Purushottam Kumar, PhD Student (Virginia Tech), Seeking R&D Opportunities in Research Labs or Industry Sector

PURUSHOTTAM KUMAR, Virginia Tech

     Abstract Number: 751
     Working Group: Meet the Job Seekers

Abstract
I am currently a 4th-year PhD student at Virginia Tech in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with an expected graduation date of August 2024. I have an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering (graduated in 2017). My research interests include the design, development, manufacturing and deployment of new research-grade instruments for studying aerosols and VOCs.

During my PhD, my primary focus has been the development of the “ChemSpot” instrument. The instrument combines the robust GC detectors (e.g. FID, FPD) with a CO₂ detector to measure volatility-resolved organic carbon, total sulfur content and estimate the average O:C of the aerosols. At present, the measurement of O:C is done using mass spectrometers which are usually highly expensive and of extreme complexity. Therefore, the ChemSpot instrument provides an alternative for aerosol composition albeit less detailed than mass spectrometry but still provides very useful information at much lower costs of operation, and complexity of analysis which makes long-term data collection feasible. The instrument description manuscript is under preparation. The other part of the ChemSpot development has been to check the feasibility of studying 1D and 2D-VBS using the ChemSpot instrument. The ChemSpot instrument was also deployed at a wildfire simulation study in Georgia alongside multiple instruments and the analysis of this dataset is currently underway. Apart from the ChemSpot development, I am working on the data analysis of anthropogenic VOCs at a forest site in Virginia. Before starting my PhD, I was involved in the continuous operation of multiple instruments which included AMS, ACSM, Thermo gas analyzers, SMPS, Aethalometer, etc. for two years collecting data on Delhi air pollution.

I am eager to pursue R&D opportunities primarily in research labs and industry sectors. I have had extensive training and experience with research-grade instruments so my preference is more towards the development of new instruments, particularly mass-spectrometers. I do not have any geographical limitations.