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Biography

Dr Shakti Kumar is a researcher and academic specializing in advanced laser materials processing, additive manufacturing, and computational modeling. He is currently working as a Project Scientist at the Centre for Advanced Materials and Batteries, ARCI, Hyderabad. He worked as a Post-Doc from the Department of Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where he is actively engaged in cutting-edge research on Process Modeling, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Directed Energy Deposition (DED). He has completed his M.Tech (Spl. Manufacturing Technology) & PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad. He did his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Ranchi University. He qualified for the GATE examination multiple times and was awarded MHRD fellowships for both his M.Tech. , PhD programs.

He has accumulated significant research and project experience through various academic and government-funded projects. As a Senior Research Fellow (SRF) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad under DST-SERB, he worked on the development of lightweight high-entropy alloy (HEA) nanocomposites. Subsequently, as a Project Associate in collaboration with DRDO-CAS Hyderabad, he conducted critical investigations on alloy stainless steel bimetallic joining using friction stir welding for aerospace applications. At IISc, his research involves the development of advanced computational tools integrating Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and phase-field modeling to enable predictive process control in the additive manufacturing of Inconel and Titanium alloy.

He has a good publication record in SCI-indexed, high-impact journals and multiple book chapters. He has presented his research at national and international conferences and received several awards, including a Best Paper Presentation award. He has delivered keynote and invited talks on advanced manufacturing topics and serves as a reviewer for reputed journals. 

Research Areas of Interest

  • Additive Manufacturing & Process Modeling: Laser-based AM processes (LPBF and DED) integrated with CFD, FEM, and phase-field modeling and AI-ML for melt pool dynamics and microstructure prediction. 
  • Powder Metallurgy & Atomization: Gas atomization and powder processing for producing high-quality spherical powders and understanding powder–process–property relationships. 
  • Advanced Materials Characterization: Microstructural and compositional analysis using FESEM, TEM, EBSD, XRD, EDS, and EPMA. 
  • Mechanical & Thermal Behaviour: Evaluation of Mechanical Properties using tensile, creep, fatigue, Nano indentation, wear testing, along with TGA, DSC, for thermal analysis. 

Highest Qualification

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering

Other Qualifications

Post Doctoral Research Associate, Department of Materials Engineering Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, 560012, Karnataka, India

List of Publications

  1. Kumar, Shakti, Indrani Mukherjee, K. Pavan Chandu, and Prosenjit Das. 2025. “Multi‐Phase Field Model of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Based Additive Manufacturing of IN718 Superalloy.” Advanced Theory and Simulations 8 (8): 2401031. https://doi.org/10.1002/adts.202401031.
  2. Kumar, Shakti, and Prosenjit Das. 2024. “Multiphysics Modelling of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Based Additive Manufacturing of Single-Track Build of Ti6Al4V Alloy.” Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-023-03189-5.
  3. Kumar, Shakti, Amitava Mandal, Alok Kumar Das, and Prosenjit Das. 2023. “Development of a Cu/MoS₂/Ni Self-Lubricating Composite Clad through Laser Additive Approach over a Ti6Al4V Substrate and Its Characterizations.” Langmuir 39 (48): 17201–17215. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02137.
  4. Kumar, Shakti, Kesari, Priya, Bappa Das, Vijay Mandal, Govind Kumar, Amitava Mandal, Alok Kumar Das, Durgesh Kumar Pandey, and Prosenjit Das. "Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing of YSZ/Nb₂O₅/Ti Multi-Material Layer on Ti6Al4V Alloy." Journal of Alloys and Compounds (2026): 187029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2026.187029
  5. Kumar, Shakti, Amitava Mandal, and Alok Kumar Das. 2022. “The Effect of Process Parameters and Characterization for the Laser Cladding of cBN-Based Composite Clad over the Ti6Al4V Alloy.” Materials Chemistry and Physics 288: 126410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2022.126410.
  6. Kumar, Shakti, Monty Kumar, Amitava Mandal, and Alok Das. 2022. “Ni–WS₂–Ti–6Al–4V Self-Lubricating Coating on TC4 Alloy by Laser Cladding.” Surface Engineering 38 (3): 313–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/02670844.2022.2086961.
  7. Kumar, Shakti, Amitava Mandal, A. K. Das, and Mukul Anand. 2022. “Characterization and Single-Track Analysis of a Metal-Ceramic Composite Laser Cladding over Ti6Al4V Alloy.” Applied Surface Science Advances 12: 100342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2022.100342.
  8. Kumar, Shakti, Amitava Mandal, Alok K. Das, and Amit R. Dixit. 2018. “Parametric Study and Characterization of AlN-Ni-Ti6Al4V Composite Cladding on Titanium Alloy.” Surface and Coatings Technology 349: 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2018.05.053.
  9. Kumar, S., R. Singh, A. R. Dixit, A. Mandal, and A. Das. "Response prediction in machining of AISI 1040 stainless steel using ANN model." ARPN J. Eng. Appl. Sci 11, no. 16 (2016): 10117-10122.
  10. Das, Bappa, Shakti Kumar*, Bishub Choudhury, Govind Kumar, Anubhav Singh. 2025. “Tribological Behaviour of AZ91M Magnesium Alloy Fabricated by CMT-WAAM under Varying Heat Inputs.” Metals and Materials International (accepted).
  11. Das, Bappa, Shakti Kumar*, Bishub Choudhury, Govind Kumar, Parth Patel, and Anubhav Singh. 2025. “Tribological Response of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)-Fabricated Ti-6Al-4V Alloy.” Journal of Tribology (accepted).
  12. Das, Bappa, Sumit Kumar Sinha, Anshuman Patra, Arka Ghosh, Shakti Kumar, Bishub Choudhury, and Naveen Kumar Mindi. 2025. “Microstructural and Mechanical Property Enhancement of W–Zr Alloys by Nano-Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃, and La₂O₃ Dispersions: A Combined MD Simulation and Experimental Approach.” Journal of Alloys and Compounds 1040: 183503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.183502.
  13. Sai, M., Shakti Kumar, and Amitava Mandal. 2023. “Sinterability of SS316, SiC, and TiN Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing via Selective Laser Sintering.” Optics & Laser Technology 167: 109686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2023.109686.
  14. Kumar, Monty, Shakti Kumar, Kailash Jha, and Amitava Mandal. 2023. “Deposition of Hard Solid-Lubricating Composite Coating on Ti-6Al-4V Alloy with Enhanced Mechanical, Corrosion, and Electrical Discharge Wear Properties.” Surface and Coatings Technology 457: 129315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2023.129315.
  15. Murmu, Anand M., Sambit Kumar Parida, Alok K. Das, and Shakti Kumar. 2023. “Evaluation of Laser Cladding of Ti6Al4V–ZrO₂–CeO₂ Composite Coating on Ti6Al4V Alloy Substrate.” Surface and Coatings Technology 473: 129988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2023.129988.
  16. Kumar, Monty, Shakti Kumar, Kailash Jha, and Amitava Mandal. 2022. “Composite Coating by TIG Cladding with Different Rare Earth Oxides.” Surface Engineering 48 (3): 271–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/02670844.2022.2080901.
  17. Tyagi, Rashi, Shakti Kumar, Mohammad Shahid Raza, Ashutosh Tripathi, and Alok Kumar Das. 2022. “Experimental Study of Laser Cladding Process and Prediction of Process Parameters by Artificial Neural Network (ANN).” Journal of Central South University 29: 3489–3502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-022-5170-y.
  18. Kumar, Vishal, Amitava Mandal, Alok K. Das, and Shakti Kumar. 2021. “Parametric Study and Characterization of Wire Arc Additive Manufactured (WAAM) Steel Structures.” The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 115: 1723–1733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07261-6.
  19. Misra, Saurav, Manowar Hussain, Ankit Gupta, Vikas Kumar, Shakti Kumar, and Alok Kumar Das. 2019. “Fabrication and Characteristic Evaluation of Direct Metal Laser Sintered SiC Particulate Reinforced Ti6Al4V Metal Matrix Composites.” Journal of Laser Applications 31 (1): 012005. https://doi.org/10.2351/1.5086982.
  20. Kundu, Sudip, Manowar Hussain, Vikas Kumar, Shakti Kumar, and Alok Kumar Das. 2018. “Direct Metal Laser Sintering of TiN Reinforced Ti6Al4V Alloy-Based Metal Matrix Composite: Fabrication and Characterization.” The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 97: 2635–2646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-2159-7.
  21. Sharma, Vivek, Ashis Mallick, Joydip Joardar, Shakti Kumar, and S. V. Konovalov. 2024. “Nanostructured Al–Ti–Fe–Mn–Ni High-Entropy Alloy by Mechanical Alloying: Synthesis and Characterization.” Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 49: 11623–11634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-024-08805-0.

Books / Book Chapters

  1. Kumar, Shakti, and Amitava Mandal. 2020. Laser Cladding of Titanium Alloy. Springer.
  2. Kumar, Shakti. Predictive Modeling and Optimization of Additive Manufacturing and Laser Cladding Processes Using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. CRC Press. (2026)

Conference Proceedings

  1. Kumar, Shakti, Umar Arif, Amitava Mandal, and A. K. Das. 2019. “Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Ti6Al4V Built by Composite Coating of WS₂, CNT, Ni, and Ti6Al4V Powders through Laser Cladding Process.” In Springer Proceedings, 647–661. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9425-7_58.
  2. Sharma, Vivek, Shakti Kumar, and Ashis Mallick. 2023. “Light Weight MnTiAlNiFe High-Entropy Alloy (LWHEA) Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy Process.” Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2023.04.157.
  3. Mishra, Gaurav, Ankita Mistri, Rajarshi Kumar Tarafdar, Shakti Kumar, and Somnath Chattopadhyaya. 2023. “Experimental Investigation of Friction Stir Welding on Al 2024-T3 and Al 7075-T6 Alloy.” Key Engineering Materials: 35–43. https://doi.org/10.4028/p-62YJqr.
  4. Prasad, B. Hari, Shakti Kumar, Mukul Anand, Manowar Hussain, Mastanaiah P. G. Madhusudhan Reddy, and Alok Kumar Das. 2022. “A Critical Study of Input Process Parameter on Weld Geometry and Characterizations of Cobalt-Based Super Alloy L605 Sheets.” In Springer Proceedings, 315–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4270-1_32.
  5. Tyagi, R., Shakti Kumar, A. K. Das, and A. Mandal. 2021. “Fabrication of Solid Lubricant Coating and Its Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology.” In Springer Proceedings, 119–129.
  6. Kumar, Deepak, Shakti Kumar, D. Kumar, and N. K. Singh. 2020. “Effect of Two Different Dielectrics on Machining Performance and Their Parametric Optimization.” In Springer Proceedings, 39–48.
  7. Tak, Love Kush, Shakti Kumar, Manish Arora, and Prosenjit Das. 2025. “Finite Element Modelling of Melt-Pool Evolution during LPBF Processing of Ti6Al4V Alloy.” Springer (accepted).IM4 Conference IISc Bangalore.

Patents

  1. Portable chamber for laser process shielding, Indian patent No.: 444417-001(2025).

    Shakti Kumar, Amitava Mandal, Alok K Das. 

Major Projects / Technologies Developed

  1. Development of Light-weight HEA through Powder Metallurgy Process.
  2. Development of CFD-DEM-PF model for the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)  additive Manufacturing of Inconel Alloy 

Awards & Honours

  1. Invited lecture titled “CFD-DEM Coupled Numerical Modelling of LPBF-Based Additive Manufacturing.” Symposium at Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India.
  2. Presented research paper at the International Conference on Solidification Science and Processing (ICSSP-8). Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur and Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India.
  3. Commissioning and installation of Micro-ECDM system for defense applications. Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, India.
  4. Best Paper Award at International Conference on Design and Manufacturing Aspects for Sustainable Development (ICDAMS-2016). Saveetha University, Chennai, India.
  5. Awarded Merit-cum-Meritorious Award for Master’s Degree Program. Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, India.