Venkatesh Pulletikurthi received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2016 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. At Purdue, he is a mechanical engineering PhD candidate and a 2021 recipient of the Graduate Teaching and Learning Certificate. His research interests include the integration of turbulence with advancements in energy, defense, and pollution control, and he strives to apply these skills to neural networks in fluid dynamics-related problems. He hopes to pursue patents and startups in urban air transportation, renewable energy, sustainability, and health. In spring 2022, he visited the University of Puerto-Rico Mayaguez and Howard University to present his research on two projects: the implementation of low-order modeling in brain MRI images for early detection of concussions; and the design of a sustainable, more breathable HyCu filter as an alternative to surgical and KN95 masks. As the outreach chair for the Official Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Association, he organized a buddy program for new incoming graduate students and senior graduate students. For the Minority Engineering Program, he helped develop and is now leading an online session on renewable energy and climate change. As a professor, Pulletikurthi plans to support underrepresented minority students through career development workshops as well as forming a pipeline of experienced students and junior professors.

Research Interests

Fluid Mechanics, Turbulence, Wall-bounded Flows, Renewable Energy, Climate Change