Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Suresh Babu

Governor’s Chair for Advanced Manufacturing

Suresh Babu is a materials scientist who explores the production, design, and performance of transforming materials into parts.

His research helps widen the scope of advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, which is the process of adding successive layers to make a three-dimensional solid object from a digital model.

Babu’s primary responsibilities include innovation in new materials and product designs at the crossroads of additive and traditional manufacturing and provide team leadership in developing strong relationships between academia, national laboratories, and small-, medium- and large-scale industry partners to provide tangible impact to local and national interests.

In 2020, Babu was appointed by President Trump to serve a six-year term on the National Science Board, which helps set the national course for science, technology, and engineering.

In 2022, Babu began serving as senior advisor to the Office of the Provost and Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development. In this position, he focuses on strategic investments in research and development and curricular innovations aimed at preparing a 21st-century STEM workforce.

Babu is the former director of the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute. He also serves in the UT Tickle College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering as well as the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Bio Pages

UT Knoxville

ORNL

Facility Page

Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

In the News

January 2022 Babu Appointed Senior Advisor for Research and STEM Workforce Development Initiatives

August 2021 Department of Defense Extends UT-Led Research Award

April 2020 Babu Nominated by President Trump to National Science Board

December 2018 Suresh Babu to Lead UT-ORNL Bredesen Center

April 2018 UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair to Lead Major Research for US Navy

December 2017 Babu Receives Awards for His Expertise

March 2017 Nature Publishes UT Graduate Student’s Work

December 2016 UTRF Innovation Award Ceremony Honors UT Researchers

April 2016 High School Students Team with UT, ORNL to Produce New Type of Nail

October 2015 Aerojet Rocketdyne, UT, ORNL Take on New Advanced Manufacturing Thrust

January 2015 UT, ORNL Get a LIFT from Manufacturing Innovation Center

January 2015 IACMI: What it Means for UT, ORNL, and East Tennessee

October 2014 ORNL research reveals unique capabilities of 3-D printing

February 2014 UT Part of $140 Million White House Advanced Manufacturing Initiative

February 2014 White House Blog: Manufacturing Innovation Institutes: Putting America at the Forefront of 21st Century Manufacturing

November 2013 Four Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Appointed

July 2013

Sudarsanam Suresh Babu

Contact Info

Email
UT sbabu@utk.edu
ORNL babuss@ornl.gov

Phone
UT 865-974-5184
ORNL 865-946-1270

Address
UT
407 Dougherty Engineering Building
1512 Middle Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-2210