Sushanta Mitra
Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation at York University, announces the appointment of Professor Sushanta Mitra as associate vice-president research, effective August 1.
In his new role, Mitra will provide leadership in promoting strategic research development at York and lead the development of research policy that bridges the needs of researchers and the institution. He will work with Haché to intensify the services available for all researchers, help continue to track and build York’s research performance, as well as enlarge the University’s collaborative role with external stakeholders and communities.
Mitra is professor and the immediate past chair of the Mechanical Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering. He holds the Kaneff Professorship in Micro and Nanotechnology for Social Innovation. Within a short span, he was instrumental in developing the graduate program (MASc and Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering in partnership with Osgoode Hall Law School, Schulich Business School and the Faculty of Education. He also developed a pre-Master of Engineering (MEng) module in partnership with York University English Language Institute (YUELI). He created the Distinguished Seminar Series and also kick started the Faculty Research Day in the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Mitra’s research interests are primarily in the area of fundamental understanding of fluid transport mechanisms in micro and nano-scale confinements, which are relevant to condensed matter physics. His research applications tackle some of the world’s most challenging problems, including the development of tools and techniques for efficiently extracting oil and gas from reservoir rocks, bio-converting coal into methane (bio-energy pathways), increasing water monitoring efficiency and affordability (environment monitoring), and detecting vector borne, bacterial and cardiac diseases (health applications). For his contribution in science and engineering, he has been elected as the Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME), the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
He is actively involved in a number of professional organizations, including as the Chair for Micro & Nano Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Board member and Senior Vice-President for the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME), Board Member for Engage North and elected member of the Committee on International Scientific Affairs, American Physical Society (APS).
“I look forward to welcoming Professor Mitra to VPRI and to working with him as he undertakes this critical leadership role,” said Haché. “I would also like to thank the members of the AVP Search Committee for their contributions to this important process and express my great appreciation to Prof. Walter Tholen, who has provided outstanding leadership to the Division of VPRI as associate vice-president research for the last four years.”