Rate My Professor Gangadhara Prusty

Scientia Professor Gangadhara Prusty is an internationally respected researcher in composite mechanics at the University of New South Wales School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Structures from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2003, a Graduate Certificate in University Learning & Teaching from UNSW Australia in 2008, and graduated from the Company Directors Course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2024. Prusty's academic career at UNSW progressed from Lecturer (2005-2007) and Senior Lecturer (2007-2010) to Associate Professor (2011-2013), Professor (2014-2024), and Scientia Professor since 2025. He serves as Founding Director of the ARC Training Centre for Automated Manufacture of Advanced Composites (AMAC) and was Director of Research and Executive Director on the Board of the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC from 2022 to 2025 during secondment from UNSW. Previously, he acted as Deputy Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) from 2008 to 2019 and held a Visiting Professor position at the University of Liege, Belgium in 2010.

Prusty's research focuses on composite mechanics spanning nano-, micro-, and macro-scale systems, mechanics of advanced materials, manufacturing automation, structural composites, biomechanics applications, multi-scale modelling of composite structures, automated fibre placement manufacturing, and fibre-reinforced dental composites for amalgam replacements. He has produced over 300 peer-reviewed publications, including books such as Fatigue behaviour of short fibre composites (2011) and Mechanics of Solids 1 student package (2009); an edited book, Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures Using Fiber Optic Methods (2016); and journal articles like 'Numerical model and experimental validation of stress waves propagation in large composite panels' (2026, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites), 'Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Material Design for Automated Manufacturing of Tailored Composites – A Review' (2026, Composites Part B: Engineering), and 'Optimisation of a composite pressure vessel dome using non-geodesic tow paths and automated fibre placement manufacturing' (2025, Composites Part B: Engineering). His contributions have earned fellowships from the Royal Society of NSW, Institution of Engineers Australia, and Royal Institute of Naval Architects, along with awards including the Australian Award for University Teaching (2012), JEC Asia 2019 Innovation Award for Shape Adaptive Hydrofoil with Fiber-Optic Sensing, Cooperative Research Australia Award for Enduring Industry-Research Collaboration (2023), and finalist nods in 2024-2025 innovation awards. Prusty is a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts, has co-hosted the 9th Australasian Congress on Applied Mechanics (2017), and served on organizing committees for conferences such as ACAM and ACUN6.