Akhlesh Lakhtakia

Akhlesh Lakhtakia is a professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at the Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on electromagnetic fields in complex materials, such as sculptured thin films, chiral materials, and bianisotropy. His recent work on industrially scalable bioreplication, an emerging form of engineered biomimicry, has promise for harvesting of solar energy as well as for pest eradication. His technique for visualization of latent fingerprints was covered in a NOVA film in 2012.

Akhlesh Lakhtakia was born in Lucknow, India on July 1, 1957, to Servesh Kumar and Gayatri Devi Lakhtakia. He married Mercedes N. Scabbiolo in 1982, with whom he has a daughter named Natalya Sheetal Lakhtakia.

He was schooled in Lucknow (St. Cathedral School), New Delhi (Cambridge School), and Lucknow (St. Francis' High School). Appearing for final examinations in November 1973, at the end of the 11th grade, he was awarded the Indian School Certificate in 1974.

He obtained a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India (now Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi) in 1979; Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah,Salt Lake City, USA in 1981 and 1983, respectively.

In 1983, Lakhtakia joined the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University, where he was elevated to the rank of Distinguished Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics in January 2004. In 2006, he became the Charles Godfrey Binder (Endowed) Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics.

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