Texas Tech Honors Technical Textiles Scientist with Highest Research Award

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Texas Tech University (TTU) System, Lubbock, Texas, USA, has awarded its Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Award to Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, an associate professor of nonwovens and advanced materials at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at TTU. The award is the highest given by TTU System to a faculty member who has excelled in research. TTU System awards a top researcher at each of its three component universities, TTU, TTUHSC, and Angelo State University with the award, which is highly competitive. Candidates are evaluated at several levels by committees before the final award is made.

The special award was announced by TTU System Chancellor Kent Hance in a news conference on December 11. TTU President Guy Bailey presented Dr. Ramkumar's accomplishments that enabled him to receive the award, which included a medallion and a cash award.

Dr. Ramkumar manages the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at TTU. His research focuses on nonwovens and technical textiles. The special focus of his laboratory is to find value-added applications to cotton and other natural fibers using emerging technologies such as nonwoven technologies, plasma, and nanotechnology. He has been playing a leadership role for the past five years in promoting the technical textiles sector in India.

In 1999, Dr. Ramkumar came to TTU, joining the Institute of Environmental and Human Health in 2002. His research has lead to the development of Fibertect, a patented nonwoven decontamination wipe. The product was found to outperform other products in tests conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Dr. Ramkumar's nonwoven fabric work has received international publicity. He has received almost $4 million in external funding for his research. He also received the Technical Textiles Accomplishments Award, an international recognition for nonwovens research, Lubbock's Top Twenty Under 40 Award in 2007, the Scientist of the Year award from the Lubbock Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce's Innovation in Technology Award. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Anna University in India and his doctorate from the University of Leeds, England. He originally designed and developed the INDO-US collaborative conference, Advances in Textiles, Machinery, Nonwovens and Technical Textiles-ATNT, which has been held every year in South India since 2004.