JN

Jeevanandham Neethirajan

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Apollo Tyres Global R&D, Asia, Anna University, Chennai

ORCID iD 0000-0002-8799-5711
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About

I am currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Groningen, within the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials.

I completed my PhD in Rubber Technology in September 2024 from IIT Kharagpur under the supervision of Prof. Kinsuk Naskar and Prof. Nikhil Kumar Singha. My doctoral research was sponsored by Apollo Tyres Global R&D, Asia (India), and focused on energy-efficient and high-performance mixing of silica-filled elastomer compounds. The research problem was industry-driven, and I approached it through multiple strategies, including statistical methods (Design of Experiments), advanced compounding techniques (enhanced hydrolysis), and fundamental chemistry approaches to catalyze the silanization reaction using amines and ionic liquids. This work resulted in multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals.

During my PhD, I also contributed to a collaborative project on the optimization of scrap tire devulcanization using Taguchi and DEAR methods via a supercritical CO₂ pilot-scale setup. This work sparked my interest in supercritical fluid technologies. In another collaboration with JK Fenner Pvt. Ltd. (India), I worked on improving the mechanical properties of industrial V-belt products through compounding strategies. Both projects led to peer-reviewed publications.

Prior to my PhD, I completed my M.Tech in Rubber Technology from IIT Kharagpur with a CGPA of 9.22/10. During this time, I was awarded the DAAD scholarship (2018), which enabled me to spend eight months at IPF Dresden – TU Dresden, conducting research under Prof. Kinsuk Naskar, Prof. Sven Wiessner, and Dr. Amit Das. This international exposure strengthened my research capabilities and broadened my scientific outlook.

I earned my B.Tech in Polymer Technology from Anna University, where I graduated as a university rank holder and was awarded a gold medal for securing second rank at the state level.

Throughout my academic career, I have presented my work at several international and national conferences, including PPS-38 (Switzerland), FPN’24 (India), IRMRA Rubber Conference (India), and NRC’22, where I received the Best Poster Award.

In addition to my academic experience, I have gained extensive industry exposure through internships at Yokohama Tires, JK Fenner Pvt. Ltd., Sri Bhargavi Rubbers Pvt. Ltd., TVS Sundaram Rubber Industries, and Karthick Polymers Pvt. Ltd. I also worked as a research intern for approximately 2.5 years at Apollo Tyres Global R&D, contributing across multiple domains including raw materials, compounding, tire testing and simulation, and process technology.

I also qualified the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) in 2017, earning a scholarship from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India.

Employment

  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Senior Research Fellow
    2021 - 2023
  • Apollo Tyres Global R&D, Asia Research Intern
    2020 - 2022
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Junior Research Fellow
    2019 - 2021

Education

  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Master of Technology
    2017 - 2019
  • Anna University, Chennai Bachelor of Technology
    2013 - 2017

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (13)