Kripa K Varanasi

Professor

Department
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Technology Areas
Chemicals & Materials: Catalysis & Synthesis, Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials, Composites, Fabrics & Textiles, Polymers, Metals, Ceramics / Environmental Engineering: Carbon Capture, Sustainability & Recycling, Water Treatment / Energy & Distribution: Photovoltaics, Wind, Electrochemical Devices, Geothermal, Distribution, Energy Storage / Agriculture & Food: Delivery / Industrial Engineering & Automation: Manufacturing & Equipment, Autonomous Systems, Logistics / Drug Delivery: Microparticles & Nanoparticles / Therapeutics: Proteins & Antibodies, Small Molecules / Biotechnology: Cell Separation, Biomanufacturing, Synthetic Biology, Sensors & Monitoring, Biomedical Devices & Systems / Drug Discovery and Research Tools: Cell Culture, Cell Interrogation / Biomaterials & Bioelectronics: Medical Device Coatings / Electronics & Photonics: Semiconductors / Sensing & Imaging: Chemical & Radiation Sensing, Optical Sensing / Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) / Diagnostics: Assays

Background and Experience

Kripa K. Varanasi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He received his B.Tech from IIT Madras, India and his SM (ME and EECS) and Ph.D from MIT. Prior to joining MIT as a faculty member, Prof. Varanasi was a lead researcher and project leader at the GE Global Research Center. At GE he received many awards for his work including Best Patent, Best Technology Project and Leadership Award. At MIT, the focus of his work is in understanding the physico-chemical phenomena at interfaces and developing novel materials, devices, and products that can dramatically enhance performance in energy, water, agriculture, transportation, medical, and consumer devices. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and translating technologies from lab to market.

Awards and Honors

  • Co-Founded Companies - LiquiGlide, Dropwise, Infinite Cooling, and Everon24
  • Named to Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of the Year”
  • Named to Forbes Magazine’s “Best Inventions of the Year”
  • First Prize at DOE’s National Cleantech University Prize
  • First Prize at Rice Business Plan Competition
  • First Prize at Harvard Business School Energy & Environment Start-up Competition
  • First Prize at MIT-100K Competition
  • First Prize at MassChallenge
  • NSF Career Award
  • DARPA Young Faculty Award
  • SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award
  • ASME Bergles-Rohsenow Heat Transfer Award
  • Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40
  • ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award (Outstanding Achievements in Mechanical Engineering)
  • APS Milton van Dyke Award
  • MIT Graduate Student Council’s Frank E. Perkins Award (Excellence in Graduate Advising)

Technologies

Liquid-Encapsulating Surfaces, Methods of Making, and Devices Incorporating the Same

Technology / Case number: #15055
Kripa K Varanasi / Ernesto Reza-Garduno Cabello / Rajeev Dhiman / Jonathan Smith
Technology Areas: Chemicals & Materials / Environmental Engineering / Industrial Engineering & Automation
License

Enabling the Injectability of Concentrated Drug Formulations and Solid Particles via Droplet Lubrication

Exclusively Licensed Technology / Case number: #20744
Kripa K Varanasi / Maxime Costalonga / Vishnu Jayaprakash
Technology Areas: Drug Delivery / Therapeutics
Impact Areas: Healthy Living

Emulsion Formulations for Increased Retention of Sprays and Fabrication of Partially Infused Surfaces

Exclusively Licensed Technology / Case number: #20223
Kripa K Varanasi / Jolet De Ruiter / Maher Damak
Technology Areas: Chemicals & Materials / Industrial Engineering & Automation

Apparatus and Methods Employing Liquid-Impregnated Surfaces

Technology / Case number: #18193
Kripa K Varanasi / Konrad Rykaczewski / Srinivas Bengaluru Subramanyam / Sushant Anand / Rajeev Dhiman / Jonathan Smith
Technology Areas: Chemicals & Materials / Industrial Engineering & Automation
Impact Areas: Advanced Materials
License

Porous Polysulfone Particles for Oil Absorption

Technology / Case number: #15287
Kripa K Varanasi / Brian Solomon / Nasim Hyder
Technology Areas: Chemicals & Materials / Environmental Engineering
Impact Areas: Sustainable Future
License

Emulsions by Condensation, Methods of Making, and Devices Incorporating the Same

Technology / Case number: #17208
Kripa K Varanasi / Ingrid Guha / Seyed Reza Mahmoudi / Sushant Anand
Technology Areas: Chemicals & Materials / Industrial Engineering & Automation
License

Grafted Polymer Surfaces for Dropwise Condensation

Technology / Case number: #16114
Karen Gleason / Andong Liu / Jose Yague Marron / Adam Paxson / Kripa K Varanasi
Technology Areas: Chemicals & Materials
Impact Areas: Advanced Materials
License

Articles and Methods for Modifying Condensation on Surfaces

Technology / Case number: #15462Q
Kripa K Varanasi / Sushant Anand / Jonathan Smith / Adam Paxson
Technology Areas: Biomaterials & Bioelectronics / Chemicals & Materials
Impact Areas: Connected World
License

Lubricant-Impregnated Surfaces for Electrochemical Applications, Devices and Systems Using the Same

Technology / Case number: #17190
Yet-Ming Chiang / Xinwei Chen / Brian Solomon / Kripa K Varanasi
Technology Areas: Energy & Distribution / Industrial Engineering & Automation
Impact Areas: Sustainable Future
License

Hydrate-Phobic Surfaces

Technology / Case number: #14446
Robert Cohen / Harrison Bralower / Adam Meuler / Jonathan Smith / Kripa K Varanasi / Gareth McKinley
Technology Areas: Energy & Distribution / Industrial Engineering & Automation
Impact Areas: Advanced Materials
License

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