Author: avenkata42

The Nair Group had a wonderful reunion at the AIChE Annual Conference, bringing together current graduate students and accomplished alumni. It was a great opportunity to share research updates, exchange ideas, and celebrate the strong sense of community that continues to thrive beyond the lab.

Image: From left current students: Sonker Muskan, Priya Seshasayee, Anush Venkataraman, Dr. Sankar Nair, Dr. Akshay Korde (AbbVie, PhD ’20), Dr. Shaowei Yang (Cleveland State University, Post Doc ’20).

Image: From left current students: Anush Venkataraman, Priya Seshasayee, Sonker Muskan, Dr. Yeon Hye Kwon (AbbVie, PhD ’18), Dr. Akshay Korde (AbbVie, PhD ’20), Dr. Shaowei Yang (Cleveland State University, Post Doc ’20), Dr. Arvind Ganesan (OakRidge National Lab, PhD ’22).

Sonker Muskan chairs the Advanced Treatment Technologies for Water-Bioreactors and Membranes and Advances in Environmental Chemical Engineering for Sustainable Maritime Activities sessions at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at Boston, MA on November 2-6, 2025.

Our article titled “Structure–Property Relationships of Reduced Graphene Oxide Membranes Intercalated with Polycyclic Aromatics” is featured on the front cover of the August 2025 issue of the AIChE journal. The article advances understanding of the structure–property relationships governing novel membrane design and functionality. This work is also highlighted with a full-page feature in Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP), the flagship magazine of AIChE, which is distributed to all members.

Muskan Sonker is the first author of the work, and the other paper authors were Kaung Su Khin Zaw, Hazel Dhruve, Mahsa Abbaszadeh, Madeline Garell, Marta Hatzell, and Meisha Shofner (all Georgia Tech) and Michael Salerno (Phillips 66 Company). Sonker’s research in the Nair group advances understanding of the structure–property relationships governing novel membrane design and functionality.

Skylar Ryan won the AIChE Outstanding Senior Award, which recognizes an individual who has impacted others through inspiration, actions, and/or leadership through extracurricular activities during their time at Georgia Tech.

Owen Pittman wins the Chair’s award for outstanding ChBE senior, which recognizes a graduating ChBE senior for their academic achievement and service to the ChBE and greater GT communities. Post graduation, Owen is joining the coveted “U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate” (NUPOC) program in July.

Learn more here : https://www.chbe.gatech.edu/news/2025/05/graduation-spotlight-owen-pittman-joining-team-managing-navys-nuclear-propulsion