Raman succeeds Bill Anderson, associate head of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who served as director of GEP for three years.

Raman's research focuses on applications of nonlinear dynamics, vibrations, and fluid-structure interactions. His group has significantly advanced the understanding of complex dynamics in nanotechnology applications such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), in gyroscopic systems for data storage and manufacturing, in electronics cooling, and in biomechanics. He has mentored 16 PhD students, co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, held visiting positions at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain), University of Oxford (UK), and Darmstadt University of Technology (Germany), and secured funding from the NSF, NIH, NASA, NNSA, and several national and international industrial sponsors. He is an ASME fellow and recipient of the Gustus Larson Memorial Award from the ASME, Keeley fellowship (Wadham College, Oxford), College of Engineering outstanding young investigator award, and the NSF CAREER award. At Purdue he has pioneered the use of cyber-infrastructure in the AFM community for research and education through advanced simulation tools and online classes that are used by thousands around the world, and led College of Engineering strategic initiatives for global engagement in Latin America.

Professor Raman joined Purdue in 2000 as an assistant professor after earning a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley (1999), a master's in mechanical engineering from Purdue (1993), and a B. Tech in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1991). He was promoted to associate professor (2005), professor (2009), and named the Robert V. Adams Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University (2013).