Kethavath Kranthi Kumar

Biography
Dr. Kethavath Kranthi Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He is a materials and manufacturing researcher with expertise in advanced welding and joining, friction stir processing, solid-state additive manufacturing, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), metal matrix composites, and process–microstructure–property relationships. Dr. Kranthi Kumar received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Warangal, M.Tech. in Welding Engineering from NIT Tiruchirappalli, and B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Osmania University. Before joining JNU, he worked with the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) and the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, contributing to materials research and technology development for strategic applications. His research focuses on understanding and controlling microstructural evolution, crystallographic texture, mechanical behaviour, corrosion, wear, and defect formation in advanced manufactured and welded materials. His work encompasses aluminium alloys and composites, dissimilar material joining, friction stir-based manufacturing, and metallic additive manufacturing, supported by advanced characterization techniques including SEM, EBSD and XRD. He has received competitive fellowships from the Government of India, including the MHRD Institute Fellowship during his doctoral research, the MHRD Postgraduate Fellowship during his M.Tech., and the DRDO Research Associate Fellowship at DMRL. His broader research objective is to develop innovative and sustainable manufacturing technologies that establish fundamental process–structure–property relationships and address the materials and manufacturing challenges of aerospace, defence, transportation, and other advanced engineering applications.

Research interests:
Advanced Welding, Joining & Materials Processing

Friction Stir Technologies & Solid-State Manufacturing

Metal Additive Manufacturing (WAAM/FSAM)

Process–Microstructure–Property Relationships

Microstructure, Texture & Performance of Engineering Materials

Sustainable Manufacturing & Advanced Manufacturing Technologies