Priyatanu Roy

About Me

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Linda Griffith and David Trumper Labs at MIT. I work on developing Organ on a Chip devices for commercial applications including drug discovery and pharmacokinetics.

I did my PhD work in the Complex Fluids and Multiphase Flows Lab with Prof. Cari Dutcher. My research relied heavily on microfluidics and temperature-controlled platforms for high throughput study of atmospheric aerosols. I developed and built these platforms and collect data to answer scientific questions related to aerosol phase. I used both experimental and numerical methods to analyze my system and use image processing techniques to automate data collection. I was funded by NSF CAICE (Center for Aerosol In Chemistry of the Environment). My research focused on improving our understanding of how aerosol particles impact the environment, air quality, and climate.

I collaborated with an interdisciplinary team of chemists, engineers and biologists to understand the impact of chemistry and biology of the complex sea spray aerosol systems on the environment. Aerosols in general are the largest source of uncertainty in our current climate models and a fundamental understanding of their interactions is vital for accurate predictions of climate change.

I have also worked on biological systems in Prof. John Bischof's group at the University of Minnesota and in Prof. Arunn Narasimhan's group at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. One of my projects focused on bioheat and mass transfer in rapid rewarming for tissue cryopreservation applications. Another project was focused on studying the molecular change in proteins as a result of thermal and non-thermal modalities of focal therapy in cancer. I also developed thermal and flow models of the human head with a porous medium approximation to understand how a stroke affects the brain.

In a previous life, I also worked on designing thermal systems and components for large commercial turbofan engines that power large airplanes such as the Boeing 777 while working for GE Aviation.

While not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, long bicycle rides, reading science fiction novels and playing video games.