Professor Rohan Abeyaratne has assumed the position of associate department head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, taking over for the former associate head, Professor Borivoje Mikic.
Professor Abeyaratne is an internationally known theoretical applied mechanician who has had a significant impact on the mechanics community. He is recognized as an expert on mathematical issues in solid mechanics particularly in the analysis of material instabilities. His teaching has been recognized with the Den Hartog Distinguished Educator Award in 1995 and the Graduate Student Council Teaching Award (1988) for excellence in teaching; he is also a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education.
Professor Abeyaratne received the BSc (Honors) from the University of Ceylon in 1975 and the MS and PhD from the California Institute of Technology in 1976 and 1979, respectively. He joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1986 as an associate professor.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on August 13, 1997.
