K.T. Ramesh is the Alonzo G. Decker, Jr., Professor of Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was Senior Advisor (for AI) to the President of Johns Hopkins University, was the Interim Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute, and was the Executive Director of the AI-X Foundry (which became the Data Science and AI Institute). Professor Ramesh was the founding Director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, and is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, with joint appointments in Materials Science & Engineering and Earth & Planetary Sciences. He is a member of the Principal Professional Staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Professor Ramesh is one of the world’s leading authorities on impact, shocks, and materials subjected to extreme conditions. His research interests are the broad areas of impact and failure of materials under extreme conditions, with specific interests in AI applied to materials design, protection materials, impact processes in planetary science, and impact biomechanics. His work has applications in protecting people, structures, and the planet. His research efforts have been published in over 275 archival journal papers and a textbook, in addition to methods and codes made available in the public domain. His scholarship has had major applications in national defense, the design of protective material systems, the mitigation of traumatic brain injury, and addressing risks from asteroid impact. He also has a particular interest in the ways in which creativity can be integrated into the sciences, arts, and engineering.
Professor Ramesh’s research and scholarship have been recognized through major awards such as the Koiter Medal from ASME; the Murray Medal, the Lazan Award, and the Hetenyi Award from SEM; and the John Rinehart Award of the DYMAT Association in Europe. He has been elected a Fellow of AAAS, ASME, SEM, and the American Academy of Mechanics.
Most recently, Professor Ramesh had an asteroid named after him for his work in planetary sciences: (32518) 2001 OZ69, now known as Ktramesh.