S. Suresh Babu

S. Suresh Babu holds a PhD in materials science and metallurgy from University of Cambridge.

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.