Prof. Nitin P. Padture is the Otis E. Randall University Professor in the School of Engineering and Director of Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation, at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He graduated with B.Tech degree in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1985, M.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University in 1987 and completed PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from Lehigh University in 1991. Later, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the National Institute for Standards & Technology for three years.

Prof. Padture started his academic career at the University of Connecticut, where he rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Department Head over a period of ten years (1995- 2005). Prior to joining Brown University in 2012, he spent seven years at the Ohio State University, where he was the College of Engineering Distinguished Professor and founding Director of the NSF-funded Materials Research Science & Engineering Center.

Prof. Padture has made groundbreaking research contributions in the areas of damage-tolerant ceramic composites for extreme applications; high-performance ceramic coatings for high-efficiency, low-emission jet engines and power-generation gas-turbines; engineered nanomaterials for next-generation nanoelectronics; and, most recently, low-cost, high-efficiency emerging solar cells. He has nearly 200 publications, including papers in journals such as Science, Nature Materials and Nature Communications, and several patents. His research has been heavily cited (Google Scholar h-Index 60) and it has had a broad impact globally. He has raised over US$40 million in research funds, and has led several research initiatives, including the establishment of a Materials Research Science & Engineering Center, and more recently, a large multi-university project on affordable solar energy, both funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Prof. Padture is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (AcerS), and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received ACerS Roland B. Snow, Robert L. Coble, and Richard M. Fulrath awards. He is also a recipient of the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award and the IIT Bombay Distinguished Service Award (2012). As an Ivy League educator and administrator, Prof. Padture continues to be passionate about educating/ training next-generation leaders; promoting research excellence; enhancing research infrastructure; and addressing global challenges in transportation, security and energy sectors.