Biography

Dr. Ramesh K. Agarwal is the William Palm Professor of Engineering in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). He is also the director of Aerospace Engineering Program, Aerospace Research and Education Center and Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at WUSTL. From 1994 to 1996, he was the Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Professor and Chair of Aerospace Engineering department at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. From 1996 to 2001, he was the Bloomfield Distinguished Professor and the executive director of the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University. From 1978 to 1994, he worked in various scientific and managerial positions at McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories (MDRL) in St. Louis. He became the Program Director and McDonnell Douglas Fellow in 1990.

Dr. Agarwal received Ph.D in Aeronautical Sciences from Stanford University in 1975, M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1969 and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India in 1968.

Over a period of 35 years, Professor Agarwal has worked in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), Computational Aeroacoustics, Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization, Rarefied Gas Dynamics and Hypersonic Flows, Flow Control, and Renewable Energy. While at MDRL, Dr. Agarwal and his colleagues developed advanced CFD codes that were used in the aerodynamic analysis and design of all categories of aerospace vehicles (transport and military aircraft, missile and launch vehicles, helicopters, and hypersonic space configurations). For past ten years, he has devoted some of his efforts to renewable energy systems (wind, solar-thermal and biomass) and issues related to sustainable ground and air transportation. Dr. Agarwal is the author and coauthor of over 300 publications and serves on the editorial board of thirteen journals. He has given many plenary, keynote and invited lectures at various national and international conferences worldwide. Professor Agarwal continues to serve on many professional, government, and industrial advisory committees.

Education

• 1968 Bachelor of Technology (BS), Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
• 1969 Master of Science (MS), Aeronautical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
• 1975 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Career chronology

• 1. 1975-1976, Principal Research Engineer, Rao & Associates Inc., Palo Alto, CA
• 2. 1976-1978, NRC Research Associate, NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
• 3. 1978-1990, Research Scientist (1978–1980), Scientist (1980–84), Senior Scientist & CFD Group Leader (1984–1990), McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories, St. Louis, MO
• 4. 1990-1994, Program Director and MDC Fellow, McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories, St. Louis, MO
• 5. 1994-1996, Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Professor and Chair, Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
• 6. 1996-2001, Executive Director, National Institute for Aviation Research and Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Professor, Wichita State University,Wichita, KS
• 7. 1999-2001, Director, FAA Airworthiness Assurance Center of Excellence, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
• 8. 2000-2001, Director, FAA Center of Excellence for General Aviation Research (CEGAR), Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
• 9. 1995-2001, Director, KS Statewide Aircraft Design & Manufacturing Research Center (ADMRC), Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
• 10. 2001–present, William Palm Professor of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
• 11. 2003 – present, Director, Aerospace Engineering Program, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
• 12. 2002–present, Director, MO Statewide Aerospace Research and Education Center (AeREC), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Awards and honors

• ASME Dedicated Service Award (2012)
• Hind Rattan (Jewel of India) Award (2012)
• SAE John Connor Environmental Award (2011)
• AIAA Thermophysics Award (2011)
• ASME Edwin Church Medal(2011)
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur Distinguished Alumnus Award(2011)
• Glory of India Award (2011)
• AIAA/ASEE John Leland Atwood Award (2010)
• AIAA St. Louis Section Lindbergh Award (2010)
• SAE McFarland Award (2010)
• SAE Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Award (2009)
• SAE Franklin Kolk Progress in Air Transportation Award (2009)
• AIAA/SAE William Littlewood Lecture Award (2009)
• James B. Eads Award of Academy of Science of St. Louis (2009)
• AIAA Aerodynamics Award (2008)
• Missouri Academy of Science Outstanding Scientist Award (2008)
• Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Award (2006)
• ASME Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award (2006)
• Missouri Academy of Science “Most Distinguished Scientist Award” (2003)
• AIAA St. Louis Section Civic Service Award (2003)
• AIAA Sustained Technical Achievement Award (2002)
• ASME Fluids Engineering Award (2001)
• Wichita State University President’s Award for Distinguished Service (1998)
• AIAA Wichita Section Engineer of the Year Award (1998)
• University of Kansas Irving Youngberg Research Award in Applied Sciences (1998)
• Wichita State University Excellence in Research Award (1998)
• Wichita State University College of Engineering Award for Continuing Education (1996)
• McDonnell Douglas Fellow (1990–1994)
• SME Wichita Section Award (1999)
• IEEE Award of Honor—St. Louis Section (1994)
• AIAA Technical Achievement Award—St. Louis Section (1991)
• AIAA Distinguished Lecturer (1996–1999; 2011- )
• ASME Distinguished Lecturer (1994–1997)
• IEEE Distinguished Lecturer (1994–2011)
• ASEE Distinguished Lecturer (2010)
• ACM Distinguished Speaker (2011)
• Kansas Academy of Science Distinguished Lecturer (1996–1998)
• Ohio Aerospace Institute Distinguished Lecturer (1997)
• American Physical Society Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics Distinguished Speaker (1995–2008)

Professional memberships and associations

• Fellow, American Association for Advancement of Science (1993)
• Fellow, American Physical Society (2002)
• Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1993)
• Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1994)
• Fellow, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (1999)
• Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society (2001)
• Fellow, Society of Automotive Engineers (2001)
• Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2003)
• Fellow, American Academy of Mechanics(2009)
• Fellow, American Society for Engineering Education (2010)
• Fellow, Academy of Science of St. Louis (2009)
• Fellow, World Innovation Foundation (2005)
• Honorary Fellow, Australian Institute of Energetic Materials (2010)
• Fellow, Institute of Physics, U.K. (2011)
• Fellow, Energy Institute, U.K. (2011)
• Fellow, Institute of Engineering and Technology (2011)

Listings in Who's Who

Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in American Education, International Who’s Who of Professionals, Who’s Who in Computational Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in Thermal-Fluid Systems, Who’s Who of Asian Americans, International Directory of Distinguished Scientists, Men of Achievement, America’s Registry of Outstanding Professionals, etc.

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