Engineering Natural Silk Applications and Future Directions

Prof. Balasubramanian K is Professor, Dean (Academics), and Head in the Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, DIAT (DU), Ministry of Defence, India, and has been highly acclaimed for his contribution in polymer processing and fabrication for various applications like biomedical & biodegradable materials, antibacterial & smart textiles, superhydrophobic coatings, ablative materials, waste-water treatment, and polymer nanocomposites. Prior to Ministry of Defence, Government of India, he was working as Research Manager (Technology), in UK, Materials Research Institute for a period of 10 years and had transferred about 8 technologies to MEs and SMEs after his Ph.D. in Polymer Technology from IPTME, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK.

Dr. Niranjana Jaya Prakash earned her Master’s degree in chemistry from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India, in 2019, and has completed her Ph.D. in silk-based materials for biomedical applications from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at DIAT (DU), Ministry of Defence, India, with Prof. Balasubramanian K. Her research interests focus on silk and silk-based bio composites, natural composites, biomedical engineering, polymer processing, and the design and fabrication of smart and functional systems.