Anil K. Bhowmick (born 1954) is a

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

professor known for contributions to polymer nanocomposites,

thermoplastic elastomer Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers (TPR), are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric prop ...

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

adhesion Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or interface (matter), surfaces to cling to one another. (Cohesion (chemistry), Cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles and surfaces to cling to one another.) The ...

, failure and degradation of rubbers and

rubber technology Rubber Technology is the subject dealing with the transformation of rubbers or elastomers into useful products, such as automobile tires, rubber mats and, exercise rubber stretching bands. The materials includes latex, natural rubber, synthetic ...

Early life and education

Bhowmick was born in 1954 in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, India. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

, Kolkata in 1974. He completed his master's degree (M.Sc.) in 1976, and his doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in 1980 under advisor S. K. De at the

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur or IIT-KGP) is a Public university, public institute of technology, research university, and autonomous institute established by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal. Foun ...

. His doctoral thesis treated the topic of

vulcanization Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...

at high temperature. He worked briefly at Dunlop India Ltd. before taking a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Polymer Science, at the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...

from 1981 to 1984.

Career

Bhowmick returned to IIT Kharagpur as an assistant professor in 1984. He achieved the rank of full professor in 1988. He headed the rubber technology program during two periods: 1990-1991 and 2005–2007. In 2009, he was named a professor of eminence at IIT Kharagpur. He was a visiting scholar at the London School of Polymer Technology in 1987 and at the

Tokyo Institute of Technology The Tokyo Institute of Technology () was a public university in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. It merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form the Institute of Science Tokyo on 1 October 2024. The Tokyo Institute of Technology was a De ...

in 1991–1992. He was head of the Rubber Technology Centre during 1990-91 and 2005–2007, and dean of sponsored research and industrial consultancy during 2000–2003 at IIT Kharagpur. He was named a professor of eminence at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2009. He was the director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Patna until joining the

in 2019. Bhowmick co-authored with University of Akron professor Howard L. Stephens the popular text ''Handbook of elastomers''. Bhowmick reported what is possibly the most complete set of measurements of the fatigue threshold for a number of elastomers.

Awards

* 1997 winner of the George Stafford Whitby award of the Rubber Division, American Chemical Society * 2002 winner of the Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers award of the Rubber Division, American Chemical Society * 2019 - Fred Schwab Education Award of the

Society of Plastics Engineers The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) is a global professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and education for professionals employed in the plastics industry. History SPE's motto is "Inspiring Plastics ...

* 2022 -

Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award The Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award is a professional award conferred by the ACS Rubber Division. Established in 1983, the award is named after Melvin Mooney, developer of the Mooney viscometer and of the Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic ...

from

ACS Rubber Division ACS or Acs may refer to: Aviation * ACS-3, the military version of Raybird-3, a Ukrainian UAV * Aerial Common Sensor, a Lockheed Martin reconnaissance aircraft airframe for the US Army and Navy * Air Cess, a cargo airline based in Sharjah, Uni ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhowmick, Anil K. Indian polymer scientists and engineers Living people 1954 births