Sop Kartik Final.formatted Doc03

State ment of background and goals KARTIK SRINIVASAN(Applying for PhD in Chemical Engineering) Final year Chemical Engineering Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT), Mumbai – 400019, India. Date of Birth: May 2nd 1988

Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change. Stephen Covey The above quotation by Stephen Covey aptly presents my belief and my conviction that one must exercise the power to choose to bring about ‘change’ and my seeking admission with RPI is driven by this fundamental rule governing human freedom. I hail from a family of educationists and pursuing one‘s educational goals is always encouraged and supported. This puts me in an enviable position but it also places on me a huge responsibility to meet with the expectations of the family and deliver results. My father a professional Cost and Management accountant from India and U.K, currently heads a global IT consulting and services company in the SAP space. My mother is a medical Doctor with specialization in Pathology and runs a Pathology Laboratory of her own. I was given the freedom to choose my area of interest with no compulsion to align myself to the interests of the fraternity. With serious introspection and guidance from my parents I chose my area of interest which in the initial years was chemistry. There was always a passion in me to tread in new paths; following a beaten track never exited me. I do realize that I hail from a country where there is unlimited scope for development in very many areas and I have strong urge to contribute to it at some stage in my life. I was always fascinated by the strides made by the developed countries in different spheres and my educational goals were influenced by this fascination. I wanted to equip myself with knowledge and exposure which will hold me in good stead .In my area of interest I wanted to acquire knowledge which represents the current developments and innovations. It is this focus which makes me pursue further education and get associated with research to enhance my application of the knowledge gained. At all times my passion will be to apply the research to real life problems to find lasting solutions which in the long run will help the society at large. My pursuing further education and research is engrained in this underlying belief and philosophy. There is deep passion to unravel the unknown and excel in the endeavor through sustained committed efforts and zeal. My joining Chemical Engineering with UICT (Formerly known as UDCT) was my first step towards pursuing this vision. The subjects, the college ambiance and the faculty truly complimented my pursuit. In this final year I have gained lot more clarity and conviction on the way forward. 1

State ment of background and goals

The intriguing course at UICT coupled with an equal emphasis on lab work and the intellectually stimulating atmosphere created by our faculty members spurred me to reach for higher levels of technical excellence. My good academic record exemplifies my efforts. I have been in the top 10% of my class in the third, fourth and the sixth semesters and my sixth-semester average of 74.16% marks gives a clear idea of my academic competency. I was able to secure more than 85% marks in core chemical engineering subjects like material and energy balance calculations, heat transfer, momentum transfer, industrial process control and chemical engineering thermodynamics. My in-plant training at Alkyl Amines Chemicals Ltd. enabled me to strengthen my hold over core chemical engineering subjects like heat transfer, momentum transfer, plant utilities and material and energy balance calculations. I was assigned a project by Mr.S.Saimani- Head of Technological Development, Alkyl Amines Chemicals Ltd. to find a solution to the water losses that occur by vaporization in the cooling towers in the plant. I suggested a solution to the problem by designing an Air cooled heat exchanger. I was able to hone my skills in heat transfer by rating and sizing different types of heat exchangers like the thermosyphon reboiler, the kettle reboiler, the forced circulation evaporator and the most important one being the design of a multi-component condenser with non-condensables. The designs that were proposed by me were appreciated by the organization. It is heartening to note that the designs proposed were successfully implemented and the problem addressed. During my training I was able to gain indepth knowledge about different types of pumps, compressors, steam traps, and valves. My detailed presentation on my in-plant training received accolades and compliments from the faculty of my institute. Some of the areas of research for which I have gained interest during my undergraduate studies are: Biochemical engineering: Today chemical engineers have a tremendous opportunity to help define the next frontier in bioengineering. The fusion of chemical engineering with biological sciences provides a multi-disciplinary framework to address fundamental limitations in bioprocesses. My chemical engineering background has provided me with the knowledge and the tools, to help me gain a better understanding of living systems. I have developed a keen interest in biochemical engineering after I was introduced to the subject on biological sciences in the fourth semester. As I chose biochemical engineering as my elective in the seventh semester, through the lectures I was able to enhance my knowledge on enzymatic catalysis and biochemical reactor design. By presenting a study on the engineering aspects of beer manufacture I was able to gain substantial knowledge on the working and design of fermenters as bioreactors and the importance of microbes in various fermentation processes. Hence an important line of research which I would like to pursue would be multi-phase reactor design for biochemical processes. Another important field that has captivated my interest is Bio-catalysis and protein engineering, since it involves the design and synthesis of enzymes to produce 2

State ment of background and goals

extremely complex compounds like anti-biotics which otherwise, would be impossible by conventional catalytic processes. •

Separation processes: Separations are an indispensable aspect of chemical engineering. My interest in separation processes grew mainly during my in-plant training, since during the training I was assigned to rate some of the distillation columns, crystallizers and extraction columns in the plant. I took complete advantage of the opportunity given to me and was able to obtain in depth knowledge of different separation processes. I attained substantial knowledge on reactive distillation when I presented a paper on application of reactive distillation to the production of fuel additives. I also got the opportunity of presenting a seminar on Marangoni convection which plays an important role in governing the efficiency of liquid-liquid extraction columns. During my course of biochemical engineering I was introduced to solvent extraction and membrane separation which are indispensable parts of bio-separation. I feel that this area of research would be of paramount importance to the industry and I should be able to make a valuable contribution in this field.

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Transport phenomena: I have always paid special attention to the Momentum Transfer courses during my undergraduate study. Also I have scored over 90% marks in both the momentum transfer courses in the third year. This field has great potential to create and develop new complex polymeric fluids and study their rheological properties with wide applications that may revolutionize the way we live and the materials we develop. Being a very fundamental research area, a revolution in this area can indeed bring forth better understanding of a lot of new materials and their formulations. My Momentum Transfer courses helped me develop a very strong background of transport phenomena and I am eager to use the same in research. I have to further specialize in the areas of my interest and want to get associated with applied research. I did look at various options and my application to RPI was an informed decision. I am all set to embark on the most important phase of my career. Apart from the rich educational heritage, what exited me was the focus of collaborative applied research at RPI. This will considerably widen my knowledge horizon and enhance my exposure to related fields. The impeccable and highly impressive track record of the Institute ,eminence and accolades won by the faculty in different fields makes me proud to imagine my being part of this great institution. It would be my endeavor to live up to the expectations of my seniors and uphold the rich tradition and reputation of the Institute. I thank you for giving me an opportunity to express myself. Kartik Srinivasan, Applicant. 3

State ment of background and goals

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