• What was the moment that you realized you wanted to be a scientist or

an engineer?

Growing up as a son of chemist & surrounded by the family business of perfume

called “Attar”, an oil-based botanical perfumes extracted via hydro or steam
distillation.

My attraction to chemicals started with the alchemy of perfumes and with my family
association with the perfume capital of India Kannauj, I still remember how ecstatic I
was the day when I visited perfume distilleries and saw whole process of preparing
attar perfume by distillation of flowers, herbs and other natural materials such as
baked soil over sandalwood using hydro distillation technique involving a still (deg)
and receiving vessel (bhapka).

With the love & exposure of chemicals & chemical processes from early childhood
age and a natural penchant for chemistry and mathematics, I joined the Department
of Chemical Engineering at the Harcourt Butler Technical Institute, Kanpur, (HBTI) as
an undergraduate in 2012, HBTI is one of the best and oldest chemical engineering
college in India. After that I joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian
Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) as a Master’s student with
specialization in Industrial Pollution Abatement in 2016.

• Why is our graduate program the right place for you?

Over the course of my undergraduate & post-graduate studies, I have

maintained a deep-seated interest in chemical engineering and its application
& found myself drawn to the fields of chemical reaction engineering,
environmental engineering, energy sciences, process engineering &
mathematical modelling etc. In order to further follow this vision and with the
realization that these fields are the foundation for the future, I am determined
to broaden my horizons by pursuing a Ph.D. from the NYU.

I am applying to the PhD program at NYU Tandon School of Engineering to pursue

research in the chemical and biomolecular engineering for picking up the skills &
knowledge required toward achieving my long-term goal of developing
computational and experimental techniques to develop predictive models that can
help chemicals, energy, healthcare field. The prospect of advancing my career and
learning at a premier institution like NYU is inspiring. I recollect the humble
beginnings and immense struggle I faced through my life; it was my father who lifted
the family out of dire conditions. He taught me the most important lesson that
education is the greatest enabler and I have no intention of resting until I have
reached my goals.