Two MAE students win prestigious Presidential Fellowship
Deb Banerjee and Surya Chakrabarti, PhD candidates in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), were selected as two of this year’s recipients of the Ohio State Presidential Fellowship.
The fellowship is given to students who “embody the highest standards of scholarship” in the graduate programs at the university going into the last stages of their dissertation research or terminal degree project. Recipients are given a monthly stipend for living expenses so they can focus solely on completing their research, as well as help with travel expenses to present at national conferences.
Banerjee came to Ohio State from Kolkata, India. He said that the prospect of studying at a premier university and being part of one of the most reputable graduate programs in mechanical engineering attracted him to OSU.
Banerjee is advised by Prof. Ahmet Selamet. His research is focused on developing a fundamental understanding of the instabilities encountered by the turbocharger compressor at low flow rates like stall and surge. Banerjee uses laser diagnostics as well as computational fluid dynamics to analyze the compressor flow field. The knowledge gained from the research will assist in mitigating the instabilities experienced by the turbocharger resulting in more efficient and environmentally-friendly powertrains.
Banerjee works at the Engine and Turbocharger Research Laboratory at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR).
“It has been a fantastic experience to work with the faculty at Ohio State,” Banerjee said. “I am extremely grateful to Dr. Selamet for his continuous support and guidance throughout my graduate studies. His constant encouragement has been invaluable for me in my work, and also in receiving this fellowship. As a student, I am also thankful to all my instructors in the MAE department.”
Banerjee said that he was grateful in receiving this esteemed fellowship.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” he said. “It provides me with great motivation to complete my dissertation research and hopefully make further scientific contributions.”
Surya Chakrabarti is advised by Dr. Datta Gaitonde and is a doctoral candidate who came to Ohio State from Jamshedpur, India.
“The town was effectively built around a steel plant and from my very childhood, engineering was all around me,” Chakrabarti said. “This motivated me to apply for graduate school at OSU where, in my view, the MAE department has had a history of engaging in quite advanced research aimed at solving important engineering problems.”
Chakrabarti’s research focuses on jet noise. By using high fidelity numerical simulations of supersonic jets, he is able to understand flow features that result in the intense aeroacoustic noise generated by turbojet engines.
He does this by running simulations alongside Dr. Gaitonde in the High Fidelity Computational Multi-Physics Lab.
“Working at the MAE department and interacting with the wonderful faculty here has been a highlight of my experience,” Chakrabarti said. “I have found everyone to be incredibly helpful and the coursework here has really helped me get up to speed.”
Chakrabarti was thrilled to hear about being named a Presidential Fellow and appreciative of all the help he received during his time at Ohio State.
“Being nominated for the fellowship feels absolutely incredible,” he said. “I also felt very grateful for all the help my advisor has given me during my time at OSU.”
