Chinmay Kulkarni, Comm Lab Fellow

Comm Lab Fellow

Chinmay Kulkarni is a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) working with Prof. Pierre Lermusiaux. His research is highly multidisciplinary in nature, combining elements from atmospheric sciences, applied mathematics and computational engineering. His current work involves the development of computational systems to learn and predict the transport of oceanic pollutants (such as mircoplastics), debris and nutrients on a global scale.

He was awarded a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2017 for his research on optimal path planning for underwater vehicles in three-dimensional, realistic ocean flows. Prior to joining MIT, he spent four wonderful years as an undergrad at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India), where he was awarded the Institute Silver Medal for being the most outstanding student in the Mechanical Engineering Department. During his undergraduate years, he worked on design of reactor blankets for nuclear fusion reactions, along with international research exposures through internships at Virginia Tech (USA) and the University of Paderborn (Germany).

Beyond the realms of academic research, he is also a private pilot who is always eager to explore new regions. His other hobbies include playing the drums, biking and cooking.