Bikramjit Basu is currently a Professor at the Materials Research Center, with joint appointment at the Center for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He also serves as Visiting Professor at University of Manchester, UK (2018-2023) and at the European Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass, Alexander Dubcek University of Trencín, Slovakia (2020-2021). After his undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Metallurgical Engineering from NIT Durgapur (1995) and IISc (1997) respectively, he earned his PhD in the area of Engineering Ceramics at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in March, 2001. Following a brief post-doctoral stint at University of California; he served as a faculty in Materials Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2001-2011) and moved to IISc in May, 2011.
Bikramjit has been pursuing interdisciplinary research at the cross-roads of Engineering Science, Biological Science and Medicine. Encompassing experimental discovery, theoretical predictions, computational analysis, and clinical translational research, his research group has laid the foundation for biomechanically-compliant design of implants, 3D binderjet printing of biomaterials and biophysical stimulation (intermittent delivery of electrical/magnetic stimulation) mediated stem cell functionality modulation on implantable biomaterials and in biomicrofluidic devices , to advance the field of biomaterials science and regenerative engineering; thereby impacting human healthcare. Over the years, he has created interactive and intensive collaborations with over a number of clinicians, one multinational company and 7 SMEs/start-ups to accelerate biomaterials science-to-biomedical device prototype development. During 2018-2020, a bicentric human clinical study on cranioplasty surgery to treat decompressive craniectomy is completed in one hospital and under progress at another hospital in India.
Since 2015, he is leading India’s largest Translational Center of Excellence (CoE) on biomaterials, with 15 co-investigators (IIT Kanpur, IIEST, NIT Rourkela, two national labs, two hospitals and one start up). Prof. Basu’s untiring efforts have led to the creation of the national hub of activities on biomaterials and implants with involvement of 83 researchers, including those from IITs (Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati), NITs (Surathkal, Nagpur, Durgapur), 20 clinicians and 5 MSMEs. Since 2018, he has been serving as an Advisor to TATA Steel New Materials Business, which has launched a new vertical, ‘Medical Devices and Materials’.
He has published over 300 peer-reviewed research papers in leading journals (total citations: > 11,000 and H-index: 56), and holds 7 Indian patents. He has authored 7 textbooks, 2 edited books and one research monograph in the interdisciplinary areas of Biomaterials Science and Engineering Ceramics. In his career, he has been a primary advisor to 27 PhD students, 11 Masters students, 7 Post-Doctoral researchers, and has mentored 10 Project Scientists and 9 International researchers. He has conducted 27 sponsored research projects worth over Rs 21 crores (~2,78,500 USD). He delivered 50 Plenary/Keynote/Award lectures and over 25 invited lectures overseas, and taught 4 MOOCs, which benefitted several thousand students. Bikramjit has taught hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students in India, Belgium, Spain, UK, Slovenia and Nepal. He served on the Research Councils or advisory boards of National labs/Biomedical companies in India, and was on the independent board of Directors of AMTZ Medi Valley Incubation Council, Visakhapatnam (2018-20).
Bikramjit’s contributions in Engineering Science have been globally recognised. He received Government of India’s most coveted science and technology award, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 2013 for his significant contributions to the field of Biomaterials Science. A Chartered Engineer of the UK, he is an elected Fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (2020), Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2020), Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (2019), American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (2017), Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, UK (2017), National Academy of Medical Sciences, India (2017), Indian National Academy of Engineering (2015), Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs (2014) and National Academy of Sciences, India (2013). He remains the only Indian from India to receive the ‘Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars’, from the American Ceramic Society (2008).