Suresh Chandra Misra graduated with B Tech(Hons) in Naval Architecture from IIT Kharagpur in 1970 and obtained his Ph D from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK in 1976. After a brief stint as design engineer in Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. at Visakhapatnam, he joined IIT Kharagpur as faculty and retired as Professor in 2013. From 2009 to 2013 he was the first Director of Indian Maritime University, Visakhapatnam campus. After retirement he has been a visiting faculty at different Indian institutions. He has served as the Chairman of Naval Research Board, DRDO NewDelhi, from 2016 till 2021. Currently he is a member of Board of Governors of National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai. He has obtained the Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2021 of IIT Kharagpur.

He has also been conferred the Eminent Engineer Award in the Marine Engineering Division of the Institution of Engineers, India in December 2022. In March 2024 he has been awarded a Thank you citation for all-round contribution in the field of Naval Architecture by the Institution of Naval Architects, Mumbai. He is the Founder President of the technical society, Forum for River and Ocean Scientists and Technologies (FROST).