Principal Investigator

Himanshu Goyal

Dr. Himanshu Goyal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Radha and PK Narayanan Early Career Chair at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He received his BTech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Guwahati in 2011 and spent a year in Reliance Industries Limited and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Subsequently, Dr. Goyal moved to Cornell University where he obtained his MS and PhD in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Dr. Goyal worked as a postdoctoral researcher for a year at the Univeristy of Delaware before joining IIT Madras in 2019.

PhD students

Racha Varun Kumar

(contact: ch21d012@smail.iitm.ac.in)

I did my BTech in Chemical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad and MTech in Energy Engineering from National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli. In my PhD I am using data science techniques to integrate detailed chemical kinetics in CFD simulations of multiphase reactors. My research will provide computationally fast and accurate CFD models to study multiphase reactors. The main application of my research is biomass gasification in fluidized bed reactors.

Vedha Vaishnavi

(contact: ch21d019@smail.iitm.ac.in)

In my PhD, I am working on modeling and simulation of electrochemical cells with application in hydrogen production and CO2 utilization. A special emphasis is on evaluating the impact of porous electrodes structure on the system performance.

Bhumana Teressa

(contact: ch22d042@smail.iitm.ac.in)

My research focuses on the electrification of chemical processes. Microwaves generated from renewable electricity is a clean energy source and can be used to heat chemical reactors. With its unique heating characteristics (selective and rapid heating), microwaves also allow process intensification. I develop and use simulation tools to design novel microwave reactors. I completed my BTech in chemical engineering from NIT Srinagar and MTech in chemical engineering with specialisation in Process Design Engineering at UPES, Dehradun.

Devangshi Debraj

(contact: ch23d414@smail.iitm.ac.in)

My research focuses on microwave heating of chemical processes, specifically pertaining to experiments with heterogeneous catalysis and liquid chemistries. I graduated with B.Tech (Hons.) from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal. A student of Chemical Engineering with a Minor in Computational Mathematics, I strive to make sense of this world through atoms and poetry.

Browni VaikundaRaj

(contact: ch23d412@smail.iitm.ac.in/Browni.V@pfizer.com)

I am an experienced Process Engineer with 8 years of expertise in manufacturing (Vedanta) and Research & Development (Pfizer). Currently pursuing a PhD, my research critically assesses the data quality and sensitivity of PAT (Process Analytical Technology) tools in crystallization using multiphase CFD modelling. By evaluating the parameters influencing crystallization outcomes across different scales, my work aims to enhance real-time monitoring data accuracy, ensuring effective process performance tracking and facilitating improved approach for optimal results.

Greeshma Anand

(contact: ch25d028@smail.iitm.ac.in )

My research focuses on multiphase flow studies, particularly hydrodynamics of gas-liquid flows through a bed of particles. I completed my B.Tech in Chemical engineering from SASTRA University and M.E. in Chemical engineering from BITS Pilani. Before pursuing research, I worked for 2 years as a Process Engineer at Air Liquide, gaining industrial experience in process design. I now explore to understand the forces governing multiphase flow systems and optimizing these systems for more efficiency and less computational cost.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Kumar Amit

I am working on CFD of multiphase reactors, including gas liquid bubble columns and mixing of polymer melts (viscoeastic liquids).

Harisankar

I am working on AI modeling of packed bed reactors.

MTech students

Aditi P

I am working on modeling of microwave heated reactors.

Asha Jayasankar

I am working on modeling of fixed bed reactors of complex pellet shapes.

Gad Sunandan Santosh

I am working on modeling of fixed bed reactors with endo- and exothermic catalytic reactions.

Project Associates

SM Prasanth

I am working on multiscale CFD simulation of drying of solids. I hold a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Prior to joining IIT Madras, I worked as a Research Associate at Unilever R&D for two years, gaining experience in transport modelling, formulation science, and scale‑up engineering. My research interests lie in multiphysics modelling and sustainable process development.

Samarpita Das

I am working on modeling of microwave heated CO2 capture

Sowjen Meher

I am working on AI modeling of packed bed reactors.

Alumni

Peddi Siddartha (MTech 2026; Reliance Industries Limited)

Muhammed Idris (MTech 2026;)

Yugandhar Hanumanthu (MTech 2026;)

Shaik Roshan Aara (MTech 2026; Jubilant Biosys Limited)

Nandini Ghosh (MTech 2026; Aditya Birla)

Malla Ram Kumar (MTech 2026; Quest Global)

Balivada Kusum Kumar (PhD 2025, Postdoc at Politecnico de Milano)

Chaandhru (MTech 2025; Quest Global)

Varunkumar S (MTech 2025; ExxonMobil)

Vamsi Pyla (MTech 2025; Hero MotoCorp)

Kelvin Xavier (MTech 2025; HPCL)

Gayathri (MTech 2025; IOCL)

Mohnin Gopinath (MS 2024; Baker Hughes)

Hariharan RK (MS 2024; University of Colorado Boulder)

Harshkumar Ashokbhai (MTech 2024; Aditya Birla)

Prem Kumar Ahuja (MTech 2024; BARC)

Govind Tak (MS 2024; Andritz)

Swathi Ganesh (BTech 2023; MIT)

Akash Kumar (MTech 2023; IOCL)

Vinay Kumar Shinde (MTech 2023; HPCL)

Mohit Chaudhary (MTech 2023; GE Vernova)

Lokesh Reddy (MTech 2023)

Rajas Takle (DD 2023; Golman Sachs)

Chaitanya Kavale (MS 2023; Shell)

Lakshmi Yasodhara (Project Associate 2022; University of Pittsburgh)

Nidhi Parmar (MTech 2022; Aditya Birla)

Shubham Satish Dongre (MTech 2022; Aditya Birla)

Appalabathula Siva Chaitanya (MTech 2022; HSBC Bank)

Surendra Achari (MTech 2021)

Shubham Singh Rajput (MTech 2021; Accenture)

Dilpreet Singh Rawal (MTech 2021; Steel Authority of India Limited)

Subhajit Dutta (Postdoctoral Fellow 2022; Ghent University)

Krishna Gopal Sharma (BTech 2022)

Jawed Alam (Project Associate 2022; PBOPlus Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd.)