Indian-American environmental engineer Kartik Chandran has been named a 2015 MacArthur Fellow and given a ‘genius’ grant of $625,000 for working on a novel solution to the world’s need for food, clean water and energy. Chandran, 41, deals with wastewater treatment with the goal of producing useful resources such as fertilizers, chemicals and energy sources, in addition to clean water.
An IIT Roorkee graduate, Chandran joins a distinguished group of 24 talented people who have all demonstrated exceptional originality and dedication to their creative pursuits, as well as a marked capacity for self-direction. The fellows may use the $625,000 stipend as they see fit.
The Wall Street Journal said Chandran’s pioneering work is a sort of modern-day alchemy, using microbial ecology, molecular biology and engineering to turn human waste into clean water and usable fertilizer. Currently an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, he imaginatively tailors his solutions to be locally appropriate.
Test Your GK
World Environment Day is observed on ________.
World Water Day is observed on __________.
