Indian American chemical engineer Radhakrishna “Suresh” Sureshkumar has been named chair of the University of New Mexico Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. He will begin the position in January 2027 following a national search.

Sureshkumar will join UNM from Syracuse University, where he is a distinguished professor of chemical engineering. He previously led Syracuse’s Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering for nine years, giving him extensive experience in academic administration, faculty development and interdisciplinary research.

At UNM, he will help guide the department as it launches New Mexico’s first bioengineering degree. The program is intended to connect engineering with health sciences while preparing students for careers involving medical technology, biotechnology and related fields.

Sureshkumar said he plans to build upon the department’s research strengths and create additional opportunities for students and faculty. He also expects to pursue collaborations with UNM’s health sciences programs and other engineering departments.

His priorities include expanding work in energy and advanced materials, two areas where the department already collaborates with Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has described higher education as an instrument for social transformation and emphasized creating an environment where faculty, staff and students can express their ideas.

Sureshkumar’s research combines fluid dynamics, soft-matter physics, nanotechnology and computational modeling. His scholarship has produced more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles with approximately 6,700 citations. He has mentored 23 doctoral students, four master’s students, eight postdoctoral researchers and 20 undergraduate researchers.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, followed by a master’s degree from Syracuse and a doctorate from the University of Delaware. He completed postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Before joining Syracuse, Sureshkumar taught at Washington University in St. Louis from 1997 to 2006. His move to New Mexico places an experienced Indian American researcher at the head of a department expanding its connections among engineering, health care and nationally significant research institutions.

Key Takeaways About Radhakrishna Sureshkumar

• He will become department chair in January 2027.
• He previously led a department at Syracuse for nine years.
• He will support New Mexico’s first bioengineering degree.
• His research spans nanotechnology, fluid dynamics and advanced materials.
• He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.