People

Current Members

Shekhar Garde
Shekhar Garde
Dean of Engineering and Elaine and Jack S. Parker Professor

Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
JEC 3004 / Biotech 3244D
gardes@rpi.edu

Graduate student Riddhesh Patil
Riddhesh Patil
Graduate Student

Garde Group Alumni

Postdoctoral Researchers

  • Eugene Wu, PhD, RPI; Current Position: Yield Engineer, Intel, New Mexico
  • Ketan Khare, PhD, Texas Tech; Current Position: Research Associate, NIST
  • Amish Patel, PhD Berkeley, Current Position: Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Parbati Biswas, PhD, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Current Position: Professor, University of Delhi, Chemistry

Ph.D. Graduates

  • Anisha Pawar 2023 (co-advised with Joel Plawsky 2021-2023) 
    “Interfacial Phenomena in Heat Pipes: Microscopic and Molecular Dynamics Study” Current Position: Unit Process Engineer, IBM, Albany, NY
  • Imee Sinha 2022 (co-advised with Steve Cramer) 
    “Characterization of Protein Surface Hydrophobicity using Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Deep Learning” Current Position: Genentech, San Francisco.
  • Mayank Vats 2022 (co-advised with Steve Cramer) 
    “Elucidating the Role of Multimodal Ligand Surfaces in Protein Chromatography using Molecular Dynamics Simulations” Current Position: Sr. Scientist, Merck
  • Camille Bilodeau 2020 (co-advised with Steve Cramer).
    “The Molecular Phenomena Unverlying Multimodal Chromatographic Separations:
    A molecular Dynamics Study.” Current Position: Postdoc at MIT with Klavs Jensen.
  • Suvrajit Banerjee 2016 (co-advised with Steve Cramer).
    “Protein-Surface Interactions in Multimodal Chromatography: A Molecular Modeling
    Based Investigation.” Current Position: Entrepreneurial Scientist at Avantor.
  • Lijuan Li, 2016.
    “Structure, Thermodynamics, Dynamics, and Assembly of Macromolecules at
    Aqueous Interfaces.” Current Position: Scientist, Bristol Meyers Squibb.
  • Eugene Wu, 2016
    Title: “Solvation and Interactions in Aqueous, Organic, and Biomolecular Systems at
    Nanoscale Interfaces”, Current Position: Yield Engineer at Intel.
  • V. Vasudevan 2014 (co-advised with Joel Plawsky).
    Title: Ions, Osmolytes, and polymers at aqueous interfaces: Insights from molecular theory and
    Simulations”, Current Position: Research Scientist, W. L. Gore
  • Siddharth Parimal 2014 (co-advised with Steve Cramer)
    Title: Molecular Investigations of Multimodal Ligand-Protein Interactions, 2014
    Current Position: Scientific Leader, GSK.
  • Srivathsan Vembanur, Title: “Molecular-level studies of water and water-mediated interactions
    at aqueous interfaces”, Current Position: Oregon Health and Science University.
    Hari Acharya, Title: “Influence of interfaces on hydrophobicity, and on heat and momentum
    transport”, Current Position: Scientist, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., CA.
  • Natalia Shenogina (co-advised with Pawel Keblinski), Title: “Thermal coupling at aqueous and biomolecular interfaces”, May 2010.
  • Sumanth Jamadagni, 2010 Title: “How interfaces affect the behavior of water and water-mediated interactions: Molecular Theory and Simulations”, May 2010. Currently at Procter and Gamble
    Research, Cincinnati, OH.
  • Sapna Sarupria, Title: “Understanding pressure effects on biological self-assembly: Role of
    hydration and water-mediated interactions”, July 2009. Current Position: tenured Associate
    Professor at University of Minnesota.
  • Rahul Godawat, Title: “Hydration and assembly in interfacial environments: Thermodynamic,
    Structural, and Kinetic Studies”, April 2009. Current Position: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, MA.
  • Brian Pereira (co-advised with Georges Belfort) Title: “Mechanistic studies of Intein Splicing by
    Molecular Modeling, Simulation, and Molecular Biology Experiments”, May 2008. Current Position: Scientist, CRISPR Therapeutics, Boston.
  • Manoj Athawale, Title: “Hydrophobicity in the multidimensional space of lengthscales,
    attractions, and thermodynamic conditions”, June 2007. Current Position: Data Engineer and Data Scientist, Intel Corporation, Portland, Oregon.
  • Sowmi Rajamani, Title: “Molecular simulation studies of hydration phenomena relevant to
    biological systems”, May 2006. Current Position: Yield Group Leader, Intel Corporation, Portland, Oregon.
  • Harshit Patel, Title: “Molecular Dynamics Studies of Alkane Polymers: In Melts and at
    Interfaces”, May 2005. (coadvised by E. B.Nauman). Current Position: an independent entrepreneur in Mumbai, India.
  • Lu Yang, Title: “Understanding Hydration in Biological and Colloidal Systems”, December,
    2004. (coadvised by J. D. Dordick). Current Position: VP and CEO, Stealth Mode Battery Start up, CA.
  • Tuhin Ghosh, Title: “Hydration in Biological Systems”, March 2004. Current Position: Head of Customer support
    and Safety Data Science, Lyft, CA.
  • Amrit Kalra, Title: “Exploring Carbon Nanotubes and Their Assemblies as Molecular Channels”,
    August 2003. Current Position: Senior Process Engineer, Shell Oil Company, Houston, Texas.

M.S. Graduates

  • Ishita Manjrekar, Title: “Hydration in Biological Systems”, 2007
    Currently senior associate at Sunanda Specialty Coatings, Mumbai, India.
  • Hongjun Liu, Title: “Phase behavior of square well fluids”, 2006
    Currently a postdoc at Notre Dame
  • Sandeep Jain, Title: “Multiscale coarse-graining of polymeric melt systems”, 2005
    Currently the Director of Market Risk at TD Secutiries.
  • Erik Storm, Title: “Molecular Modeling of Intein Structure”, August, 2003.
    Currently at Cytiva, MA.

Undergraduate Researchers

  • Arin Khare (2022)
  • Ishan Khambete (2022)
  • Owen Lockwood (2018 - 2021)
  • Tejus Shastry (2017)
  • Finn Jacobson (2017, high school student)
  • Christine Artim (2014)
  • Stephen Vicchio (2014, UMBC)
  • Andrew Fiore (2012)
  • Cuyler Bates (2010)
  • Chris Bosoy (2007-2010)
  • Steve Roy (2007)
  • Joseph Reynolds (2005)
  • Caitlin Scott (2005-2007)
  • Jake Cohen (2004)
  • Monica Berrondo (2003)
  • Seema Jaisinghani (2003)
  • Hsiao Nancy Lin (2002)
  • Rebecca Rosenberg Beran (2002)
  • Pamela Sarro (2001)
  • Robert Gottleib (2012)
  • Nick Mozdzierz (2011-2012)
  • Zach Whiteman (2008)
  • Nai'l Mitchell (2007)
  • Galina Gartsman (2007)
  • Nathan Marsan (2005, high school student)
  • Ashish Adhikari (2004)
  • Saryu Jindal (2004)
  • Archana Fotedar (2003)
  • Anya Esonis (2003)
  • Shifalika Kanwar (2002)
  • Jerome Covey (2002)
  • Brian Goldberg (2001)