Harish Kumar

Dr. Harish Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University. He earned his Ph.D. in Advanced Manufacturing and Automation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

Prior to joining Mahindra University, Dr. Kumar worked on several research projects focused on the design and development of CNC machines at IIT Delhi. These projects were funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. He is the recipient of the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award 2020 for his significant contribution to the development of a five-axis advanced micromachining system.

Dr. Kumar has also contributed to multiple research and development projects in the field of Industry 4.0. His current research interests include conventional and unconventional micromachining, industrial automation, smart manufacturing, and metal additive manufacturing.

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Advanced Manufacturing and Automation), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
• M.Tech in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Punjab, India
• B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, U.P, India

Journals

• Kumar, H.; Roy, T.; Jha, S. Influence of Gaseous Dielectrics on the Wettability of Al-6061 Alloy Using Dry μ-Electrical Discharge Milling. Appl Surf Sci, 2024, 162004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.162004.
• Kumar, H.; Jha, S. Experimental Investigations and Optimization of Non-Electrical Parameters during Microelectrode Fabrication. Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10426914.2024.2425625.
• Kumar, H.; Roy, T.; Jha, S. Efficient Fabrication of Zero Taper μ-Electrode Using Novel Dry μ-Electrical Discharge Turning. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture. 2025;0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/09544054241310486.
• Patel, N., Kumar, H. & Jha, S. Experimental investigation and microstructural characterization of SS317L single-layer weld beads deposited by the cold metal transfer process. Prog Addit Manuf 10, 11497–11520 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-025-01299-8
• Patel, H.A.; Kumar, H.; Ghosh, S.; Jha, S. “Experimental analysis of brazed diamond dresser using single grit scratch on zirconia ceramic”, Manufacturing Technology Today (MTT) 22 (2023) 8–13. https://doi.org/10.58368/mtt.22.4.2023.8-13.

International Conferences

• Kumar, H.; Jha, S. “Effect of different dielectric mediums on the fabrication of high aspect-ratio microelectrodes”, 40th International MATADOR Conference on Advanced Manufacturing, Hangzhou, China, (2019).
• Patel, H.A.; Kumar, H.; Ghosh, S.; Jha, S. “Experimental analysis of brazed diamond dresser using single grit scratch on zirconia ceramic”, presented in COPEN-2022 organized by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
• Nohwal, A.; Kumar, H.; Aravindan, S.; Jha, S. “Deep Learning-Based Prediction of Weld Surface Hardness in SS304 Stainless Steel Using Visual and Process Data”, 10th International Conference on Manufacturing Technologies, Singapore (ICMT 2026).

Book Chapter

• Kumar, H.; Jha, S., 2026. Laser-Assisted Electrochemical and Electrical Discharge Micromachining Techniques for Precision Micromachining. In Advances in Laser-Assisted Hybrid Manufacturing (Chapter 7), CRC Press.

• Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, India (Jan 2026 – Present).
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, India (Aug 2025 – Dec 2025).
• Research Associate/Technical Officer on various DST funded Projects at IIT Delhi, India (Nov 2023 – July 2025).

• Conventional and Unconventional Micromachining
• Industrial Automation
• Smart Manufacturing
• Metal additive manufacturing