Gautam Receives Byrd Professorship

Mridul Gautam

Mridul Gautam, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is one of three WVU faculty members recently honored with a Robert C. Byrd Professorship award from the WVU Research Corp.

The awards were established to recognize outstanding professional accomplishments and leadership by WVU faculty members, particularly in research and scholarship.

"The Robert C. Byrd Professorship is based on distinction in one's field of scholarly work," said John D. Weete, WVU vice president for research and economic development and president of the Research Corp. "Recipients are expected to hold the highest standards and values of academic scholarship."

Gautam earned his bachelor's degree from the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, India, his master's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India in 1984, and his Ph.D. from WVU in 1989.

Gautam has received numerous awards and honors for research and teaching from the College and University, as well as from national and international professional associations. His career at WVU has produced internationally acclaimed work in gas-particle flows, combustion generated nanoparticles and exhaust emission formation, measurement, characterization and control.

Gautam's research has cut across disciplinary boundaries by involving researchers from all over the world in medicine, toxicology, physics, chemistry and material science. Over the past 19 years, he has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $50 million in research, mainly through the WVU Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions.

Gautam's research sponsors include the U.S. Department of Energy, South Coast Air Quality Management District, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology, Coordinating Research Council, multiple engine manufacturers with oversight from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of West Virginia and other state and federal agencies.

Guatam has a vision for advancing research in academic institutions, in general, and at WVU, in particular. His efforts have focused on establishing world-class centers that will conduct a mix of fundamental and applied-sponsored research, and will also serve as technology catalysts within their respective regional and state economies.

Initiatives that Gautam has launched include the Center for Advanced Research in Autonomous Technologies, Diesel Research Program, National Center for Mining Engines and Safety, Nanoparticle Toxicology Laboratory and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements.

Up to four Robert C. Byrd Professorships will be awarded annually until there are 16 professors with the title. Each award includes an annual stipend of $5,000 per year as a salary supplement for a four-year award period.

Gautam is the fourth recipient of the Robert C. Byrd professorship from within the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Past recipients include Bojan Cukic, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering; Larry Hornak, professor of computer science and electrical engineering; and Roger Viadero, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.

07/24/2007