Experience:

June 2014 - Present: Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur.

Nov. 2009 - June 2014: Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur.

Oct. 2008 - Oct. 2009: Senior Research Engineer, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Technology, Akron, OH, USA.

Jan. 2007 - Sep. 2008: Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Mathematics, Penn State University, USA.

Aug. 1999 - July 2000: Graduate Trainee Engineer, L&T Ltd, India.


Education:

Ph. D., Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, 2007.

  1. M.Sc. (Engg.): Mechanical Engineering, IISc, Bangalore, 2002

  2. B.E.: Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, 1999.


Research Interests:

Mechanics of biological membranes, Continuum Mechanics and Granular Mechanics.

Contact:

Nonlinear Mechanics Laboratory,  NL I

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Kanpur 208016, India


Phone: +91 512 259 7035

Email: sovandas AT iitk.ac.in

Current Students:

Anish Kumar (Ph. D. Candidate) - Co-supervisor Dr. Pankaj Wahi

Krishnan S (Ph. D. Candidate) - Co-supervisor Dr. Ishan Sharma

Hemanth Singh (BT-MT Dual Degree)

Pranav Vyas (BT-MT Dual Degree)



Former Students:

Paritosh Mahata (Ph. D., 2016): Assistant Professor, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Laxminarsimha Rao (Ph. D., 2016): Postdoctoral Scholar, JNCASR, Bangalore

Suhail Rizvi (Ph. D., 2016): Postdoctoral Scholar,  CNRS, Grenoble, France

Harshit Gangwar (M. Tech, 2016): Started a start-up Company

Soumyadipta Das (M. Tech., 2013): Working in Renault-Nissan Technology and Business Center, Chennai.

Pankaj Singh (M. Tech, 2012): Joined PhD program in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University.

Subhradeep Roy (M. Tech., 2012): Joined PhD program in Engineering Science and Mechanics,Virginia Tech.

Debapriya Pinaki Mohanty (M. Tech., 2012): Joined PhD program in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University.

Tanmay Mandal (M. Tech., 2012): Working in Tata Motors, Jamshedpur.

Vishal Sharma (M. Tech., 2011): Working in Mercedes Benz, Bangalore.



Teaching:

ME352, Theory of Mechanisms and Machines, IIT Kanpur 2916.

ESO209, Dynamics, IIT Kanpur 2016.

ME622, Introduction to Continuum Mechanics, IIT Kanpur, 2016.

ME721, Theory of Plasticity, IIT Kanpur, 2015.

ME 724, Mechanics of Biological Membranes, IIT Kanpur, 2011 & 2014.

ME351, Design of Machine Elements, IIT Kanpur, 2014, 2016

ME 781, Approximate Methods in Engineering Mathematics, IIT Kanpur, 2013.

ME471, Mechanical Engineering Lab (Solid Mechanics), IIT Kanpur, 2013.

BSE 314, Biomechanics, IIT Kanpur, 2012 & 2013.

ME 622, Theory of Elasticity, IIT Kanpur, 2011.

ME 621, Introduction to Solid Mechanics, IIT Kanpur, 2010.

ME 652, Principles of Dynamics, IIT Kanpur, 2010.

MATH 220, Linear Algebra, Penn State University, 2007 & 2008.

MATH 140, Calculus, Penn State University, 2007.

MATH 191, Calculus, Cornell University, 2006.


Tutoring:

ESO209, Dynamics, IIT Kanpur, 2015

ESO 202, Mechanics of Solids, IIT Kanpur, 2014.

ME 351, Design of Machine Elements, IIT Kanpur, 2011- 2014, 2016.

ME 251, Machine Drawing, IIT Kanpur, 2012.

MSO 203B, Partial Differential Equations, IIT Kanpur, 2012.


Brief overview of biological membrane research:

The focus of our research is the mechanical and biophysical studies of lipid bilayer vesicles. Model membranes such as lipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes) are easier to study and mimic the cell membranes when composition is chosen appropriately. They behave like two dimensional fluids and resist bending. More importantly, Giant Unilameller Vesicles (GUVs) with fluid-ordered (lo) and fluid-disordered (ld) phase coexistence have been observed at room temperature. GUVs have sizes in the micrometer range and can be examined directly using optical microscopes. Particular problems, associated with the experimental and theoretical study of lipid vesicles, that we are currently interested in are:

  1. (1)Protein sorting in membranes with high curvature.

Collaborators: Tobias Baumgart (University of Pennsylvania, USA), P. B. Sunil Kumar (IIT Madras), Sarvanan Matheswaran (IIT Kanpur), Sasa Svetina and Bojan Bozic (University of Ljubljana).

  1. (2)Motion and growth of raft-like domains in vesicle membranes.

These studies are important to understand the role of membranes in fundamental biological processes in cells. Biotechnology applications include cancer therapy  and  drug delivery.


List of other research activities that I am Involved in:

  1. (1)Inextensional vibrations of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Collaborator:  Shakti Singh Gupta (IIT Kanpur).

  1. (2)Parametric instability of cylindrical shells under radial loading.

Collaborator: Pankaj Wahi (IIT Kanpur).

  1. (3)Subsurface fracture due to low velocity impact.

Collaborator: Animangsu Ghatak (IIT Kanpur).


ISI Researcher ID: F-5304-2011

Publications (refereed journal):

  1. 1.Mohanty, D. P., Laxminarsimha Rao V., Das, S. L., and Ghatak, A.: Polygonal deformation of a metallic foil subjected to impact by an axisymmetric indenter, Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology, Accepted, 2016

  2. 2.Laxminarsimha Rao V., Roy, S., and Das, S. L.: Diffusion mediated coagulation and fragmentation based study of domain formation in lipid bilayer membrane, Physica B, To appear, 2016

  3. 3.Rizvi, Md., S., Pal A.,  and Das, S. L.: Structure-induced nonlinear viscoelasticity of non-woven fibrous matrices, Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 15, 1641, 2016

  4. 4.Kumar, A.  Das, S. L., and Wahi, P.: Instabilities of thin circular cylindrical shells under radial loading, International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 104, 174, 2015

  5. 5.Laxminarsimha Rao V.  and Das, S. L.: Drag force on a liquid domain moving inside a membrane sheet surrounded by aqueous medium, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 779, 468, 2015

  6. 6.Božič, B, Das S. L., and Svetina, S.: Sorting of integral membrane proteins mediated by curvature-dependent protein-lipid bilayer interaction, Soft Matter, 11, 2479, 2015.

  7. 7.Mahata, P and Das, S. L.: Two-dimensional convex molecule fluid model for surface adsorption of proteins: Effect of soft interaction on adsorption equilibria, Physical Review E, 90, 062713, 2014.

  8. 8.Das, S. L., Mandal, T., and Gupta, S. S., : Inextensional vibration of zig-zag single-walled carbon nanotubes, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 50, 2792-2797, 2013.

  9. 9.Rizvi, Md., S. and Das, S. L.: Role of membrane addition in animal cell cytokinesis, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 315, 139, 2012.

  10. 10.Singh, P., Mahata, P., Baumgart, T., and Das, S. L.: Curvature sorting of proteins on a cylindrical lipid membrane tether connected to a reservoir, Physical Review E, 85, 051906, 2012.

  11. 11.Zhu, C., Das, S. L., and Baumgart, T.: Nonlinear sorting, curvature generation, and crowding of endophilin N-BAR on tubular membranes, Biophysical Journal, 102, 1837, 2012.

  12. 12.Baumgart, T., Capraro, B. C., Zhu, C., and Das, S. L.: Thermodynamics and mechanics of membrane curvature generation and sensing by proteins and lipids, Annual Reviews in Physical Chemistry, 62, 483, 2011.

  13. 13.Das, S.: Influence of the bending rigidity and the line tension on the mechanical stability of micropipette     aspirated vesicles, Physical Review E, 82, 021908, 2010 (Also appearing in the August 15, 2010 issue of Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research).

  14. 14.Zhao, Y., Das, S., and Du, Q.: Adhesion of multi-component vesicle membranes. Physical Review E, 81, 041919, 2010 (Also appearing in the May 1, 2010 issue of Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research).

  15. 15.Zhang, J., Das, S., and Du, Q.: A phase field model of vesicle substrate adhesion. Journal of Computational Physics, 228, 7837, 2009.

  16. 16.Das, S. L., Jenkins, J. T., and Baumgart, T.: Neck geometry and shape transitions in vesicles with co-existing fluid phases: Role of Gaussian curvature stiffness versus spontaneous curvature. Europhysics Letters, 86, 48003, 2009.

  17. 17.Das, S., Tian, A., and Baumgart, T.: Mechanical stability of micropipette aspirated giant vesicles with fluid phase coexistence, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 112, 11625, 2008.

  18. 18.Das, S. and Du, Q.: Adhesion of vesicles to curved substrates, Physical Review E, 77, 011907, 2008 (Also appearing in the Jan 15, 2008 issue of Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research). 

  19. 19.Das, S. L., and Jenkins, J. T.: A higher-order boundary layer analysis for lipid vesicles with two fluid domains, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 597, 429–448, 2008.

  20. 20.Baumgart, T., Das, S., Webb, W.W., and Jenkins, J. T.: Membrane elasticity in giant vesicles with fluid phase coexistence, Biophysical Journal, 89, 1067–1080, 2005.

  21. 21.Das, S. L. and Chatterjee, A.: Second order multiple scales for oscillators with large delay, Nonlinear Dynamics, 39, 375–394, 2005.

  22. 22.Das, S. L. and Chatterjee, A.: Multiple scales via Galerkin projections: approximate asymptotics for strongly nonlinear oscillators, Nonlinear Dynamics, 32, 161–186, 2003.

  23. 23.Das, S. L. and Chatterjee, A.: Multiple scales without center manifold reductions for delay differential equations near Hopf bifurcations, Nonlinear Dynamics, 30, 323–335, 2002.

  24. 24.Das, S. L. and Chatterjee, A.: An alternative stability analysis technique for the simplest walking machine, Nonlinear Dynamics, 28, 273–284, 2002.



Publications (conference proceedings):

  1. 1.Kumar, A., Das, S.L., Wahi, P.: Effect of radial loading on the beam mode vibration of circular cylindrical shells,  Indian Conference on Applied Mechanics, New Delhi, India, 2015.

  2. 2.Kumar, A., Das, S., Wahi, P.: Effect of radial loads and boundary conditions on the natural frequencies of a thin walled circular cylindrical shell, 20th International Conference on Sound and Vibration, Bankok, Thailand, 2013.

  3. 3.Kumar, A., Das, S., Wahi, P.: Dynamic buckling of thin-walled circular cylindrical shells subject to fluctuating radial loads, SMiRT, New Delhi, India, 2011.

  4. 4.Buskohl, P., Das, S., Jenkins, J. T.: Micropipette aspiration of lipid vesicles: A 2D approach, IASSIACM 6th International Conference on Shell and Spatial Structures, 2008, Ithaca, USA.

  5. 2.Das, S., Zhang J., and Du Q.: Adhesion of lipid vesicles on patterned substrates, Biophysical Journal, 94, 1183, Meeting Abstract, 52nd Annual Meeting, 2008, Long Beach, USA.

  6. 3.Das, S. L. and Jenkins, J. T.: An analysis of micropipette aspiration of one-phase and two-phase vesicles, Biophysical Journal, 584A-584A, Meeting Abstract, 51st Annual Meeting, 2007, Baltimore, USA.

  7. 4.Das, S. L. and Jenkins, J. T.: Collisional flows of identical, smooth, nearly elastic spheres in a vertical chute, Powders and Grains, Vol. 2, 1147, 2005, Stuttgart, Germany.

  8. 5.Das, S. L. and Chatterjee, A.: Stability analysis of the simplest walking machine, National Conference on Mechanisms and Machines, 2001, Kharagpur, India.