Bhat, Gajanan (USA)

Dr. Bhat is a professor and the Department Head of Textiles, Merchandising & Interiors at the University of Georgia. In August 1990, after earning his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in textile and polymer engineering, he joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) where his research covered nonwovens - melt blown, spunbonded and biodegradable, plastics recycling, nanotechnology, sustainable materials, and high-performance fibers. As the director of UT Nonwovens Research Laboratory, he focused on production of nanofibers from thermoplastic polymers by meltblowing. In July 2016, he joined the University of Georgia as the Head of the TMI department. Dr. Bhat has published more than 200 research papers and has three US Patents. He has served as the president of the Fiber Society and is an active member of the International Nonwovens and Disposables Association (INDA), American Paper & Pulp Association (TAPPI) and the Textile Institute. He received the Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni Award from Georgia Tech (1996), Distinguished Achievement Award from the Fiber Society (1999), Fellow of the Textile Institute (2005), TechniTex India Research Achievement Award (2008) and TAPPI NET division Technical Achievement Award (2014).