Balkrishna C Rao Author

Balkrishna C. Rao is a professor in the Department of Engineering Design at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. Prof. Rao has served from June 2022 to October 2022 as the ICCR Visiting Chair Professor of Indian Studies in Leibniz University Hannover where he taught and conducted research on frugal engineering of advanced frugal products. His research interests include sustainable manufacturing and frugal engineering. In frugal engineering, he has coined the term “advanced frugal innovation (AFI)” and also developed the factor of frugality approach to designing and fabricating advanced frugal products in any sector. He has also developed the concept of net finished shape (NFS) for zero waste in frugal manufacturing. Prof. Rao earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, US. He has also served as a research associate at Purdue with the School of Industrial Engineering. The long stint at Purdue has resulted in research contributions to the automotive- and aerospace-sectors in the US with involvement in nanotechnology for manufacturing. At IIT Madras, Prof. Rao uses his long research experience in engineering and manufacturing for infusing frugality into product development for a better world.