Hamsa Balakrishnan Named Associate Dean Of MIT School of Engineering

India-West Staff Reporter
BOSTON, MA – Prof. Hamsa Balakrishnan, in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, has been named the associate dean of the MIT School of Engineering, effective August 1. In her new role, Balakrishnan will focus on attracting, retaining, and supporting top talent across all academic levels within the School of Engineering. She will lead faculty-focused programs and manage various student-facing initiatives, including fellowships, awards, and honors.
Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the School of Engineering, praised Balakrishnan’s commitment and impact, stating, “Professor Balakrishnan’s passion and dedication have already made a lasting impact on the School of Engineering. I am delighted to welcome her to the School of Engineering faculty leadership team.”
Balakrishnan is the principal investigator of the Dynamics, Infrastructure Networks, and Mobility (DINaMo) group, which collaborates with entities like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and NASA to address air mobility and traffic congestion. Previously, she served as associate department head in AeroAstro from 2018 to 2021, where she restructured graduate student recruiting and managed the transition to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, Balakrishnan directed Transportation@MIT in 2018-19, overseeing interdepartmental graduate programs and enhancing faculty engagement and student recruiting. She co-founded Lumo, a company that uses data analytics to predict flight delays, and currently serves as its chief scientist.
Balakrishnan holds a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Stanford University.