Prof. Dr. Oommen Tharakan Kuttiyil Thomas
Prof. Dr. Oommen Tharakan Kuttiyil Thomas[1] is a distinguished Indian aerospace scientist, educator, and author. He served for 38 years at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) within the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), retiring as a Senior Scientist (Scientist 'H') and Group Director in the Avionics Entity. He currently serves as the Dean of Research and Development and Head of the Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) Department at Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology (MBCET).
Early Life and Education
Dr. Thomas completed his Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Electronics & Communication Engineering from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum. He obtained his Master of Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and a Ph.D. from the IIT Bombay, specializing in Microelectronics and VLSI Design.
Career at ISRO
During his nearly four-decade tenure at ISRO, Dr. Thomas contributed significantly to India's space program, specifically in avionics and electronics production quality. He held the position of Group Director, focusing on "Zero-Defect" engineering and reliability in satellite and launch vehicle electronics.[2]
Academic Leadership
Following his retirement from ISRO, Dr. Thomas transitioned to academia. At MBCET, he has led several high-impact technology projects:
- Basilian-01: Mentored the design and successful launch of a student-built technology demonstrator rocket on December 18, 2025.[3]
- BEEMARK Series: Developed IoT-based smart beehive monitoring systems (BEEMARK-I and II) for precision agriculture.
Publications
He is the author of the technical book, Electronics Production Defects and Analysis, and holds an ORCID iD (0000-0002-3423-2753) and VIDWAN ID (436243).