About

Research Interests: My research focuses on catalysis for sustainable energy, encompassing thermal and electrocatalysis—catalyst synthesis and testing—and the use of operando spectroscopy for catalyst characterization. Additionally, I work in computational catalysis, including atomistic simulations and microkinetic modeling for studying reaction pathways. 

Current Position: I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Romàn group at MIT, where I investigate the promotional effects of electric fields in thermal catalytic systems.

Ph.D. Research: I earned my Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, under the co-supervision of Dr. Ambarish Kulkarni and Dr. Simon Bare. My doctoral research centered on leveraging quantum chemistry methods to elucidate the nature of catalytic sites in conjunction with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). A key outcome of my work was the development of QuantEXAFS, an automated workflow that utilizes high-throughput atomistic simulations to fit XAS data. My research primarily focused on atomically dispersed catalysts, encompassing both computational catalysis (including phase diagram calculations and reaction barrier analysis) and experimental work, such as beamline experiments at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and catalyst synthesis in the Gates lab at UC Davis.

Additional Experience: During the final year of my Ph.D., I completed a six-month internship at SLAC and the Cargnello group at Stanford University, where I explored propene epoxidation reaction. My combined background as an experimentalist and computational catalyst researcher drives my passion for integrating these powerful approaches to develop and fundamentally understand more efficient catalytic systems.

Previous Education: I obtained my M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, where I worked under Dr. Ajay K. Dalai. My master’s research focused on catalyst deactivation trends during the hydrotreating of gas oil, giving me hands-on experience with continuous and batch reactors, as well as various catalyst characterization techniques. My work at the Canadian Light Source inspired my pursuit of a Ph.D. in a related area. My undergraduate degree was completed in India.

Motivation: My research is fueled by an enduring quest to explore new opportunities for developing catalysts that are both energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.