About Ashok Midha

In memory of Ashok Midha (Honorary Member)

BSME 1968, Regional Institute of Technology Jamshedpur
MSME 1970, University of Minnesota
MSME 1977, University of Minnesota

Dr. Ashok Midha was a pioneering educator, researcher, and leader whose legacy shaped mechanical engineering at Missouri S&T and beyond.

He earned his Ph.D. (1977) and M.S. (1970) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and his B.S. (1968) from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, India. Before his academic career, he worked as a mechanical engineer at FluiDyne Engineering in Minneapolis.

Dr. Midha served on the faculties of Michigan Technological University, The Pennsylvania State University, and Purdue University before joining Missouri S&T in 1997 as professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Dr. Midha is regarded as the “father of compliant mechanisms” and since 2012, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers has named a conference symposium after him in recognition of his “pioneering contributions to this growing and fruitful research community.” He was also a champion for design education, leading the $30M renovation and expansion of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering building and the establishment of the Product Innovation and Creativity Center (PICC) at Missouri S&T, which he directed.

A prolific scholar, Dr. Midha authored nearly 140 journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters. His work advanced mechanical design, kinematics and dynamics of mechanisms, compliant mechanism design, and vibration analysis. He received numerous best paper, design, and research awards, including the prestigious ASME Design Engineering Division Mechanisms Committee Award (1998). He was named a Fellow of ASME in 2002 and served as associate editor for the Journal of Mechanical Design and feature editor for Mechanism and Machine Theory.

Dr. Midha’s life was defined by intellectual rigor, dedication to students, and a passion for innovation that continues to inspire generations of engineers.