Professor Tam Sridhar has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics through clarifying the mechanism which leads to the peculiar properties of Boger fluids and the development of a viscoelastic test fluid which is now a world standard. He has designed a unique viscometer for tests in extension which has received international acclaim. Professor Sridhar has also made significant contributions to reaction engineering through the development of equations for predicting interfacial area in gas liquid reactors and for estimating liquid viscosities. He is a consultant to overseas industry (DuPont and Dutch State Mines) in the field of interaction between mass transfer and chemical reaction.
Professor Sridhar as Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering has made it one of the largest funded departments at Monash University and is an exceptional chemical engineer and leader.