I grew up in the city of Indore, which lies in middle part of India. I am a Chemical Engineer by training and came to US in 2014 after graduating with a Bachelors of Engineering (Hons) degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science. From 2014 to 2016, I got my MS degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Then I went to Purdue University from 2016 to 2021 and got a Ph.D. under the guidance of Prof. Jeffrey Greeley. I then finished a post-doctoral position in the University of Delaware under the guidance of Prof. Dionisios Vlachos from 2021-2023. I started my independent career at the University of Rochester from January 2024.  

Snehitha Srirangam

2nd year PhD student

I am from Vizag, India. I received my Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Calicut in 2019 and a Master of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2022. I also worked as a process engineer, optimizing the process performance of mineral processing and water treatment systems. I joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester in the fall of 2023. My research aims to develop metal/metal-oxide catalysts using data-driven and physics-based algorithms with applications in heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis. I am currently developing highly selective catalysts for Oxidative Propane Dehydrogenation (ODHP). I enjoy hiking, reading, cooking, and meeting new people in my free time.

Jin Zeng

2nd year PhD student

I grew up in Beijing, China. I received my B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2018 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later, I attended Columbia University and obtained an M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2020. After I finished my master's study, I went to work at Aixplorerbio(Zhejiang), China, doing pharmaceutical discovery. I joined Prof. Deshpande’s group in Fall 2023. I’m currently developing algorithms to quantify the structural difference in the heterogeneous catalyst systems and studying CO and OH binding on Platinum alloys. I like to run and play video games when I’m free.

Swastik Paul

1st year PhD student

I am originally from Kolkata, India, where I completed my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calcutta. Afterward, I worked as a project associate at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for a year before joining the University of Rochester in 2024. I am interested in developing atomistic models to understand the catalyst-solvent interfaces. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, hiking, and traveling.

Jiatong Gui

Undergraduate student

I’m from Tianjin, China, a vibrant megacity near Beijing that’s less widely known. Currently, I’m a sophomore pursuing a double major in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. In the spring of 2024, I joined the Deshpande Group as a research assistant, where I’m studying and practicing to develop algorithms to analyze structural differences in heterogeneous catalyst systems and investigate CO and OH binding on Platinum alloys. Outside academics and research, I’m passionate about photography, listening to classical music, and playing the Chinese bamboo flute.