Davidson School of Chemical Engineering graduate students David Harvey and Rexonni Lagare were named as the inaugural recipients of the Arvind and Karen Varma Fellowship. The fellowships were announced by Dr. Sangtae Kim, the Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Head of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, on October 13 at the Varma Memorial Symposium event held at the Lafayette Country Club.

The Arvind and Karen Varma Fellowship was created to support Purdue Chemical Engineering graduate students with outstanding academic and research performance.

Harvey (right) is advised by Dr. Linda Wang, the Maxine Spencer Nichols Professor of Chemical Engineering, and is researching the clean and efficient separation of rare earth elements, utilizing first principles of chromatography to optimize and develop separation techniques.

“The fellowship is meaningful to me because it represents an opportunity to further develop the clean separation technology that I’ve worked on for the past few years,” Harvey explained. “As we try to bridge the gap from the lab to the industrial world, I appreciate the support this fellowship provides. I am honored, and I hope that my work can continue the legacy of innovation that Professor Varma left behind.”

Lagare, pictured at left with Dr. Sangtae Kim, was the last graduate student advised by Dr. Varma. He is now advised by Dr. Gintaras Reklaitis, the Burton and Kathryn Gedge Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Zoltan Nagy, Professor of Chemical Engineering, and is working on modernizing the safety aspects of pharmaceutical powder processing.

“Dr. Varma taught me many things that will forever help me as I continue working on my degree and building my career, said Lagare. “He especially showed me how to live life, by always striving for excellence and caring for the people around him, regardless of the circumstances. This fellowship will serve as a constant reminder of his many valuable lessons and the privilege of having had him as an adviser. I am truly honored to be one of its first recipients.”

Dr. Arvind Varma, the R. Games Slayter Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University and 10th Head of the School, passed away on July 14, 2019. Dr. Varma will be known as a ground-breaking chemical engineering researcher who had significant impacts in the areas of hydrogen and other energy sources, chemical and catalytic reaction engineering, and in the synthesis of advanced materials. Learn more about Dr. Arvind Varma at http://bit.ly/Arvind-Varma.