Sonu Rajak is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology Patna, India. He received his Ph.D. and M.Tech. degrees from the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, India. He received his bachelor's degree in production engineering from B.I.T. Sindri, Vinoba Bhave University, India. He has more than fourteen years of experience in both the academic and industrial sectors. He has published more than 40 technical papers in peer-reviewed international journals, two edited books, eight book chapters, and 15 articles presented in conferences at international levels. His research interests are in broad areas of manufacturing and production, with a specific interest in supply chain management, circular economy, sustainability, optimization, Industry 4.0, and data analytics.
J. Paulo Davim is a professor Catedrático (Full Professor) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. He is also distinguished as honorary professor in several universities/colleges/institutes in China, India, and Spain. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1997, M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering (materials and manufacturing processes) in 1991, Mechanical Engineering degree (five years) in 1986, from the University of Porto (FEUP), the Aggregate title (Full Habilitation) from the University of Coimbra in 2005, and the D.Sc. (Higher Doctorate) from London Metropolitan University in 2013. He is a senior chartered engineer by the Portuguese Institution of Engineers with an MBA and Specialist titles in Engineering and Industrial Management as well as in Metrology. He has more than 35 years of teaching and research experience in manufacturing, materials, mechanical, and industrial engineering, with special emphasis in machining, tribology, and surface engineering.
K.P. Rajurkar, professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Michigan Technological University in 1978 and 1982, respectively. Dr. Rajurkar is the founder and was director of the Center for Nontraditional Manufacturing Research. He served as the interim Chair of the Industrial and Management Systems Engineering department (January 2007–December 2008). He has also served as the interim associate dean for Research of the College of Engineering (January 2005–December 2006). He served as a program director of Manufacturing Machines and Equipment at the US National Science Foundation (September 1999–November 2002). He was a chairman of the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Graduate Program of the College of Engineering (1988–1999). Dr. Rajurkar is a fellow of ASME, SME, and International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP).
P. Parthiban is, at present, a professor in the Department of Production Engineering at the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, India. He received his Ph.D. degree from J.N.T. University, Hyderabad. He was recently awarded a D.Litt. for his outstanding contribution in the field of production engineering. He holds a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Madras University, Chennai, and a master's in industrial engineering from NIT Tiruchirappalli. He has done extensive research in the areas of supply chain management, multivariate analysis, and multi-criteria decision-making techniques. He has more than 150 technical papers presented and published in journals and conferences at international and national levels. His research interests include logistics and supply chain management, circular economy, lean manufacturing, Industry 4.0, and artificial intelligence.
