It led to significant amounts of funding, including a five-year Air Force Office Scientific Research Multidisciplinary University Research Institute and a four-year NASA grant to study interplanetary exploration, among other projects. He also helped establish the Rotorcraft Center of Excellence in AE, creating a new hub for innovation.

Hanagud’s research in structural dynamics stretched beyond aircraft: His work contributed to the development of a smart acoustic guitar, an instrument capable of attaining superior sound quality by employing active feedback control to influence vibration and acoustics.

More recently, he focused on multifunctional energetic structural materials and advanced structural health monitoring. 

An Academic Odyssey
 

Born in 1933 in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), India, Hanagud was the second of seven children. His father broke the family’s longstanding tradition of farming and instead became a professor at a local university. Inspired by his father’s academic pursuits, Hanagud developed an early fascination with science, engineering, and teaching the next generation. 

When India gained its independence, a new world of opportunities and possibilities opened for the teenager and aspiring engineer, and he grew more serious about his academics. Schoolwork came easy and he excelled in his classwork and studies. He impressed his family when he earned a perfect score in mathematics on his intermediate exam, a pivotal test used in college admissions. 

He began his college journey by earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Mysore, followed by a master’s in aeronautics from the India Institute of Science (IIS). He learned there were growing opportunities in aerospace (then aeronautics) as the field evolved thanks to the launch of Sputnik. He also found it to be a challenging field, and that appealed to him. 

As a master’s student, he used textbooks written by Stanford University professors and researchers. Little did he know the launching pad the university would eventually become for him.  

At the time, there were little to no aerospace Ph.D. programs in India, and he knew a doctoral degree was essential to becoming a professor. He applied to a few universities abroad, and Stanford offered a full fellowship. He accepted and prepared to move across the globe to the United States.

The new fellow packed one suitcase and took eight connecting flights to make his way from Bombay to California. His professor and advisor from IIS, Joga-Rao, gave him some extra money to help cover traveling costs — a gesture that he always remembered and carried with him. 

In 1963, Hanagud earned his Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford and took a position as a research scientist at the Stanford Research Institute. He found he had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, which led him to partner with three Stanford colleagues to founded Failure Analysis Associated. Now called Exponent, the engineering and scientific consulting firm specializes in high-stakes challenges for clients across the globe. They’ve investigated major disasters, including American Airlines Flight 587, which led to changes in pilot training and remains the second-deadliest U.S. aviation accident not linked to terrorism.

Making an Impact

In 1970, Hanagud moved across the country to join the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering (AE) and set roots in Decatur, Georgia, where he and his wife raised three daughters. They often visited their father at work, taking breaks to bowl at the Student Center and attending Tech’s summer camps for K-12 students. 

During his career, Hanagud published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers and given numerous seminars at various universities, industry gatherings, and professional conferences around the world. In 2018, he returned to IIS to receive his alma mater’s Platinum Jubilee Award for his contributions to the field of aerospace engineering.

Hanagud taught thousands of students throughout his career, including some who became AE professors themselves. Others became lifelong friends who he’d continue to mentor, collaborate with, and cheer on throughout their careers.

Among those students are more than 40 doctoral students he advised and mentored as they pursued their own academic careers. He opened his home to many students who were far away from their families and couldn’t travel home during holidays or breaks. They shared many meals and memories throughout the years and it turned into a cherished family tradition.