Major Research Interests

Exploration of sustainable transportation energy system alternatives for developing nations like China and India. Related projects include development of an economic geographic model of dynamic mechanisms of city growth in China to study transportation energy and emissions scenarios resulting from different transportation infrastructure investments, an integrated assessment model of China’s transportation energy sector to help understand future energy demand, study environmental impacts of implementing different emission scenarios and study barriers to introduction of alternative fuel vehicle technologies.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Transportation Technology and Policy    Aug 2004-Present
University Of California-Davis

Masters in Ceramic Engineering                                                                              Jan 2002
University Of Missouri

Bachelor of Engineering in Metallurgical Engineering                                        March 2000
VRCE Nagpur (Regional Engineering College), Maharashtra, India                                  

Work Experience

Graduate Student Researcher                                                                                       Aug 2004-Present

Institute Of Transportation Studies, University Of California-Davis

Research Areas

• Integrated Assessment modeling of China’s transportation energy sector to study options for future sustainable energy systems.
• Assessment of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission rates of the current Chinese transportation sector to help forecast future oil consumption and emission scenarios.
• Study of Technological Readiness Levels of long term renewable methods of producing hydrogen such as photolysis and thermolysis.

 Cell Development Engineer                                                                                     June 2003-July 2004

 Acumentrics Corporation, Westwood, MA                                           

• Cathode(LSM), Anode(Ni/YSZ), Electrolyte(YSZ) and Interconnect optimization for solid oxide fuel cells. Exploration of alternate materials like Niobium Titanate, LSGM, doped Lanthanum Chromite, LSCF etc. 

• Fuel cell characterization and testing.

• Cathode and Anode conductivity improvement, degradation studies.

Materials Research Engineer                                                                                  June 2002-May 2003

Fuel Cell Energy, Inc., Danbury, Connecticut

• Matrix materials (Lithium Aluminate) development for  molten carbonate fuel cells using organic solvent based tape casting technique.
• Sol-Gel thick film paste development and processing for corrosion    resistant conductive coatings (GDC, LSC coatings).
• Materials characterization using SEM, EDS, XRD, Mercury Porosimetry  etc

Materials Research Engineer                                                                          January,2002-May 2002

Tal Materials, Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Mixed-metal oxide nanoceramic powder processing using Flame Spray Pyrolysis technique.
• Precursor development for the flame spray pyrolysis technique

Graduate Research Assistant                                                                August, 2000-Decemebr 2001

Department of Ceramic Engineering, University of Missouri-Rolla

• Studied the effects of Oxygen partial pressure on the interfacial strength and toughness of    Alumina-Copper metal ceramic composites prepared by hot isostatic pressing and spontaneous  infiltration techniques.

Papers/Projects

• "Centralized Hydrogen Production from Natural Gas for the San Francisco Light-Duty Vehicle Fleet, an Engineering Economic Analysis” Case study as part of the ‘Hydrogen Pathways’ class project – December 2004.

• Coauthored "Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Alumina-Copper Composites," pp. 285-295 in Innovative Processing and Synthesis of Ceramics, Glasses, and Composites IV, Ceramic Transactions Vol. 154, ed. by N.P. Bansal and J.P. Singh, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, OH (2003).

•  MS thesis-“Interfacial chemistry of Alumina-Cu composites as affected by varying the oxygen concentration in Cu and to study the interpenetrating composites produced by spontaneous infiltration of Cu into porous alumina”, December 2001.