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Aric Kumaran MenonAric Kumaran Menon, DTU Professor, 49

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of MANCEF member Aric Menon at the early age of 49.

Aric Menon was a MIC-Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

Education

Born in India, Aric Menon received a Bachelor in Aeronautical Engineering and subsequently engaged in a remarkable international career, both in academia and in industry. Aric Menon received master's degrees from Stanford University (USA) and Queens University (UK).

Career

Throughout his career Aric achieved an in-depth understanding of realizing new business initiatives. He served as Vice President at American Read-Rite Corporation where he was responsible for research and development.

In 2001 he accepted a position as professor and and section leader of the MicroElectroMechanical MicroSystems Group at MIC-DTU. Aric Menon was a highly respected colleague who quickly found his place at DTU and in Denmark. With his excellent qualifications he brought a tremendous boost to the department. He functioned as principal investigator for a range of scientific research projects and as mentor for many young researchers.

Additionally, Aric Menon received a range of prestigious international awards for his work.

Personal Life

He was member of The Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, the "Kongelig Dansk Yachtclub" and The American Society. Both in his personal and professional life, Aric was well known for his positive view of life and his sense of humor.

Aric will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with Aric's family and friends.

MANCEF Officers and Colleagues Remember Aric Menon

"Aric Menon was an extremely pleasant, warm and active person. He was one of those persons that make a community live and grow. He was always ready to do more for MANCEF. For example:

  • He campaigned for a COMS or other MANCEF conference to be held in Scandinavia
  • He was active in various internal discussions
  • He even suggested ways to help New Orleans after the August 2005 hurricane by bringing in Dutch water engineering expertise

Indeed, it was a real shock, especially at his age.

-- Kees Eijkel, MANCEF President

***

Aric was shaping up to be a very active member of MANCEF. I met Aric in Germany a couple of years ago and was impressed by his energy, his knowledge and understanding of technology commercialisation, and his charm.

Aric and I had a couple of robust discussions in Germany as he felt strongly (as he would) that Denmark would be an excellent host for COMS 07 if he could just convince Melbourne to give up! He had so much to offer the tech community -- we will all miss him.

-- Jane Niall, MANCEF Asia/Pacific Vice President

***

I really liked and respected Aric. I was really shocked and saddened to hear of his untimely death. I will miss Aric's fantastic smile and ability to cut past the hype of any story and get to the essence of the matter.

-- Scott Bryant, Executive Director, MANCEF

***

The sudden death of Prof. Aric Menon has indeed shocked us all.

-- Prof. Dr. Pieter Telleman, Director, MIC-Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark

***

Thoughts In Memory Of Our Dear Friend Aric Kumaran Menon (known to us as KUMARAN)

News of Kumaran's untimely death at the young age of 49 has reached us -- his "class mates" (IIT-Kharagpur, 1973-'78, Aero Eng.) and "wing mates" (Nehru Hall) -- rather slowly. We are all saddened to know that he passed away, nearly a year ago, around January 1, 2006.

One thing we all remember and cherish was the clarity of his life's goals and the analytical/intellectual depth he exhibited. His analytical and strategic thinking not only covered the game of chess but also his career. In chess, he was Nehru Hall and IIT-Kgp champion. He knew he wanted to come to US, get a Stanford Ph.D., excel in chess, earn big money, and become a big shot. At a rather young age, he accomplished all that.

While we, as outsiders, will never know about his inner evolution as measured by balance, peace, and joy; his contributions and service to his profession is unambiguous and clear. His academic credentials (B.Tech with First Class Honours in 1978 from IIT-Kharagpur, MS in 1980 from the University of Tennessee, DEng in 1983 from Stanford University, DSc in 1998 from the Queen's University of Belfast) were excellent. His research interests (Microsystems applications in the development of magnetic sensors, Micro/nano fabrication techniques, Bio devices) were all on the cutting edge of science and technology.

He served as Vice President at American Read-Rite Corporation where he was responsible for research and development. There he exhibited an in-depth understanding of realizing new business initiatives. His earlier stint as Vice President at Seagate Technologies in Minneapolis was equally impressive.

In 2001 he accepted a position as Professor and section leader of the Micro-Electro-Mechanical Micro Systems Group at MIC-DTU. Aric Menon was a highly respected colleague who quickly found his place at DTU and in Denmark. There he functioned as principal investigator for a range of scientific research projects and as mentor for many young researchers.

We, the undersigned friends from IIT, will miss him. We would like to share our sense of loss and pride in his achievements with his family - particularly his sister in India. Please accept our belated condolences.

Signatures
(i)
Amitabh Narain
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
(906) 487-2555 Fax: (906) 487-2822
narain@mtu.edu
http://www.me.mtu.edu/~narain

(ii)
Aniruddha N Joshi
Chief Marketing Officer,
Sesa Goa Limited.
Tel. +91 832 2460801
Fax: +91 832 2437718

(iii)
Abhay Godbole
Professor/Structural Engineering Consultant
Member, Institute of Engineers (India)
42A Saubhagya, Jeevan Vikas Kendra Marg,
Andheri(E)
Mumbai
Maharashtra

(iv)
Prabir Daripa
Professor, Dept. of Mathematics
629D Blocker Bldg.
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-3368
Office: (979) 845-1204
Home: (979) 695-2221
Fax: (979) 862-4190
daripa@math.tamu.edu

(v)
Luis Mesquita
Luis Clemente Mesquita
Prof. and HOD Computer Engineering Dept.
Padre Conceicao College of Engineering
Verna. GOA
Tel: +91 832-27700575
E-Mail: LCMesquita@yahoo.com

(vi)
Ajoy Moonka
Senior Manager for Transformation
NW Strategic Management Group
Deputy Director
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, NM 87185-0855

Professor Aric K Menon Biography

Aric K. Menon ( B.Tech, MSc, DEng, DSc) was appointed to the Chair of Microsystems Technology at the Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology at the Technical University of Denmark on 1 April 2001.

Education

  • B.Tech with First Class Honours in 1978 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
  • MSc in 1980 from the University of Tennessee
  • DEng in 1983 from Stanford University
  • DSc in 1998 from the Queen's University of Belfast

Research Interests

His areas of research included:

  • Microsystems applications in the development of magnetic sensors
  • Micro/nano fabrication techniques
  • Biodevices

Career Summary

He held senior corporate R&D management positions and was the Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Read-Rite Corporation (now part of Western Digital Corporation) and Seagate Technology in the US, leading magnetic data storage companies. He led the development of the Magnetoresistive and Giant Magnetoresistive transducer technology at both companies.

He was also instrumental in the founding of Scion Photonics, now a division of JDS-Uniphase.

Industry Awards and Recognition

  • Elected a member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) in 2005.
  • Elected a Fellow of IEEE in 2000 for his "contributions to the development of recording heads for hard disk drives".
  • ASME and IEE (U.K.) Fellow
  • Editorial Board Member, Sensor Letters
  • Editorial Advisor, Data Storage Magazine
  • Published more than 40 refereed journal papers and held 9 US patents.
  • ASME Board of Education Member
  • Nanotechnology Institute of ASME Board Member
  • Past Chairman, Tribology division of ASME
  • Served on the boards of many university research centers both in the US and outside.
  • Greenleaf Corporation Board Member, a leading ceramics manufacturer in Sagertown, PA
  • Imago Corporation Board Member, a manufacturer of atom probes for material composition analysis in Madison, WI
  • Active MANCEF member

Tell us about Aric Menon

Do you have a tribute or memory of Aric Menon you would like to share? Please email us at info@mancef.org.

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All rights reserved. Updated: 21 December 2006