IIT Madras professor awarded highest recognition by RILEM, details here

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Professor Ravindra Gettu has been awarded ‘Honorary Member’, the highest recognition of RILEM (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems, and Structures).
Prof Gettu had served as RILEM’s President from 2018-21, making him the first and only Asian to do so in its 78-year history, a press release informed.
Apart from this, Prof Gettu was also the Vice-President and Chair of the Technical Activities Committee of RILEM.
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A former Dean of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research at IIT Madras, Prof Gettu graduated from the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, with a B.E. (Honours) degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Madras in 1984.
Following this, he studied in the USA and obtained an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Marquette University, Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. degree in Structural Engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston.
At present, Prof Gettu is the V.S. Raju Chair Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Madras and has led the technology development and implementation of ‘Fibre reinforced concrete’ (FRC) in India, the release added.
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With a keen focus on technological implementation, Prof Gettu is currently working on diverse projects which include textile-reinforced concrete and sustainability assessment of construction, among others.
Some of his areas of research include fracture mechanics of concrete and rock, nonlinear behaviour of cement-based materials, high strength, fibre reinforced and self-compacting concretes, sustainability, and the effective use of chemical admixtures.
Meanwhile, expressing his gratitude to RILEM for the honour, Prof. Gettu, remarked that he had the wonderful opportunity of leading the world’s most significant organization of researchers in construction materials, in a phase of growing global footprint and scope.
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Highlighting an aspect from this tenure, Prof Gettu said he saw the transition to communications and interactions based on social media and online meetings, particularly during the pandemic, opened the doors for reaching remote parts of the world and gave the chance to researchers to voice their opinions and showcase their investigations.
Prof Manu Santhanam, the Dean of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research at IIT Madras, and an active RILEM member and Fellow, congratulated Prof Gettu and highlighted that his presidency and term were marked with many firsts such as the establishment of the RILEM Youth Council and the online workshop series.
“His excellent stewardship of this organization through the difficult period of the Covid pandemic exemplifies his commitment to sustaining quality research and collaboration,” Prof Santhanam added.