Dr. V. S. Sooraj is currently Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) Thiruvananthapuram under Department of Space. The research interests include additive manufacturing, additive/subtractive techniques for aerospace/space applications, manufacturing in/for microgravity, design for manufacturing, fine finishing and precision manufacturing, 3D printing for bio-medical applications, etc. In addition to the academic research, he has contributed to some of payloads and student satellite activities, which were successfully launched as a part of PSLV- PS4 orbital platform (POEM) missions of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). He has authored several book chapters and published numerous articles in reputable international journals. He has publications in various national and international conferences, including the collaborative publications/presentations related to space missions, in COSPAR, GLEX, International Astronautical Congress, etc. He holds multiple patents and has received various awards and achievements including ISRO Team Excellence Award, ISAMPE Innovation award etc.
Dr. I. A. Palani is currently Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore. He joined the institute in January 2012 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Before joining IIT Indore, he worked as Post-Doctoral Research Scientist in the Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering at Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, from September 2010 to December 2011. He obtained his B.E. (mechanical) from the University of Madras, India (2004), M.E. (mechanical) from Anna University, Chennai, India (2006), and Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India (2010). Dr. Palani was Founding Head of Metallurgy Engineering and Material Science at IIT Indore, followed by heading the Mechanical Engineering Discipline. Currently, he serves as Dean of Research and Development at IIT Indore. His major areas of research interest include smart material and structures, shape memory alloys, laser-assisted surface processing and micro-manufacturing, and optical instrumentation.
Dr. C. P. Paul is currently leading a research group in the area of additive manufacturing and technology incubation activities at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore, India. He is also Professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) - a deemed to be University under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. Before joining RRCAT, he graduated in mechanical engineering from Vikram University, Ujjain, India, and worked for two professionally managed public companies as Design Engineer. He earned a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering in laser additive manufacturing of engineering components in 2005 and was Research Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada, during 2006–2008. Dr. Paul has over 20 years of experience in the research and development of LAM, from system development to its applications in engineering. His research programs focus on next-generation additive manufacturing systems and processes.
