Dr. Laxman Kumar Malla

Professional Experience:

Assistant Professor – Grade II, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering, Chennai, August 2024 – August 2025

Subjects Taught: Electric and Hybrid Vehicles - 1st Sem PG, Design of Heat Exchanger - 3rd Sem PG, Automobile Engineering - 6th Sem UG, Power Generation, Transmission, and Utilization – 3rd Sem PG, Engineering Graphics – 1st Sem UG

Departmental Activities: Higher Education (i/c), Monthly report preparation (i/c), Lab Asset Management, Mentoring

Guest Faculty, School of Mechanical Sciences, Odisha University of Technology and Research, Bhubaneswar, July 2023 – June 2024

Subjects Taught: Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulic Machines – 3rd Sem UG, Heat Transfer – 5th Sem UG Convective Heat Transfer – 2nd Sem PG

Departmental Activities: Monthly student attendance report preparation, Mentoring

Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, March 2021 - July 2023

Project: Development of pulsating heat pipes and thermosyphons for thermal management of batteries of electric vehicles, electronics systems, jet engines, etc.

Sponsored by: Defence Research and Development Organisation - IRDE Lab, Govt. of India

Responsibilities:

Investigation of thermal performance of a flat plate pulsating heat pipe and flat thermosyphon filled with various liquids at different filling ratios, heat input conditions, orientations, and condenser cooling techniques
Modeling heat pipe and thermosyphon modules and flat using Solidworks for fabrication
Hands-on experience in temperature measurement using K-type thermocouples and HIOKI data logger, vacuuming using a two-stage rotary vacuum pump, maintaining sub-zero temperatures using a constant temperature bath

Education:

Ph.D.: Thermal and Fluids Engineering, IIT Bombay Monash Research Academy, Mumbai. 2015-2020

Thesis: Experimental Study of Impact and Evaporation of a Droplet on a Solid Surface: Self-assembly of Colloidal Particles and Bouncing Droplets

M. Tech.: Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar. 2013-2015

Thesis: Simulation of Mixed Convection inside a Square Cavity with Partially Filled Porous Medium

B. Tech.: Mechanical Engineering, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Odisha. 2008-2012
+2: Ravenshaw Jr. College (CHSE Odisha), Cuttack, Odisha. 2008
10th: S.C.B. Medical Public School (ICSE), Cuttack, Odisha. 2006

Patents:

Patent Granted

LK Malla, DT Vempany, H Dileep, P Dhanalakota, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, “A system and method for a heat transfer device with enhanced efficiency and thermal management”, IN Patent 511897
P Dhanalakota, H Dileep, LK Malla, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, “A system and method for efficiently transferring heat from a heat source”, IN Patent 468268

Publications:

DT Vempany, LK Malla, H Dileep, PS Mahapatra, P Srivastava, A Pattamatta, “A novel antiparallel flat plate pulsating heat pipe for thermal management of electronics,” Experimental Heat Transfer, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1080/08916152.2024.2447802
T Josyula, LK Malla, TM Thomas, SS Kalichetty, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, “Fundamentals and applications of surface wetting”, Langmuir, 40, 16, (2024), 8293–8326. I.F: 3.9 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03339
LK Malla, P Dhanalakota, H Dileep, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, Surface Wettability Modifications and Applications in Wickless Heat Pipes, Surfaces and Interfaces 45 (2024) 103837. I.F.: 6.2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2023.103837
P Dhanalakota, H Dileep, LK Malla, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, A novel integrated flat thermosyphon heat sink for energy-efficient chip-level thermal management in data centers, Applied Thermal Engineering 236 (2024) 121667. I.F.: 6.465 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121667
LK Malla, DT Vempeny, H Dileep, P Dhanalakota, PS Mahapatra, P Srivastava, A Pattamatta, Thermal Performance Comparison of Flat Plate Pulsating Heat Pipes of Different Material Thermal Conductivity using Ethanol-Water Mixtures, Applied Thermal Engineering 236 (2023) 121475. I.F.: 6.465 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121475
LK Malla, P Dhanalakota, P.S. Mahapatra, A. Pattamatta, “Thermal and flow characteristics in a flat plate pulsating heat pipe with ethanol-water mixtures: From slug-plug to droplet oscillations” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 194 (2022), 123066. I.F: 5.431 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2022.123066
P Dhanalakota, LK Malla, Hemanth D, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, “Effective thermal management of heat sources in sustainable energy devices using a compact flat thermosyphon” Energy Conversion & Management, 268 (2022), 116041. I.F: 11.533 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116041
LK Malla, R Bhardwaj, A Neild, “Colloidal deposit of an evaporating sessile droplet on a non-uniformly heated substrate” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 584 (2020), 124009. I.F: 5.518 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.124009
LK Malla, R Bhardwaj, A Neild, “Analysis of profile and morphology of colloidal deposits obtained from evaporating sessile droplets” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 567 (2019) 150-160. I.F: 5.518 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.01.028
LK Malla, ND Patil, R Bhardwaj, A Neild, “Droplet bouncing and breakup during impact on a microgrooved surface” Langmuir, 33 (38), 9620-9631. I.F: 4.331 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b02183
LK Malla, SK Jena, SK Mahapatra, AJ Chamkha, “Mixed convection inside a fluid-porous composite cavity with centrally rotating cylinder” Heat Transfer - Asian Research 47 (4), 684-701. I.F: 2.421 https://doi.org/10.1002/htj.21336
SK Jena, LK Malla, SK Mahapatra, AJ Chamkha, “Transient buoyancy-opposed double diffusive convection of micropolar fluids in a square enclosure” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 81 (2015) 681–694. I.F: 5.431 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2014.10.030

Conferences:

H Dileep, P Dhanalakota, LK Malla, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta. “Performance of a flat plate pulsating heat pipe using acetone water mixtures for battery cooling application.” International Heat Transfer Conference 2023, Cape Town, South Africa
P Dhanalakota, H Dileep, LK Malla, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta. “Thermal performance assessment of a compact flat thermosyphon with wettability modifications.” International Heat Transfer Conference 2023, Cape Town, South Africa
LK Malla, P Dhanalakota, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, “ Thermal performance of a closed-loop flat plate pulsating heat pipe filled with water-based binary mixtures” IHMTC2021–196, Proceedings of the 26th National and 4th International ISHMT-ASTFE Heat and Mass Transfer Conference, IIT Madras
P Dhanalakota, LK Malla, PS Mahapatra, A Pattamatta, “Numerical modeling and experimental validation of the thermal performance of a two-phase flat thermosyphon” IHMTC2021–227, Proceedings of the 26th National and 4th International ISHMT-ASTFE Heat and Mass Transfer Conference, IIT Madras
LK Malla, R Bhardwaj, A Neild, “Coffee-ring width modifications due to temperature gradient on substrate” Droplets Conference 2019, Durham University, Durham
LK Malla, R Bhardwaj, A Neild, “Effect of temperature gradient on the substrate on the coffee-ring dimensions” 71st Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD), 2018, Atlanta, US
LK Malla, R Bhardwaj, “Droplet impact dynamics on hydrophobic microgrooved surfaces” IHMTC2017-12-0616, Proceedings of the 24th National and 2nd International ISHMT-ASTFE Heat and Mass Transfer Conference, BITS Hyderabad
LK Malla, R Bhardwaj, “Evaporation dynamics of sessile droplets of water-based graphene nanoplatelets: Effect of Concentration and Substrate Heating.” FMFP2017–112, Proceedings of the 44th National Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala

Research Interests:

Thermal Management of devices
Multiphase Flows
Surface Wettability
Interfacial Transport Phenomena

Awards and Achievements:

Institute Silver Medalist at 4th Convocation, 2015 of IIT BBS for being the Mechanical branch topper.
Awarded Travel Grant from Monash University to attend the 71st annual meeting of the APS division of fluid dynamics (18th Nov to 20th Nov 2018) Atlanta, GA, USA.
Awarded Travel Grant from IIT Bombay to attend the Droplets 2019 conference (15th Sep to 18th Sep 2019), Durham University, Durham, UK.
NCC “B” and “A” certificate holder cadet.

Research Gallery:

Droplet Impact on Microgrooved Surfaces

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Self-assembly of Colloidal Deposit in an Evaporating Droplet

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Contact:

Email id: laxmankumarmalla@gmail.com

Linkedin URL: www.linkedin.com/in/laxman-kumar-malla-047a9a30