Materials Science Engineer with 3+ years of research experience in synthesising and characterising new nanoparticles and nanocomposites for mechanical, electronic and biomedical applications.

Education
Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)                                                       Aug 2016- Present

University of Maryland (UMD), College Park

Master of Technology in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)                                                Jun 2012-May 2014

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

Bachelor of Technology in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (MME)                                    Aug 2008- May 2012

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, India

Course Work
Thermodynamics in materials science, Nanostructures of materials, Kinetics of reactions, Determination of materials (TEM), Advanced design of Composite materials, Semiconductor materials, Electro ceramics.

Professional Experience
Graduate Research Assistant: UMD, College Park                                                                            Aug 2016 – Present
Thesis: “Design of Biomimetic Nanocomposites using One-Dimensional Nanoparticles for Dental Applications.”

(Funded by National Institute of Health)

·       Synthesized one dimensional (nanorods) Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), using surfactant and template free using sol-gel assisted hydrothermal process for the first time ever in the field of ceramics.

·       Characterised TiO2 nanorods using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), TEM and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD).

·       Developed nanocomposites using TiO2 as reinforcement and Bis-GMA: TEDGMA (50:50) as matrix.

·       Calculated the weight percent of the matrix present in the composite using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA).

·       Analysed mechanical properties of the composites formed using micro vickers hardness and 3-point bend test.

Lab Instruments:

·       Certified user of  X-Ray Crystallography (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

·       Trained user of SEM, EDX, EBSD and Focus Ion Beam/ Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB/SEM)

Graduate Teaching Assistant: UMD, College Park                                                                          Aug 2017- Present

·       ENMA 362: “Mechanical Behaviour of Materials”

–        Supervised lab experiments on tensile strength, impact strength, flexural strength, nano indenter machines, and metallography

–        Graded quizzes, homework and midterm tests

–        Guided students in providing feedback on test papers and assignments

·       ENMA 312: “Experimental Methods in Materials Science”

–        Supervising experiments ellipsometry, ZnO nanoparticle synthesis, XRD, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Dynamic Light Scattering(DLS)

–        Grading lab reports, notebooks and presentations

Lecturer: Rajiv Gandhi University Knowledge and Technology, Basar, India                               Jul 2014- Aug 2015

·       Department: Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (MME)

·       Courses: Thermodynamics, Engineering Polymers and Polymer Matrix Composites, Phase Transformation and Kinetics, Iron and Steel Making.

·       Projects Supervised:

–        Residual Stress Measurement using XRD in Aluminium Alloy Friction Stir Welds.

–        Synthesis and Morphological Study of FeCl3 Doped Polyaniline Nanofibers.

–        Influence of Binary Oxidant (FeCl3: APS) Ratio on Microscopic Properties of Polyaniline.

–        Synthesis and Characterisation of TiO2 Nanoparticles Using Sol-gel Technique.

·       Lab Equipment Experience: FESEM, EBSD, XRD, High Temperature UTM and Friction stir welding.

Graduate Research Assistant: IIT Kharagpur                                                                                  May 2013- May 2014
Thesis: “Exploring Green Aloe Vera and Eucalyptus in Synthesis of Nanostructured Gold and Study of its Optical                                       Properties for DNA sensors.” (Funded by Government of India)

·       Designed a series of experiments in order to synthesize gold nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes using aloe Vera and eucalyptus leaves for bio medical applications with the help of ultrasonic probe sonicater.

·       Characterised the structure of polymer which acts as stabiliser using Fourier Transformation Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR).

·       Inspected the structure of nanostructured gold synthesized using TEM, FESEM and SEM. Prepared samples in the form of thin films using spin coater.

·       Optical properties were measured using UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy and Photo Luminescence spectroscopy.

Publications
·       R. Mallu, “Synthesis and Characterization of Biomimetic Composites for Dental Applications” In Contributed Papers from Materials Science & Technology 2017, (DOI 10.7449/2017/MST_2017_204_211). Paper presented at MS&T17, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

·       Working towards paper “Surfactant- and template free synthesis of one dimensional Titanium oxide nanoparticles” in American ceramic society.

Academic Projects
Fabrication and Dielectric Studies of Batio3 Thin Film on Platinised Si/Sio2 Wafer.                       Dec 2012-May 2013

Materials Science Centre, IIT Kharagpur.

Synthesized BaTiO3 thin films on platinised silica wafers for capacitor applications
Processed by sol-gel technique using a spin coater and Characterized using TGA, SEM, XRD and TEM.
Measured dielectric properties of the films prepared at various temperatures.
Synthesis and Determination of Mechanical Properties of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Polyaniline Nanocomposite for Gas Sensors, University of Hyderabad.                                                     May 2011-Apr 2012

Designed a series of experiments to synthesize the nanocomposite of polyaniline with MWCNT and polyaniline nanofibers using insitu oxidative polymerisation technique in the temperature range of     0 -5 .
Manufactured MWCNTs using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD).
·       Compared the density of the pellets of various compositions and various compaction pressures.

·       Characterized these pellets for morphological, structural and compositional details using techniques like FE-SEM, TEM, XRD and Raman Spectroscopy and measured the hardness using Micro-Vickers hardness.

Heat Treatment of X45CrSi93 and Comparison of Mechanical Properties.                              May 2010-Jul 2010

·       Rane engine valves Ltd., Hyderabad, India (Industrial Internship).

Professional Memberships
The American Ceramic Society                                                                                                Aug 2017-present
Materials Advantage                                                                                                                  Aug 2017-present
Technical Skills
MS office (word, power point, excel), MATLAB, Origin Software, GATAN digital micrograph, Technical writing.