+ Sheet 03 · Experience & Projects
Experience
Core Technical Engineer & Treasurer
Jun 2023 — PresentApogee — Aerospace Society, PDEU
- Founder & Technical Head, PDEU Rocketry Team (2025) — systems engineering across propulsion, design & analysis
- Finalist, National Model Rocketry India competition; FRR-approved; secured ₹3,00,000 in sponsorship
Summer Research Intern
May — Jul 2025IIT Gandhinagar — Prof. Manish Kumar
- VOF-based CFD simulation of avalanche flow in Ansys Fluent, validated to within 5% of experimental data
- Structural testing of 2 lattice geometries — reduced peak impact force by up to 30%
Active & ongoing research
CFD · Granular Flow · Structures~1 year, ongoing
Lattice structures to blunt avalanche impact
Prof. Manish Kumar · IIT Gandhinagar
- Treats snow as a granular fluid rather than a simple solid — VOF-based CFD in Ansys Fluent, validated to within 5% of experimental data
- Two lattice geometries simulated and impact-tested; the strongest design cuts peak impact force by up to 30%
- Began as a Student Research Internship Program (SRIP) project — now continuing as an Undergraduate Research Fellow in the group
- Won the Bhalodia–Khetan Research Excellence Award — ₹50,000
Award · ₹50,000 Research ExcellenceThermal Design · TPMS · CFDOngoing
Cutting pressure drop in TPMS heat exchangers
Prof. Pavan Gurrala · PDEU
- Exploring triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) geometries as an alternative to conventional fin-and-channel exchanger designs
- The specific approach is staying off the record until the paper is out — but it targets lower pressure drop without giving up heat transfer
- Novel geometry, novel fabrication path, six months from a journal submission
Biomedical · Additive ManufacturingOngoing
3D-printed mandibular implants, without a bone graft
Prof. Pavan Gurrala · PDEU
- Designed and 3D-printed a patient-specific mandibular implant technique that removes the need for a bone graft entirely
- Applied and tested successfully in a live case — a tumour patient
- Conference paper under review at ICBME 2026, National University of Singapore
Biomechanics · Smart MaterialsStarted this month
SMA-actuated exoskeleton for stroke rehabilitation
Prof. Nilavjyoti Sarmah · PDEU
- Designing a rehabilitation exoskeleton driven by shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators for stroke patients
- Currently deep in literature review and actuator characterisation
Published & accepted
Machine Learning · Thermal Systems
ANN model for multi-effect distillation output
Dr. Rahul Deharkar · PDEU
- Built an artificial neural network to predict distillate output of a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) system
- Accepted for publication — Springer-Nature conference proceedings, ICAWTM-25, PDEU
Additive Manufacturing · Materials
Hot cracking across materials in LPBF
Prof. Vishvesh Badheka · PDEU
- Studied how material property and composition drive hot cracking in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) across different alloy systems
- Published — conference proceedings, IMECE-2025, ASME, Hyderabad
Optimisation · Water Systems
Fitness-function optimisation for batch reverse osmosis
Dr. Rahul Deharkar · PDEU
- Developed a physics-aligned model and a multi-objective fitness function for design optimisation of a batch reverse osmosis (RO) system
- Accepted for publication — conference proceedings, IMECE-2026, ASME
Earlier / foundational work
Real-time monitoring system for LPBF & GTAW processes
Dr. Ojas Satbhai, PDEU
The project that started it all — two years, first year onward
Acoustic-signature crack mitigation in bio-compatible ZK60 magnesium implants
Dr. Ojas Satbhai, PDEU
Companion work within the same research group
Additive Manufacturing of Batteries: Recent Trends and Challenges (review)
Dr. Ojas Satbhai, PDEU
Under review, ICTEA — presented as lead coordinator at the 1st International Battery Symposium