Dr. Atul Thakur

Dr. Atul Thakur

Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Patna
Associate Editor, IEEE Robotics & Automation Letters | Associate Editor, ASME JCISE

📍 R115 Block 3 Academic Area, IIT Patna, Bihta, Bihar - 801106

📧 IITP: athakur@iitp.ac.in | Personal: atul.thakur@gmail.com

📞 +91-611-523-3158

Summary & Biography

Summary

Research Interests: Bio-inspired robotics, microrobotics, machine learning.

Biography

Atul Thakur is an Associate Professor specializing in Robotics and Automation at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Patna. He has been actively engaged in the research involving the design, motion planning, and control of bio-inspired robots, application of robotics in the area of solid waste management, and selective micromanipulation of biological cells using magnetic microrobots.

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, Master of Technology (M.Tech.) from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) from the University of Mumbai. Atul is a recipient of prestigious awards like the 2013 Best Dissertation Award from ASME-CIE Division and the Elsevier Journal of Computer-Aided Design 2012 most cited paper award. He is also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since 2009 and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) since 2011.

Currently, he is directing the Biorobotics and Artificial Intelligence (BRAIn) Lab at IIT Patna.

Connect with me to explore collaborations and cutting-edge research opportunities.

Research Interests (Detail)

Dr. Thakur's research spans several interconnected domains within robotics and automation, with a strong emphasis on drawing inspiration from biological systems and applying advanced computational techniques:

Experience

Indian Institute of Technology, Patna

Associate Professor

December 2019 - Present (5 years 6 months) | Patna Area, India

Assistant Professor

September 2012 - December 2019 (7 years 4 months) | Patna

NAMTECH

Associate Director, School of Robotics

September 2024 - September 2025 (1 year) | Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

University of Maryland

Postdoctoral Research Associate

September 2011 - September 2012 (1 year 1 month) | University of Maryland, College Park

Research Assistant

August 2007 - August 2011 (4 years 1 month) | University of Maryland, College Park

Focus: Physics-aware model simplification for interactive virtual environments.

General Electric

Design Engineer

August 2006 - June 2007 (11 months)

Godrej Industries Limited

Engineer Trainee

June 2002 - December 2002 (7 months) | Vikhroli

Education

University of Maryland College Park

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Mechanical Engineering

2007 - 2011

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

M-Tech, Manufacturing Engineering

2003 - 2006

University of Mumbai

B.E., Production Engineering

1999 - 2003

Birla College of Arts, Science, and Commerce

Higher Secondary School, Physical Sciences

1997 - 1999

Top Skills

Publications

For a comprehensive and up-to-date list, please refer to Dr. Thakur's Google Scholar profile or his Curriculum Vitae.

Journal Articles

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Older Journal Articles

Conference Articles

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

Older Conference Articles

Book Chapters

Patents

Teaching

Present Teaching

Past Teaching

Students Advised

Present Students

Doctoral

Masters

Bachelors

Past Students

Doctoral

Masters

Bachelors

Research Engineers

Awards & Recognitions

R&D Projects

Short-Term Training and FDPs Conducted

Academic Service

Administrative Service (IIT Patna)

Invited Talks

Research Videos

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