Akul Seshdri
Mr. Akul Seshadri
Ph.D. Program
School of Materials Engineering
Purdue University
B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Purdue University, 2022
Project: Advanced Characterization of Hydrogel-Ceramic Composites
Bio: Akul grew up in Woodbury, MN and graduated from Purdue MSE in 2022. He was first drawn to Materials Science because of its applications sustainability environmental related work. Akul enjoys how Materials Engineering utilizes chemistry and fundamental sciences in a practical way to create materials with desired properties. Additionally, the hands-on nature and multidisciplinary nature of MSE has made the college a great fit for Akul.
As an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Erk’s group Akul studied the rheological properties of hydrogels to create a model for the processing of biomass fuels. Later, funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research Scholarship, he studied the rheological properties of internally cured, high-performance cement. Akul interned with Nucor Steel in Crawfordsville, IN where he worked as a process metallurgist investigating issues with steel coil gauge in the cold mill. Akul greatly enjoyed his time interning with 3M at their roofing granule plant in Wausau, WI. There, he had the unique experience of helping with a new plant startup and qualification and all the troubleshooting that comes along with it. At Purdue, Akul created and secured corporate funding for a campus blacksmithing group to compete in the TMS (Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society) Bladesmithing Competition.
Akul Joined Dr. Erk’s SMM group as a graduate student in 2022 funded by the Charles C. Chappelle Fellowship. He is utilizing Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) to characterize polymer-ceramic composites, specifically for the use in sustainable applications. Akul enjoys making things with his hands, cooking (and eating) food, music, backpacking, reading, and working out.
