 2014-2018.

7. Leadership Development grant (British Council) - partnerships with KNUTD, Kiev. Role: PI, 2017, £6,000.

8. Leadership Development grant (British Council) - partnerships with TNTU, Ternopil. Role: PI, 2017, £6,000.

9. Santander Latin America Fund, For initiating collaboration with Technologico de Monterry, Mexico, in the area of mechanics and additive manufacture of structured material. Role: PI, 2018, Value £1,000.

10. British Council Exploratory Grant with KNURE (``Internationalising Higher Education" scheme), Kharkiv. Role: PI, 2017, £2,500.

11. Royal Academy of Engineering (Visiting Fellowship) to host Professor Isaac Elishakoff. Role: PI, 2017.

12. UKIERI grant for collaborative research with IIT Delhi in the area of mechanics and additive manufacture of lattice and porous materials, Role: PI, Total Budget: £50,000}.

13. Reinforced Bioresorbable Biomaterials for Therapeutic Drug Eluting Stents RebioStent), FP7, Role: PI, led the work package on stress analysis, vibration and design. My share: 467,737 Euros, consortium budget 5.87M Euro.

14. Methods to Position and Personalize Advanced Human Body Models for Injury Prediction (PIPER), FP7, (Role: PI, in the work package involving statistical description of shape for stress and injury analysis). My share: 442,504 Euros.

15. EU funded project ACTIVE under Erasmus Mundus scheme. Consortium budget approx. 3.2M Euro. No fixed budget per partner; for hosting PhDs, post-docs, academic staff. (Role: PI, in the areas of solid mechanics, structures, vibration, materials). I received funding to host 6 post-docs, 3 PhD students and 2 short term academic visitors.

16. Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: Statistical modelling for the assessment of surgical technique, implant performance and patient selection EPSRC (Role: CI), Value: £466,444 fEC}.

17. CITIESET (EU-funded) (Role: PI) (2011-2014). Value: 105,000 Euros. Consortium budget 1.4M Euros.

18. Four-year PhD funding supported by the CONACyT programme in the area of mechanics and manufacture of porous solids (Govt of Mexico), 2012-'16.

19. Local effects in the statics & dynamics of random cellular media (Role: PI and the sole investigator), Royal Academy of Engineering (with Leverhulme Trust) (2011-2012). Value: £41,257.

20. Design and prototype manufacture of a marine system (Roles: PI and the Lead Academic), Victor Marine Ltd (Knowledge Transfer Partnership: Victor Marine/ EPSRC/TSB), (2010-2012). Nominated for the best KTP of the Year Award. 2013. Value: £122,500.

21. DYNAMAG: EU-India co-operation (Role: CI), FP7, (2009-2012). Value: £300,000.

22. The role of shape and topology in structural design (Role: PI), EPSRC, (2006-2009). Value: £398,950. (fEC).

23. Multi-level Optimisation for the Design and Manufacture of Aero-engine Components (Role: PI), Supported by Rolls-Royce Plc. (1999-2002). Value: £148,818.

24. Manufacturing and Modelling of Fabricated Structural Components (Role: PI), EU (FW V), (2000-2004). Value: £126,663. Consortium budget: 9.5M Euro}.

25. e-Science Studentship (with Ian McHardy), EPSRC/Univ. of Southampton (2006-2009). Value: £50,000} (approx).

26. Vibroacoustics of cellular media (PI, pump-priming) Value: £87,534.

27. Structural Dynamics of Cellular Solids (Role: PI and the sole investigator), Supported by EPSRC, (1999-2001). Value: £65,111.

28. Start-up grant, Space Technology Cell, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. 1996.

Teaching activities: Solid mechanics, Finite Element Analysis, Aircraft Structures, Vibrations, Structural Dynamics, Computing.

Professional activities and memberships

AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND HONOURS:

1. Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2011- 2012).

2. George Stephenson prize and medal (IMechE). This is awarded annually to the author of the best paper in their journal.

3. Fellowship of Churchill College, Cambridge (1993-96).

4. The prestigious NERC Fellowship, Canada (could not avail in order to take up a permanent academic position).

5. Senior Rouse Ball Studentship, Trinity College, Cambridge. A highly competitive award for post-doctoral work (1991).

6. T.A. Stewart-Dyer Prize (IMechE).

7. Frederick Harvey Trevithick Prize (IMechE).

8. Ford of Britain Trust Scholarship (for part of doctoral work).

9. Cambridge Nehru Scholarship jointly awarded by the Nehru Cambridge Trust and Cambridge Commonwealth Trust for doctoral work (10/88-9/91).

10. Overseas Research Studentship tenable at the University of Cambridge (10/88-9/91).

11. Fellowship of Cambridge Philosophical Society.

12. Fellowship of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society.

13. Fellowship of the Human Resources Ministry, Government of India (could not avail because of overlap with another award).

14. Ranked first with the highest possible GPA: 10.0/10.0 (IIT, Delhi).

15. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), India: percentile score 98.7 i.e. in the top 1.3 percentile in Mechanical Engineering.

16. Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for entrance to the IITs. Ranked 327 out of ap- proximately 100,000 high quality candidates - (approximately top 0.3 percentile).

17. Ranked second in examination board (Intermediate Science Examination, 1981, equivalent to A-levels) amongst 10,000 candidates. estimated in the top 0.02 per- centile.

18. State Merit Scholarship (in school and at the undergraduate level 7/79-4/85).

19. Bihar State Examination Board (GCSE-level). Estimated rank within 20th amongst 400,000 candidates (i.e. in the top 0.005 percentile)

20. Ranked 26th amongst 10,000 candidates for the entrance to the prestigious Netarhat Residential School. (Estimated in the top 0.2 percentile).