Scientists and scholars from all over the world keep coming to Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg thanks to an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship. With its research fellowship, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports postdocs and experienced scientists of all disciplines in their research projects in Germany. A fellowship from the Foundation is considered a high honor for both the recipient and the host. Currently, Prof. Dr. Evangelos Tsotsas at the Institute of Process Engineering of the Faculty of Process and Systems Engineering is hosting Dr. Stutee Bhoi from India. Lisa Baaske spoke with the Humboldt Fellow about her research, her goals about Magdeburg and what it means to her to be a Humboldtian.
What did you do before you came to the University of Magdeburg?
I come from India. I did all my studies in India. I completed my Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, India in 2010. Thereafter, I did my Master’s in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India in 2012. In 2019, I successfully defended my PhD thesis entitled “Sonocrystallization and Sonofragmentation: Experiments and Modelling” under the guidance of Prof. Debasis Sarkar from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.
How did you get to the University of Magdeburg – to the research group of Professor Tsotsas?
I got into the research group of Prof. Evangelos Tsotsas through the recommendation of Prof. Jitendra Kumar who is also a research collaborator of my PhD supervisor. I will be researching in Magdeburg for around 2 years.
What does it mean to you to be a part of the Humboldt Family?
It’s overwhelming to be a part of the Humboldt Family. Being a part of the Humboldt family will not only give me exposure to new ideas and academic culture but also will be helpful in building a network.
What are you researching?
When any fluid is introduced through the bottom of a bed of solid particles (sub-micron, nano-sized), the particles no longer stay stable, they move in the upward direction. The collision between the particles will leads to formation of aggregates. Additionally, due to the fluid shear breakage of aggregates occur. My research is based on mathematical modeling of this process. Fluidization is an important operation in the field of particle technology where fine solids are transformed into a fluid-like state through contact with a fluid. The processing of particles in a fluidized bed to coat, granulate, separate, dry, etc offers a wide range of commercial application in drug delivery, semiconductors, electronics, sensors, etc.
What do you find fascinating about your field of research?
This field of research has some challenges as a wide range of particle sizes ranging from nano to micro-scale are involved. The modeling and simulation of the process will lead to intensive computation. The simplification of the computational domain is the most exciting part of this research. Agglomeration of nano and micron-sized particles during fluidization is an interesting field of research. Agglomeration is inevitable in very small particles (nano, submicron range). Understanding of the process through modeling and simulation will give more insight into its mechanism.
What do you want to achieve?
I want to pursue a challenging career with dedication and honesty and keen to work in an environment where I can utilize as well as enhance my skills and knowledge to meet the goal and objective of organization with full integrity.
What benefit do you hope from the research in the group of Professor Tsotsas?
The research in the group of Prof. Evangelos Tsotsas will have an immense impact on my academic profile. My Doctoral thesis has been based on the investigation of the potential offered by ultrasonic irradiation in controlling crystal size and its distribution in a batch crystallization process through experiments and simulations. So, basically, I studied nucleation, growth, and breakage phenomena that occurred during the crystallization process. For the proposed research, I will have to make a transition from crystallization to fluidization process which also comes under the field of Particle Technology. Here, I will consider both agglomeration and breakage phenomena. Previously, I considered micro-sized particles to perform my studies, now I will have to work on sub-micron and nano-sized particles. So, this transition will broaden my research area, interest, skill, and knowledge in the field of Particle Technology. As I have a gap of two years after the completion of my Ph.D., this Post Doctoral experience will definitely boost my career opportunities in both academics as well as in the Research & Development department of Chemical Industries.
What do you like about the university and Magdeburg?
The level helping and friendly atmosphere and the dedication towards research are some of the things I value a lot about the University. It’s been more than a month since I moved to Magdeburg. Magdeburg is clean, green, and a peaceful place to live.