Gayathri Shivkumar

Gayathri Shivkumar is a 2nd year PhD student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. She received her B.E. degree in Mechanical Engineering from PES Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India in 2013. She received her M.S.A.A. from Purdue University in 2015. For her Master’s thesis, Gayathri modeled hydrogen plasmas to optimize microwave plasma systems for the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of carbon nanotubes, graphitic nanopetals and graphene. The paper based on this work was selected as the feature cover article for the Journal of Applied Physics in March 2016. Her current research focuses on the modeling of Radio Frequency plasmas for the roll-to-roll CVD of carbon nanostructures. She is also working on applying the carbon nanopetals thus grown toward the fabrication of a field emission driven microdevice that generates microplasma at low voltages to pump and preheat fuel in micro-combustors. Gayathri was the recipient of the MRD Scholarship from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PES Institute of Technology for the class of 2013 and the Graduate Teaching Award from the Purdue University Teaching Academy in 2016. She mentors new female graduate students in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. Gayathri is a foodie who also enjoys sports, music and reading fiction. 

Advisor: Alina Alexeenko