Ganesh Balasubramanian, Ph.D.

Ganesh Balasubramanian
Lambrakis Endowed Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
Chair, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Coordinator, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Tagliatela College of Engineering
About Ganesh

Dr. Ganesh Balasubramanian is the chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and assumes the Lambrakis Professorship. He earned his BME in Mechanical Engineering (2007) from Jadavpur University, India, and his PhD in Engineering Mechanics (2011) from Virginia Tech. He previously held faculty appointments at Iowa State University and Lehigh University, and is a recipient of an NSF CAREER grant. He has received multiple awards for his teaching, research and mentorship activities, and his research in advanced materials and predictive manufacturing has been supported by the NSF, DOD and DOE.

Dr. Balasubramanian's specialties encompass robotics, mechanobiology, advanced manufacturing, structural materials, engineering design and measurements, operations research, systems engineering, and engineering management.

His research includes:

  • Spearheaded the acquisition of advanced infrastructure: 3D Metal Printer (leveraging corporate gift), a first for the University
  • Leading the Advanced Manufacturing initiative through promotion of specialized course offerings, engagement with regional small and medium manufacturers, and preparation of proposals for solicited calls from state and federal agencies
Awards and Honors

Selected recognitions (travel awards received as a graduate student not included for brevity)

  • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2025
  • Libsch Early Career Research Award, Lehigh University, 2021
  • Rossin College Interdisciplinary Research Excellence Award, Lehigh University, 2021
  • Hind Rattan Award, NRI Welfare Society of India, 2021
  • Alfred Noble Robinson Faculty Award, Lehigh University, 2020
  • Hillman Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising, Lehigh University, 2020
  • Finalist, Rising Stars in Computational Materials Science, 2020
  • NSF CAREER Award, 2020
  • Faculty Mentor Appreciation, Lehigh University, 2019, 2020
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, Acta journals, 2019
  • Ochs Award for Achievement in Entrepreneurial Education, Lehigh University, 2019
  • Creative Inquiry Faculty Fellow, Lehigh University, 2018-2019
  • McNair Faculty Mentor of the Year, Iowa State University, 2017
  • ASEE Outstanding New Mechanical Engineering Educator Award, 2016
  • AFRL Summer Faculty Fellow, 2015, 2016
  • Miller Faculty Fellow, Iowa State University, 2013-2014
  • Honorable Mention for 2011 Virginia Tech Outstanding Dissertation in Engineering,Science, Mathematics and Technology, 2012
  • Graduate Student Speaker, Virginia Tech Spring Graduate Commencement, 2011
  • Virginia Tech Graduate Man of the Year, 2011
  • Who鈥檚 Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, 2011
  • 1st place Oral Presentation Category, Virginia Tech Graduate Symposium, 2011
  • Liviu Librescu Memorial Scholarship, Virginia Tech, 2009鈥2010
  • Research & Development Award, Virginia Tech Graduate Student Assembly, 2009鈥2010
  • Pratt Presidential Fellowship, Virginia Tech, 2007-2008
  • M.P. Birla Smarak Kosh Award, South Point High School, Kolkata, India, 2007
  • Young Engineering Fellowship, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, 2006
Publications - Journal Articles
  • D. Adak, S. Roy and G Balasubramanian, 鈥淧rocess parameter optimization for predictive melt-pool morphology in laser powder bed fusion for Inconel 718鈥, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, in press, 2025.
  • MB Akram, C Gilarno, K McCoy, S Osten, M Rumps, U Thota, D Campbell and G Balasubramanian, 鈥淢achine learned and explainable prediction of melt pressure and temperature for polypropylene extrusion鈥, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, in press, 2025.
  • MSB Hoque, ER Hoglund, B Zhao, D Bao, H Zhou, S Thakur, E Osei-Agyemang, K Hattar, EA Scott, M Surendran, JA Tomko, JT Gaskins, K Aryana, S Makarem, A Alwen, A Hodge, G Balasubramanian, A Giri, T Feng, JA Hachtel, J Ravichandran, ST Pantelides and PE Hopkins, 鈥淩uddlesden-Popper chalcogenides push the limit of mechanical stiffness and glass-like thermal conductivity in single crystals鈥, Nature Communications, in press, 2025.
  • P. Sharma, P. Singh and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淚nfluence of isoelectronic mass modulation on phonon decay and transport in layered pnictogen-carbon systems鈥, Acta Materialia, in press, 2025.
  • T. Banerjee, M.B. Akram and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淧redicting binding strength and dissociation kinetics of HIV-1 protease inhibitors Ritonavir, XK-263, and AHA-001 by molecular simulations鈥, Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modeling, in press.
  • T. Banerjee, K. Ji, W. Xia, G. Ouyang, T.D. Rose, I.Z. Hlova, B. Ueland, D.D. Johnson, G. Balasubramanian and P. Singh, 鈥淢achine-learning and first-principles investigation of lightweight medium-entropy alloys for hydrogen-storage applications鈥, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, in press, 2025.
  • S.H. Abir, S. Sharma, P. Sharma, S. Karla, G. Balasubramanian, S. Johnson and N. Koratkar, 鈥淧redicting ultimate tensile strength of SiC/SiC mini-composites via machine learning鈥, Ceramics International, in press, 2025.
  • P. Sharma, W.C. Tucker and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淥ptimal interplay of charge localization, lattice dynamics and slip systems drives structural softening in dilute W alloys with Re additives鈥, International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials, 128, 107086, 2025.
  • T. Banerjee and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淗ydrogen diffusion induced dislocation transformations in a nickel superalloy鈥, Fuel, 384, 134064, 2025.
  • S.H. Abir, S. Sharma, P. Sharma, S. Karla, G. Balasubramanian, S. Johnson and N. Koratkar, 鈥淧iezoelectricity in chalcogenide perovskites鈥, Nature Communications, 15, 5768, 2024.
  • W. Jin, P. Sharma, A.Kundu, P. Singh, G. Balasubramanian and H.M. Chan, 鈥淪olid state reduction driven synthesis of Mn containing multi-principal component alloys鈥, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 55, 3799-3808, 2024.
  • P. Singh, C. Acemi, A. Kuchibhotla, B. Vela, P. Sharma, W. Zhang, P. Mason, G. Balasubramanian, I. Karaman, R. Arroyave, M.C. Hipwell, D.D. Johnson, 鈥淎lloying effects on the transport properties of refractory high-entropy alloys", Acta Materialia, 276, 120032, 2024.
  • P. Sharma, P.M. Gandhi, K.-L. Chintersingh, M. Schoenitz, E.L. Dreizin, S.-C. Liou and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淎ccelerated intermetallic phase amorphization in a Mgbased high-entropy alloy powder", Journal of Magnesium and Alloys, 12(5), 1792-1798, 2024.
  • L. Kim, W.R. Scougale, P. Sharma, N. Shiratto, S. Wieghold, V. Rose, W. Chen, G. Balasubramanian and T-Y. Chien, 鈥淒istinguishing elements at the sub-nanometer scale on the surface of a high entropy alloy", Advanced Materials, 36 (28), 2470221, 2024.
  • P. Sharma, D.D. Johnson, G. Balasubramanian and P. Singh, 鈥淯nraveling the connection of electronic and phononic structure with mechanical properties of commercial AZ80 alloy鈥, Materials Letters, 366, 136501, 2024.
  • P. Sharma, P. Singh and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淓ngineering phonon transport through cation disorder in dimensionally constricted high entropy MXene鈥, Carbon, 223, 119015, 2024.
  • P. Sharma, C. Das, P. Sreeramagiri and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淎dditively manufactured lightweight and hard high-entropy alloys by thermally activated solvent extraction鈥, High Entropy Alloys and Materials, 2, 41-47, 2024.
  • Jhalak, G. Balasubramanian and P.K. Ray, 鈥淓ffect of Hf and Al on self-diffusion in amorphous silica using molecular dynamics鈥, JOM, 76, 941-950, 2024.
Patents (Provisional)
  • G. Balasubramanian, P. Sharma, C. Das, P. Sreeramagiri, 鈥淭hermal Solvent Extraction Additive Manufacturing Method for Porous Multi-Principal Element Alloy鈥, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/408,664, September 21, 2022.
  • I. Roy and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淩apid Site-Specific Gas Leak Detection Diagnostics Using Visible Optics鈥, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/070,912, August 27, 2020.
  • J.M. Rickman, M.P. Harmer, G. Balasubramanian, H.M. Chan, J.A. Smeltzer, C.J. Marvel and A. Roy, 鈥淢aterials Informatics for the Screening of Multi-Principal Elements and High-Entropy Alloys鈥, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/036,553, June 9, 2020.
Books, Chapters, Commentaries, Technical Writings and Periodicals
  • J. Munshi, I. Roy and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淪patiotemporal dynamics in demographysensitive disease transmission: COVID-19 spread in NY as a case study鈥, arXiv preprint, 2020 (arXiv:2005.01001).
  • G. Balasubramanian, feature article 鈥淐uckoo Search: Using Evolutionary Algorithms to Optimise Materials鈥, Publisher: Scientia, 2018 (DOI: 10.26320/SCIENTIA91).
  • G. Balasubramanian, editor 鈥淎dvances in Nanomaterials: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications鈥, Publisher: Springer, 2018 (ISBN: 978-3-319-64715-9).
  • O. Sanchez, J-M. Kim and G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淕raphene analogous elemental van der Waals structures鈥 in Advances in Nanomaterials: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications, Editor: Ganesh Balasubramanian, Publisher: Springer, 2018 (ISBN: 978-3-319-64715-9).
  • G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淢echanics of thermal transport in mass-disordered nanostructures鈥 in Advanced Computational Nanomechanics, Editor: Nuno Silvestre, Publisher: Wiley, 2016 (ISBN: 978-1-119-06893-8).
  • G. Balasubramanian, 鈥淩eview of Nanoelectronic Devices by Byung-Gook Park, Sung Woo Huang and Young June Park鈥, Journal of Nanotechnology in Engineering and Medicine, 4(1), 016501, 2013.
  • B. Ganesh, 鈥淎pplication of scaling group of transformations to the flow of a secondgrade viscoelastic fluid above a moving plate鈥, Review Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society, 14(2), 189-194, 2006.
Invited Talks
  • 鈥淭he Order in Disorder: Structural properties of multi-principal element alloys鈥, University of Wyoming, April 23, 2025.
  • 鈥淧redictive manufacturing of advanced materials鈥, University of New Haven, April 15, 2024.
  • 鈥淧rinting compositionally complex alloys鈥, Arizona State University, February 5, 2024.
  • 鈥淧redictive manufacturing of advanced materials鈥, Rowan University, December 19, 2023.
  • 鈥淧redictive manufacturing of multi-principal element alloys鈥, Syracuse University, November 17, 2023.
  • 鈥淧redict | Build | Test | Repeat鈥, University of Delaware, February 23, 2023.
  • 鈥淧redict | Build | Test | Repeat鈥, Raytheon Technology Research Center, December 5, 2022.
  • 鈥淒ata-guided engineering of compositionally complex alloys鈥, Pacific Northwest National Lab, July 18, 2022.
  • 鈥淒ata-enabled manufacturing of high-entropy alloys for cryocoolers鈥, PA Manufacturing Innovation, June 15, 2022.
  • 鈥淧redictive engineering of multi-principal element alloys鈥, Air Force Research Lab, May 10, 2022.
  • 鈥淒ata-enabled Additive Manufacturing of High-entropy Alloys鈥, MS&T 2021, October 20, 2021.
  • 鈥淧redict | Build | Test | Repeat鈥, NASA Ames Research Center, August 17, 2021.
  • 鈥淧redicting material features of multi-principal element alloys for superior structural properties鈥, Indian Institute of Technology at Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India, October 5, 2020.

News and In the Media

In the Media

Ganesh Balasubramanian, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, discusses a newly released report on the structure of the Washington Bridge in Rhode Island and what led to officials suddenly shutting it down in December 2023.