2025 Leadership
Pravin Subrahmaniyan, President
Pravin had interest in fluids and I've been trying to make sense of complex systems in the lab. Good questions and unfinished thoughts have kept his research deadlines going. When he is not knee-deep in the chaos of research, he is probably at home being ignored by his two cats, who clearly have no respect for deadlines. He runs on ideas, coffee, and the occasional existential spiral (in order)!
Tasya Nasoetion Vice-President Internal Affairs
Tasya is a second year PhD Student co-advised by Dr. Khan and Dr. Pistikopoulos who is currently working on developing intelligence-based battery safety management system.
M G Toufik Ahmed, WebMaster
Toufik is a second-year PhD student. He likes to read books, watch movies and play cricket.
Soumik Sen, Events Chair
Soumik completed his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai before joining Texas A&M University. He worked in a lab at IIT Madras during his undergraduate studies, and his research focuses on developing Monte Carlo simulations for bacterial adhesion, and developing engineered nano-pesticides. Outside of work he loves to watch films, cook, and play table tennis.
Duyen Dinh, Media Chair
Duyen is a second-year Chemical Engineering Master's student at Texas A&M. Before grad school, she worked at Foundation Medicine and Mass General Brigham to gain valuable lab experience. Outside of academics, she enjoys dance classes, practicing cello, and learning Japanese. She is passionate about combining her technical knowledge with creative thinking to address healthcare accessibility and equity through my research.
Abdullah Elsheikh, Publicity Chair
Abdullah received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in petroleum and mining engineering from Suez University, Egypt. He joined Dr. Faisal Khan's research group in the Spring of 2025 as a PhD student. His research interests lie at the intersection of process safety, system reliability, and AI-driven fault diagnosis. Outside of research, Abdullah enjoys soccer, running, and cycling.
Smriti Kulkarni, Social Events Co-ordinator
Smriti is a second-year MS student in Chemical Engineering, currently conducting research under Dr. Hasan on Energy Systems for Space Exploration. Her work involves exploring optimization strategies for solar and nuclear energy to improve the efficiency and sustainability of long-duration missions. Beyond her academic interests, Smriti enjoys various creative pursuits, like photography, video editing, painting, and baking.
Bhagyesh Nandgawle, Design Executive - Editorial
Nathan Pham, Design Associate
Most people ‘go’ to graduate school. But Nathan ‘ended’ up here. Nathan is pursuing an M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He found a love for the mechanisms of living/non-living systems from his B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Dallas. When the sun is not committed to vaporizing the human race, he enjoys parks and nature preserves. Otherwise, he is either baking, working on calisthenics, or losing his mind.
Nikhil Panchal, First Year Representative
Nikhil received his Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from University of Mumbai, India, followed by four years of industry experience in Process Engineering. He joined Texas A&M University in Fall 2025 as a master’s student in Chemical Engineering and is serving as a First Year Representative for CHEGSA. His research interests lie at the intersection of Process Systems Engineering and Process Safety, with a focus on developing more efficient and safer processes through advanced modeling and simulation. Outside academics, he enjoys badminton, cycling, and trekking.
Aamrapali Pimple, Vice-President External Affairs
Aamrapali obtained her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, India, in May 2024. She is currently a second-year M.S. student at Texas A&M University, working in Dr. Akbulut’s research group. Her research focuses on developing glass-ceramic substrates for printed circuit board (PCB) applications. She enjoys painting, exploring new cuisines, and watching movies.
Sayyam Deshpande, Executive Officer
Sayyam Deshpande is a 3rd year PhD student working under Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus. He works on structural batteries for low temperature applications and redox active polymers for energy storage. His hobbies include diet coke, cooking, latin dancing, mike and ikes, star wars, volleyball, beaches and game of thrones.
Dharani Sathwik, Finance Officer
Dharani is a second-year M.S. at Texas A&M University. He has a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, India. He is working on PFAS Remediation from Water by Nano-Functionalizing Soils under the guidance of Dr. Vaddiraju. He enjoys binge-watching everything from movies to sports like cricket, soccer, football, even Formula 1.
Krishna Shankar, Professional Events Co-Ordinator
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Krishna completed his B.E. in chemical engineering from BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus, India, in 2024. He joined TAMU as an MS student in the Fall of 2024. He is currently pursuing his Master’s thesis under Dr. Sreeram Vaddiraju, working on strategies to enhance water disinfection via photocatalyisis. He also learns Carnatic music and is a keen follower of motorsports and aviation news.
Murtaza Khan, Design Chair
Murtaza received his B.Sc. degree in chemical engineering from American University of Sharjah in January 2016. After a brief stint working in Dubai, Murtaza completed his M.Sc. from Texas A&M University at Qatar working under Dr. Nimir Elbashir focusing on reactor design for dry reforming of methane. Murtaza is jointly working for both Dr. Patrick Linke and Dr. Ma'moun Al-Rawashdeh's research groups since September 2022. Murtaza's research focuses on combining principles of optimization with simulation to generate ideal reactor designs for managing temperature profiles in various reactions such as oxidative coupling of methane. Murtaza is an avid fan of films, and loves to cook and wishes to travel the world one day.
Deepshika Dutta, Design Executive - Events
Deepshika is a second year PhD student. Her research focuses on Optimization in Energy systems. She is a Bits Pilani, India alumnus who worked for two years in an Indian MNC before joining Texas A&M. She loves to read, write, sketch, play guitar, learn new languages, explore photography etc. in her free time ( which she hardly gets!) Also she is the most talkative person you will ever meet in your life!
Adit Upadhyay, Sports Co-ordinator
Maryam Ghotbi, Member
Maryam Ghotbi is a computational chemistry student who spends her days convincing electrons to behave and her nights wondering why they never do. Her research dives into the electronics of neuromorphic materials all due to an unstoppable curiosity and a desire to make science actually useful. When she’s not in the lab, you’ll find her playing guitar, listening to music, and writing while occasionally pretending she’s not thinking about research.
Dev Choudhary, Design Executive
Dev graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, with a B.E. in Chemical Engineering in 2023. After a brief stop at CSIR-IIP and two years at Reliance Industries Limited, he returned to school and joined Professor Akbulut’s group as an M.S. student in 2025. His research focuses on next-generation glass-ceramic composite substrates for emerging electronics and AI systems.
Muskan Bharadia, Photography Lead
MS student in Chemical Engineering in Texas A&M University, aspiring to grow as a Process Engineer. Originally from India, blends strong technical skills with curiosity and determination to solve real-world challenges. As the Photography Lead of CHEGSA, Muscan combines creativity with leadership, bringing passion and positivity to both my academic and extracurricular journey
Divyang Patel, Publicity Associate
Divyang Patel is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University and a Publicity Associate for the Chemical Engineering Graduate Students Association. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Gujarat Technological University and gained valuable industrial experience in phosgene operations and process optimization. He is currently conducting research in process safety, with a focus on polymer flame retardancy, under the supervision of Dr. Qingsheng Wang. He enjoys singing and Volleyball.