Dr. Naresh Thadhani has been appointed as the new school chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, at the Georgia Institute of Technology, effective August 1, 2012. Thadhani is currently professor and associate chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. 

“Naresh brings with him a great set of teaching, research, and outreach skills to the position of school chair. He will provide excellent vision and leadership to ensure the success of the faculty, staff, and students,” said Gary S. May, dean of the College of Engineering. “Naresh will use his exceptional knowledge and experience to continue to advance the school and build on its successes.” 

As the new chair, Thadhani will oversee a school that is currently ranked in the top ten in both undergraduate and graduate programs and is amongst the largest programs of its kind in the nation. “I am truly honored to have been offered the opportunity to serve as the chair of our school,” said Thadhani. “I look forward to partnering with our outstanding faculty, staff, students, and alumni in taking MSE to the next level of excellence and recognition.” 

Thadhani earned his PhD in metallurgical engineering (physical metallurgy) from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He joined the faculty in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech in September 1992. Thadhani’s research focuses on studies of shock-induced physical, chemical, and mechanical changes for processing of novel materials and for probing the deformation and fracture response of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites, subjected to high-rate impact loading conditions. 

Since joining Georgia Tech in 1992, he has advised 15 visiting scientists and post-doc fellows; graduated 15 PhD and 18 MS degree students; mentored 49 undergraduate research assistants; attracted total research funding of ~$15M from federal agencies as well as from several national laboratories and industries; co-edited 12 books/proceedings, published more than 140 papers in refereed journals (including several invited review articles) and another 140 papers in conference proceedings; and established the high-strain-rate laboratory with state-of-the-art dynamic high pressure generation equipment, time-resolved diagnostics, and computational capabilities.  

Thadhani has been recognized as Fellow of ASM International based on his contributions in "materials effects of shock compression" and of the American Physical Society based on his contributions in “shock physics of materials." 

The College of Engineering at Georgia Tech is the largest of its kind in the country with more than 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled. The college ranks in the top five in undergraduate and graduate engineering education by U.S. News and World Report.