PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Krishnan Balasubramanian

Also known as Krishnan Balasubramaniam

Krishnan Balasubramanian is a mechanical engineer at IIT Madras whose field of ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation is increasingly shaped by AI. He earned a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Madras in 1984, then an M.S. in 1986 and a Ph.D. in 1989 at Drexel University, and became an associate professor at Mississippi State University. After joining IIT Madras in 2000, he founded its Centre for Non-destructive Evaluation in 2001, won the Roy Sharpe Prize in 2012, served as Dean of Industrial Consulting and Sponsored Research from 2012 to 2018, and received the first Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship in 2018. In March 2025, he said that AI-based interpretation was already replacing trained NDT professionals. He is an Institute Professor of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras, heads the Centre for Non-destructive Evaluation, and is affiliate faculty with the Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Badges

Timeline

  1. 1984–1989

    Degrees ending at Drexel

    He earns an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Madras (Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirapalli) in 1984. He completes an M.S. in 1986 and a Ph.D. in 1989 in mechanical engineering at Drexel University, where he works on guided ultrasonic waves in composite materials.

  2. By 2000

    Associate professor at Mississippi State

    Before joining IIT Madras in 2000, he is an associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics at Mississippi State University. There he works with Honda on non-destructive testing of composite structures for its general aviation planes.

  3. 2000–2001

    Founding the CNDE at IIT Madras

    He joins IIT Madras in 2000, and the Centre for Non-destructive Evaluation opens there in April 2001. He founds the centre and goes on to head it.

  4. 2012

    The Roy Sharpe Prize

    He receives the Roy Sharpe Prize from the British Institute for NDT in 2012.

  5. 2012–2018

    Dean of sponsored research

    From 2012 to 2018, he serves as Dean of Industrial Consulting and Sponsored Research at IIT Madras.

  6. 2018

    The first Abdul Kalam fellowship

    In 2018, the Indian National Academy of Engineering awards him the first Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship. The three-year fellowship supports his research on ultrasonic waveguide sensor systems.

  7. March 2025

    AI and the future of NDT

    In an interview published in March 2025, he says that AI-based interpretation is already replacing trained NDT professionals and that AI-based predictions are reducing the need for NDT operators.

  8. As of October 2026

    Institute Professor at IIT Madras

    He is an Institute Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras and heads its Centre for Non-destructive Evaluation. He is also affiliate faculty with the Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Career

  1. Since 2001IIT MadrasInstitute Professor, Founder
  2. Until 2000Mississippi State UniversityAssociate Professor

Education

  1. 1989Drexel UniversityPh.D.
  2. 1986Drexel UniversityM.S.
  3. 1984University of MadrasMechanical Engineering Degree

From the biography.

  1. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes IIT Madras. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes IIT Madras. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  3. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes IIT Madras. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  4. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes IIT Madras. We estimate that Google holds the highest combined h-index at 8,016, while universities account for 73% of the deduplicated total across AI organizations.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Krishnan Balasubramanian | Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence wsai.iitm.ac.in. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Prof. Krishnan Balasubramanian on NDT | ISNT Interview | OneStopNDT onestopndt.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. IIT-M faculty awarded INEA fellowship - The Hindu thehindu.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. Krishnan Balasubramanian | NAMTECH Advisory Council Member namtech.ac. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. IIT-M prof gets first Abdul Kalam fellowship dtnext.in. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Mechanical Engineering mech.iitm.ac.in. Checked 21 October 2026.