Dr. Suresh V. Garimella
Suresh Garimella is Purdue University’s Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships, and the Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He is also Director of the National Science Foundation Cooling Technologies Research Center. He previously served as Purdue’s Chief Global Affairs Officer (2013-2014), and as Associate Vice President for Engagement (2011-2013). He received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989, his MS from The Ohio State University in 1986, and his Bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 1985.
Dr. Garimella’s research group has made seminal contributions in micro- and nano-scale thermal and fluidic engineering, novel materials for thermal management, materials processing and manufacturing, and renewable energy. He has supervised over 85 PhD and MS students, and co-authored 500 refereed journal and conference publications and 21 patents and patent applications. Eighteen alumni from his research group are now faculty members in prestigious universities around the world. Dr. Garimella has held honorary faculty positions in Germany, China, and Australia, and serves on the Board of Directors of Modine Manufacturing Company. The group has addressed a wide range of topics including microchannel transport, electromechanical microfluidic actuation and micropumps, novel microscale diagnostics, thin film transport and heat pipes, micro- and nano-structured surface engineering, transport in bubbles, piezoelectric fans, refrigeration, jet impingement, thermal contact resistance, heat transfer enhancement, phase change energy storage and metal foams, melting and solidification, plasmas, and renewable and sustainable energy systems including solar thermal energy storage and waste heat recovery.
Dr. Garimella served as Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State from 2010 to 2011. He explored pathways to a clean energy future, analyzing cross-cutting issues at the intersection of energy security and climate change. He also served a five-year term (2011-16) as Senior Fellow of the State Department’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA)’ a regional partnership announced by President Obama at the 2009 Summit of the Americas to promote clean energy, advance energy security, fight energy poverty, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support strategies for sustainable landscapes and build capacity for climate change adaptation. Dr. Garimella serves in editorial roles with several leading journals. He is Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). His efforts in research and engineering education have been recognized with the 2014 ASME Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award, 2011 NSF Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize for Technological Innovation, 2010 ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras, 2009 ASME Allan Kraus Thermal Management Award, and 2004 ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, among others.