Kumar Bhattacharyya is an Indian British engineer who formed the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), an academic department at the University of Warwick that focuses on engineering, manufacturing, and technology research, education, and knowledge transfer. In 2004, he was named a life peer of the group, and he now works as a director for WMG. He was born in Dhaka, British-India, and showed a high degree of intelligence and academic excellence from an early age. He was the son of a professor who had his higher education at one of India’s top universities before moving to the United Kingdom. He began his career at Lucas Industries, the largest parts supplier to the British automotive and aerospace industries. He found Britain’s corporate environment to be quite lively, and he acquired a deep admiration for the country’s hardworking and driven people. He decided to continue his education and went on to earn his doctorate and work as a lecturer. He was eager to construct a manufacturing education program for industry there as an educator who understood the necessity of industrialization in a country’s development. Later, while at the University of Warwick, he created Warwick Manufacturing Group with Vice-Chancellor Jack Butterworth’s help. He also serves as a government adviser and is a member of the Labour Party in the House of Lords.
Childhood and Adolescence
Sushanta Kumar Bhattacharyya was born in Dhaka on June 6, 1940. (then part of British-India). His father was a chemistry professor at Kharagpur’s Indian Institute of Technology.
He was a good student who excelled in school and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, one of India’s leading technological research universities.
Following graduation, Kumar Bhattacharyya was offered a position as a graduate apprentice at Lucas Industries in the United Kingdom. As a result, he migrated to the United Kingdom as a 21-year-old in 1961.
A Career of Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya
For the next six years, he worked as a graduate apprentice at Lucas Industries. Lucas Sectors was a family-owned company that was created in Birmingham in the nineteenth century and was the primary supplier of parts to the British automotive and aerospace industries.
Kumar Bhattacharyya shown a natural aptitude for business management and was a quick learner. He was given the Lucas Fellowship after completing his apprenticeship and enrolled at the University of Birmingham, where he received an MSc in Engineering Production and Management and a PhD in Engineering Production.
Even before completing his PhD at Birmingham, he was employed as a Lecturer.
In 1980, he became Professor of Manufacturing Systems at the University of Warwick. Bhattacharya had ambitions to build a manufacturing education program for industry, and Vice-Chancellor Jack Butterworth backed him up.
As a result, in 1980, he established the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) with the goal of assisting the reinvigoration of UK manufacturing through research and knowledge transfer.
The organization first offered a part-time master’s degree for senior industry executives, with modules taught in a specially constructed residential center. Academics originally condemned the course, but it quickly gained popularity in the industry, and many corporations began sending their employees to WMG to take it.
Kumar Bhattacharyya later decided to give industry-related research services as well, and in January 1990, he launched a center where academics and industrialists could collaborate on research projects. WMG expanded into other industries such as construction, mining, and information and technology as a result of the success of this center.
He is a member of The Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and several other professional organizations, including the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering.
He also represents Labour in the House of Lords, where he concentrates on issues such as business and industry, the economy and finance, education, foreign affairs, and science and technology.
Major Projects of Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya
Kumar Bhattacharyya founded WMG, which is currently one of the University of Warwick’s largest academic departments. The group offers postgraduate degrees not only on campus, but also in locations throughout the world, including India, China, Singapore, Cyprus, Russia, and Thailand.
Achievements & Awards
He was given the CBE for Services to Industry and Technology in 1997. In the same year, he received an honorary Doctorate of Science (DSc) from Malaysia’s University of Technology, where he is also an Honorary Professor.
In 1998, the Mensforth International Gold Medal for exceptional international contribution to manufacturing engineering and management was awarded to him by the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2002 for his contributions to science and technology.
In 2003, Kumar Bhattacharyya was knighted for his contributions to higher education and industry.
In 2004, he was created a Life Peer as Baron Bhattacharyya of Moseley in the West Midlands County.
He received the Coventry Award of Merit in 2014 for remarkable personal success in enhancing the prominence of UK engineering and manufacturing, as well as his contributions to the promotion of the University of Warwick and the City of Coventry.
Personal History and Legacy
He is married and has children with Bridie.
Estimated net worth
Estimated net worth of Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya is unknown.