Professor Dr. Kaushik Bhattacharya

Professor

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Biography

Professor Bhattacharya studies the mechanical behavior of solids, specifically using theory to guide the development of new materials. His current research concerns broad areas including active materials such as shape-memory alloys and ferroelectrics, liquid crystal elastomers, and heterogeneous materials aimed at designing unprecedented properties by exploiting heterogeneities. He also applies coarse-grained density functional theory to understand defects within solids. Bhattacharya has a B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology (1986) and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (1991). He served as an Assistant Professor from 1993 to 1999, an Associate Professor from 1999 to 2000, a Professor from 2000 to 2010, and has been the Howell N. Tyson, Sr. Professor since 2010. Additionally, he was the Executive Officer from 2007 to 2016 and is set to be Vice Provost from 2016 to 2025.

Research Interests

Mechanics Materials Continuum Mechanics Active Materials Shape-Memory Alloys Heterogeneous Materials Density Functional Theory

Courses

AM/ACM 127 – Calculus of Variations Ae/Ge/ME 160 ab – Continuum Mechanics of Fluids and Solids CE 201 – Advanced Topics in Civil Engineering ME/MS/AM 221 – Effective Properties of Heterogeneous Meta-Materials

Requirements for California Institute of Technology

Doctorate Program

Requirements

TOEFL

Total

Required:100

IELTS

Overall

Required:7

Prerequisites

Bachelor's degree or equivalent Strong background in mathematics and physical sciences

Application Checklist

Online Application
Statement of Purpose
Three Letters of Recommendation
Transcripts
Resume/CV

Specialization Notes

Most Caltech graduate programs are PhD-only. GRE General and Subject tests vary by department; many have made them optional or no longer accept them.