Ponisseril Somasundaran

LaVon Duddleson Krumb Professor of Mineral Engineering, Columbia University

Member, National Academy of Engineering

Dr. Somasundaran is the La Von Duddleson Krumb Professor of Mineral Engineering since 1983 and Director of the Langmuir Center for Colloids and Interfaces since 1987. He joined Columbia University in 1983, served as the acting Chairman of the School of Mines, visiting professorships at the Indian Institute of Science and University of Melbourne in 1977.

Ponisseril Somasundaran is a member of the National Academy of Engineering since 1985. He received the Antoine M. Gaudin Award in 1982 and five years later, he received two awards, the Robert H. Richards Award and the Arthur F. Taggart Award. He has also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1990), Senate Leadership Citation from New Jersey Senate (1991) and the Frank F. Aplan Award from the Engineering Foundation in 1992, Mill Man of Distinction Award and SME Publication Board Award, holder of the Most Distinguished Achievement in Engineering citation from AINA.

Professor Somasundaran was honored by the Government of India with the Padma Shri award in 2010. Professor Somasundaran is a member of the National Engineering Academies of India, China, and Russia, and has held the positions of the Honorary Professor of Central University of Technology, China and the Honorary Research Advisor of Beijing Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Beijing.

Professor Somasundaran received his Masters followed by doctoral degree (PhD) in from the University of California-Berkeley.