Ep. 58 Conversation with Guruswamy Kumaraswamy: Engineering Soft Matter for a Sustainable Future

Guru is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay : https://sites.google.com/view/guru-group/group-members?authuser=0 Guru and his team are dedicated to optimizing material utilization, designing materials that are more functional and easier to recycle and reuse. They explore the fascinating world of soft matter, which surrounds us in everyday life, from plastic bags to biological materials. Guru’s research focuses on three key areas: sustainable materials and processes, designer functional materials, and circularity through recycling and reuse. His group is working on innovative solutions like flame retardant nanocomposites, high-functionality membranes, and value-added materials from waste plastics. In this episode, we explore his intellectual journey from Chembur, IIT Bombay, Caltech, NCL Pune and back to IIT Bombay. Guru explains how and why he is interested in soft matter and sustainability-related problems. He explains how one can evolve research questions that are attractive to academia and industries. Listen as we humanize science.   References: 1.      “Guru Kumaraswamy.” Accessed June 11, 2024. https://sites.google.com/view/guru-group/home. 2.      “Guru Kumaraswamy - Group Members.” n.d. Accessed June 11, 2024. https://sites.google.com/view/guru-group/group-members. 3.      “Guruswamy Kumaraswamy | Chemical Engineering.” n.d. Accessed June 11, 2024. https://www.che.iitb.ac.in/faculty/guruswamy-kumaraswamy. 4.      “‪Guruswamy Kumaraswamy - ‪Google Scholar.” n.d. Accessed June 11, 2024. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rRaAd4YAAAAJ&hl=en. 5.      “Guruswamy Kumaraswamy (@GuruKumaraswamy) / X.” 2024. X (Formerly Twitter). June 1, 2024. https://x.com/gurukumaraswamy.