Hydrogen Systems · Multiphysics Modeling · Stack Industrialization
7+ years spanning nuclear reactor physics at IGCAR Kalpakkam to AEM electrolyzer stack certification at industrial scale. I build models that predict failure before it happens, and protocols that make hydrogen technology deployable.
From fundamental electrochemistry to industrial certification — operating across the full TRL stack.
End-to-end stack design, test protocol engineering, and performance characterization. ISO 22734 certification dossier, DEKRA/TÜV engagement, and third-party testing strategy (ZSW Stuttgart, 50 kW).
Coupled 1D Python Butler-Volmer kinetics + 3D COMSOL electrochemical/thermal/fluid models. Polarization curve fitting, shunt current, mechanical compression, multi-fidelity validation — prototype iterations cut by 50%.
Mechanistic aging: bubble coverage dynamics, ionomer membrane degradation, electrocatalyst dissolution kinetics. EIS/DRT diagnostic frameworks for durability prediction and mitigation strategy design.
Full EIS, CV, galvanostatic, and polarization testing. IV curve harmonization. Custom Python dashboards for real-time monitoring. Diagnostic toolchain reducing prototype testing iterations by 50%.
ANRT-funded PM at Genvia. EU NEWELY consortium modeling lead. DemonHyc consortium presenter (Allenjoie, Mar 2025; ModVal 2026). Subcontractor oversight, NDA management, budget tracking.
Hands-on research and modeling across all four major water electrolysis technologies, plus nuclear reactor physics. Unique ability to benchmark, transfer methodology, and design technology-agnostic characterization protocols.
From nuclear reactor physics in Kalpakkam to leading AEM hydrogen stack industrialization in France.
4 years at India's premier nuclear research centre — building the physical intuition that now informs multiphysics hydrogen modeling.
Modeled diffusion of solid (Cs, Ba, rare earths) and volatile fission compounds (I₂, Xe, Kr) through Mixed Oxide (U-Pu-O) fuel matrices under high-temperature fast reactor irradiation. Coupled thermodynamic speciation with mass transport equations.
Quantified JOG (Joint Oxyde-Gaine) formation kinetics — the reactive zone between MOX fuel and steel cladding that limits fast reactor fuel pin lifetime. Developed predictive models to inform safe irradiation duration limits for PFBR fuel assemblies.
Elasto-plastic mechanical analysis of 316SS and D9 stainless steel reactor structural materials under combined thermal cycling and fast-neutron irradiation-induced swelling and creep — enabling reactor lifespan assessment.
Applied CALPHAD methodology to model fission product phase equilibria in complex multi-component oxide systems. The same instinct for coupled physics — thermodynamics, transport, mechanics — later powered CEA Liten electrochemical multiphysics models.
I integrate AI tools into research workflows to accelerate modeling, documentation, and project ideation — with a proven track record converting scientific insights into funded projects.
Systematic use of LLMs (Claude, GPT-4) for literature synthesis, hypothesis generation, technical report drafting, and code documentation. Cuts non-core R&D overhead by ~40%, redirecting effort to high-value modeling and experimental design.
ML-adjacent methods (curve fitting, sensitivity analysis, dimensionality reduction) combined with physics-based models. Exploring data-driven EIS pattern recognition integrated with first-principles degradation models for hybrid diagnostics.
Track record converting technical insights into funded projects: ANRT CIFRE at Genvia, NEWELY EU consortium, DemonHyc workstream. Comfortable at the interface of science, business case, and funding landscape — in French and English.
Exploring physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) and reduced-order surrogate models as accelerators for COMSOL parameter sweeps. Positioning to integrate data-driven approaches directly into multiphysics pipelines for faster design iteration.
Beyond the lab, I communicate complex electrochemical concepts to non-specialist audiences. Science that can't be explained can't be funded or scaled — I've developed real on-mic, on-stage, and narrative communication skills alongside the technical work.
PhD Defense · Université Grenoble Alpes · 2024 — Highest distinction reserved for exceptional theses
Summer School for Doctoral Entrepreneurship, Saint-Régis du Coin, Loire · 2022
BootCamp Explaura, Linksium — Hôtel de Région de Lyon · 2022
13th DAE-BRNS Nuclear Symposium — Bhubaneswar, India · 2017. MOX fuel fission product research.
Selected presentation · Multi-fidelity AEM stack modeling methodology · March 2026
European hydrogen R&D consortium — modeling workstream lead · 2025–2026
Science is only part of the story. The rest shapes how I think, communicate, and collaborate.
I run and participate in a book club spanning literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, and science writing. Deep reading builds the same cognitive muscles needed to construct a narrative from complex experimental results — pattern recognition, structural thinking, and the ability to hold multiple hypotheses simultaneously.
Four days per week weightlifting — structured programming, progressive overload, evidence-based nutrition. The same systems thinking applies here as in experimental design: baseline measurements, controlled variables, longitudinal tracking. I treat my body with the same rigor I apply to modeling.
Cooking is applied chemistry. As an Odia Indian living in France for 6+ years, I've developed a deep interest in the intersection of Indian and French culinary traditions. I've developed a brunch concept ("Say Cheese") merging both — proof that engineering thinking applies everywhere.
Native Odia and Hindi speaker; professional French and English. Living between cultures — from Kalpakkam to Grenoble to Montpellier — builds the cultural intelligence to collaborate across nationalities, institutions, and disciplines that EU consortium work demands.
Regular hiking in the Hérault and Languedoc landscapes around Montpellier. Many of the clearest modeling insights come on a trail, not at a desk. Nature is where I decompress, think laterally, and return to first principles.
Moved to Montpellier in September 2025 with my cat June. A small but important anchor for wellbeing — a reminder that not everything needs to be optimized, and that presence and consistency matter as much as intensity.
Open to senior R&D, stack development, and modeling lead roles in the European hydrogen and energy transition ecosystem. Also available for consulting, scientific collaboration, and conference speaking.