R.I Sujith, professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, has become the first Indian to be awarded the fellowship of International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration (IIAV). The fellowship is awarded to individuals with distinguished careers in acoustics (and/or) vibration.
Sujith, also an alumnus of IIT Madras, is currently the D. Srinivasan Chair Professor at Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras.
The IIAV works to advance the science of acoustics and vibration by creating an international scientific society that is responsive to the needs of scientists and engineers in all countries. It cooperates with scientific societies and with other international organisations to increase information exchange
Sujith works on both experiments and modelling and some of his key research interests with a major impact in the field include:
- Thermoacoustic instability in practical gas turbine engines and rockets
- Application of dynamical systems theory and complex systems theory to thermoacoustic instability
- Obtaining early warning (precursors) for the onset of thermoacoustic instability
- Smart control strategies using complex systems theory
Elaborating on how the fellowship will boost his research, Sujith said, “This fellowship has given my group greater recognition and visibility. I plan to collaborate actively with IIAV in various activities including their international conferences, workshops, seminars and publications.”
Thanking IIAV for conferring this honour, he added, “I was pleasantly surprised when the IIAV contacted me about this. They are a wonderful international body, and I have participated in their conferences in the past.”
Sujith has over 360 technical publications (including 186 refereed journal publications), 12 patents and has also written a book on Thermoacoustic Instability.
Sujith was also the founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Spray and Combustion Dynamics from 2009-15, and is currently a member of the editorial advisory board of Chaos. He has won the Young Engineer Award of the Indian National Academy of Engineering.
He has been awarded the Swarnajayanti Fellowship and the J. C. Bose Fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Indian Academy of Sciences, and has been conferred the title of ‘TUM ambassador’ of the Technical University of Munich.
Sujith currently works on the application of dynamical systems and complex systems theory to study and mitigate thermoacoustic instability.