Pranav Karanjkar
The Mid-Michigan Local Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) has selected University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus Pranav Karanjkar (PhDChE ’16) as its Young Chemical Engineer of the Year for 2020-2021.
Karanjkar studied with Richard L. Antoine Professor George Huber before joining the Dow Corning Corporation in Midland, Michigan, in 2016 where he is currently a senior process engineer. There, he has led several projects related to silicone polymerization and is especially passionate about using advanced analytical techniques and developing new experimental lab equipment to track reaction processes. He also researches alternative catalysts and reactor designs.
Besides his research work, the award also cites Karanjkar for his in-depth mentoring of new employees as well his involvement in the Mixing, Reaction Engineering, and Scaleup Community at Dow and his work as programming chair for the Mid-Michigan Local Section of AIChE. In March, 2021, Karanjkar was also recognized with a Polymers in Industry Rising Star Award from AIChE’s Polymers Division.