CrystleA12: -- Draft creation using the BP:Article wizard --

2023-10-05T08:05:58Z

-- Draft creation using the BP:Article wizard --

New page

{{Short description|Indian-American applied mathematician}}

{{Hatnote|<nowiki>Use only if necessary. {{For}} and {{About}} are also templates you can use for this purpose.</nowiki>}}{{Infobox scientist
| image = [[File:BBalachandran.jpg|thumb]]
| birth_date = February 4, 1963
| birth_place = Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| citizenship = U.S.
| alma_mater = Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
| known_for = Nonlinear dynamics, vibrations, and data-driven approaches
| awards = J.P. Den Hartog Award, Lyapunov Award, and Melville Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Robert H. Scanlan Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Pendray Literature Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
}}
'''Balakumar "Bala" Balachandran''' is an Indian-American [[mechanician]] and [[Applied mathematics|applied mathematician]] recognized for his contributions to the fields of [[nonlinear dynamics]], experimental methodologies, and data-driven approaches. He is a Minta Martin Professor and Distinguished University Professor at the [[University of Maryland, College Park]], where he serves as Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Balachandran has been recognized with the J.P. Den Hartog Award<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=J.P. Den Hartog Award |url=https://www.asme.org/About-ASME/Honors-Awards/Achievement-Awards/J-P-Den-Hartog-Award |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.asme.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> and the Lyapunov Award<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lyapunov Award |url=https://www.asme.org/About-ASME/Honors-Awards/Unit-Awards/Lyapunov-Award |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.asme.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Balachandran Honored with ASME's Den Hartog, Lyapunov Awards |url=https://enme.umd.edu/news/story/balachandran-honored-with-asmersquos-den-hartog-lyapunov-awards |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=enme.umd.edu |language=en}}</ref> from the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]] for his lifetime contributions to these fields, and has published 3 books<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nayfeh |first1=Ali H. |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9783527617548 |title=Applied Nonlinear Dynamics: Analytical, Computational, and Experimental Methods |last2=Balachandran |first2=Balakumar |date=1995-03-29 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-471-59348-5 |edition=1 |language=en |doi=10.1002/9783527617548}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Balachandran |first1=Balakumar |url=https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/vibrations/D77B34F1320BDC1EAE74CCF5117E77C6#contents |title=Vibrations |last2=Magrab |first2=Edward B. |date=2018-11-01 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-61583-9 |edition=3 |doi=10.1017/9781108615839|s2cid=239788783 }}</ref> on vibrations and nonlinear dynamics.

== Education and career ==
Bala Balachandran was born in the city of [[Nellore]] in Andhra Pradesh, India on February 4, 1963. He received his B.Tech. degree in Naval Architecture from the [[IIT Madras|Indian Institute of Technology, Madras]], India, in 1985, and his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]] (now Virginia Tech) in 1986. He completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1990 under the guidance of [[Ali H. Nayfeh]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balakumar Balachandran - The Mathematics Genealogy Project |url=https://www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=182775 |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu}}</ref> In 1993 he became an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, where he received tenure in 1998 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2003. After serving as Associate Chair and Director of Graduate Studies from 2006 to 2010,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bala Balachandran {{!}} Global Maryland, University of Maryland |url=https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/content/bala-balachandran |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=globalmaryland.umd.edu}}</ref> and as Acting Chair from 2010-2011,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balakumar Balachandran Accepts Acting Chair Position |url=https://enme.umd.edu/news/story/balakumar-balachandran-accepts-acting-chair-position |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=enme.umd.edu |language=en}}</ref> he became Chair<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balachandran Named Chair of Mechanical Engineering |url=https://enme.umd.edu/news/story/balachandran-named-chair-of-mechanical-engineering |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=enme.umd.edu |language=en}}</ref> of the department in 2011. He was named a Minta Martin Professor<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Minta Martin Professors Named |url=https://enme.umd.edu/news/story/new-minta-martin-professors-named |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=enme.umd.edu |language=en}}</ref> in 2012 and Distinguished University Professor<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balachandran Named Distinguished University Professor |url=https://enme.umd.edu/news/story/balachandran-named-distinguished-university-professor |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=enme.umd.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-11 |title=Convocation 2022 Awardees |url=https://umd.edu/convocation-2022-awardees |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=umd.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Distinguished University Professors {{!}} The Office of Faculty Affairs |url=https://faculty.umd.edu/distinguished-university-professors |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=faculty.umd.edu}}</ref> in 2022.

== Research ==
Balachandran's research spans the fields of [[applied mathematics]], [[applied physics]], [[mechanics]], [[Dynamics (mechanics)|dynamics]], [[Control system|control]], and [[system identification]], with an emphasis on the analysis and application of nonlinear phenomena and nonlinear dynamics in diverse systems ranging from rotating machinery, vehicle systems, and space structures to disease dynamics.

== Awards ==
Balachandran's contributions have been recognized with honors including the 2023 Pendray Literature Award<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pendray Aerospace Literature Award |url=https://www.aiaa.org/get-involved/honors-awards/awards/award/award-pendray-aerospace-literature-award |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AIAA to Recognize Excellence in Aerospace Award Winners at the 2023 AIAA SciTech Forum |url=https://www.aiaa.org/news/news/2022/12/12/aiaa-to-recognize-excellence-in-aerospace-award-winners-at-the-2023-aiaa-scitech-forum |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=www.aiaa.org |language=en}}</ref> from the [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]], the 2022 Robert H. Scanlan Medal<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balachandran honored with Robert H. Scanlan Medal |url=https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2022/06/23/balachandran-honored-with-robert-h-scanlan-medal |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.asce.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Balachandran Receives Robert H. Scanlan Medal |url=https://enme.umd.edu/news/story/balachandran-receives-robert-h-scanlan-medal |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=enme.umd.edu |language=en}}</ref> from the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]], the 2021 J.P. Den Hartog Award<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> from the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]], and the 2021 Lyapunov Award<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lyapunov Award |url=https://www.asme.org/About-ASME/Honors-Awards/Unit-Awards/Lyapunov-Award |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.asme.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is also a recipient of the 2016 Melville Award<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balachandran honored with Robert H. Scanlan Medal |url=https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2022/06/23/balachandran-honored-with-robert-h-scanlan-medal |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.asce.org |language=en-US}}</ref> from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the 2015 Hind Rattan Award bestowed by the [http://www.nriwelfaresocietyindia.com NRI Welfare Society of India].

He is a member of diverse professional societies including the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]], the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]], and the [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]], the [[Royal Aeronautical Society]], and the International Society for Nonlinear Dynamics. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Aeronautical Society of the United Kingdom

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://enme.umd.edu/clark/faculty/508/Balakumar-Balachandran Balakumar Balachandran's University of Maryland homepage]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balachandran, Balakumar}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Balakumar Balachandran - Revision history

CrystleA12: -- Draft creation using the BP:Article wizard --