Prof. Ken Gonsalves, eminent expert in materials and chemistry from the University of North Carolina, has joined IIT Mandi as Visiting Distinguished Professor initially for 6 months. He holds the position of the Celanese Acetate Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Professor Ken Gonsalves has research interests in nano/microfabrication for electronics as well as in bionanotechnology. He plans to continue these areas of research at IIT Mandi. Efforts are also planned for developing organic materials for solar energy applications and in transforming light (solar) energy into various types of alternatives such as mechanical motion. The latter will be based on soft organic materials, similar to tissues in nature.
Dr. Gonsalves is highly enthusiastic about the potential at IIT Mandi, as it develops programs with emphasis on the eco- profile of Himachal Pradesh as well as of a national and international stature. Simultaneously, the education of next generation scientists and engineers is of significant importance to Dr. Ken Gonsalves as well as K-12 STEM.