SAKETH MERUGU
Toledo,OH
Summary
Accomplished Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidate with 7+ years of research expertise in life cycle assessment, sustainable process development, and renewable fuels. Demonstrated ability to evaluate environmental tradeoffs and optimize technologies through experimental data and statistical modeling. Research includes sustainability assessments of resource-recovery technologies and process development for lignocellulosic biofuels, translating technical data into actionable insights for sustainability and decarbonization initiatives.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Doctoral Research Assistant (Sustainable materials and Process Systems)
University of Toledo
01.2022 - Current
- Conducted life cycle assessment and sustainability analysis of membrane-based resource-recovery technologies, evaluating material selection, process performance, energy/resource requirements, environmental tradeoffs, and industrial scalability.
- Integrated materials informatics, experimental performance data, and sustainability metrics to evaluate technology-design alternatives and identify pathways toward improved resource and process efficiency.
- Developed high-performance membrane technologies for water purification and resource recovery, achieving up to 64% improvement in vapor flux while maintaining approximately 99.5% separation efficiency.
- Applied DOE, statistical modeling, machine learning, and time-series forecasting to analyze experimental data, quantify performance drivers, and support engineering decisions.
- Investigated heat-transfer enhancement technologies with up to 70% improvement in critical heat flux and 213% improvement in heat-transfer coefficient, supporting improved thermal-process efficiency.
MS Research Assistant (Sustainable Biofuels and Process Modeling)
University of Toledo
01.2020 - 12.2021
- Conducted research on lignocellulosic biofuel production using agricultural biomass as a renewable feedstock for low-carbon fuel pathways.
- Developed a multiscale computational model integrating enzyme diffusion, adsorption, and reaction kinetics to predict biomass conversion and glucose yield.
- Evaluated AFEX pretreatment of corn stover and improved biofuel-production efficiency by approximately 30% through process optimization.
- Analyzed relationships among feedstock properties, pretreatment conditions, transport phenomena, and conversion performance to identify process-efficiency improvements.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy Candidate - Mechanical Engineering
University of Toledo
Toledo, OH02-2026
Master of Science - Chemical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI12-2021
Bachelor of Technology - Chemical Engineering
Osmania University
Hyderabad, India05-2019
Skills
- Software:
- Design Tools:
- Visualization Tools:
- Other:
Key Achievements
Supported Invention Disclosure: Merugu, S. and Gupta, A., Superhydrophobic and Thermally Conductive Membranes for Oil/Water Separation. University of Toledo, (TECH2024-30)
Certifications
- NSF National I-Corps, USA
- April 2025 - May 2025
- NSF National I-Corps Spring 2025 cohort to advance the commercialization potential of superhydrophobic membrane technology for oil/water separation
Awards
Research Mentor award, University of Toledo, Toledo, January 2025, Recognized for outstanding mentorship in guiding students in research methods, experimental design, and ethical practices., Translational Research Award, University of Toledo, Toledo, January 2025, Recognized for impactful contributions advancing applied research toward real-world solutions and innovation.
Publications
- Merugu, S., and Gupta, A., 2026. Systematic Material Optimization for Membrane Distillation Resource Recovery Through Materials Informatics, Life Cycle Assessment, and Industrial Scalability. ACS ES&T Engineering.
- Merugu, S. and Shonnard, D., 2026. An In-Silico Study on Transient Enzyme Diffusion and Adsorption within Lignocellulosic Biomass using a Multi-Scale Model. Frontiers in Catalysis.
- Merugu, S., Gupta, A., 2024. Investigating Permselectivity in PVDF Mixed Matrix Membranes Using Experimental Optimization, Machine Learning Segmentation, and Statistical Forecasting. ACS Omega.
- Merugu, S., Gupta, A., 2025. Ti3C2Tx MXene additives for enhanced pool boiling regime. ACS Omega.
- Merugu, S., and Gupta, A., 2026. Interfacial Thermodynamics of Ti3C2Tx MXene-PVDF-PTFE Triple Interface Systems for Hierarchical Membrane Distillation. ACS Applied Engineering Materials.
Timeline
Doctoral Research Assistant (Sustainable materials and Process Systems)
University of Toledo
01.2022 - Current
MS Research Assistant (Sustainable Biofuels and Process Modeling)
University of Toledo
01.2020 - 12.2021
Bachelor of Technology - Chemical Engineering
Osmania University
Master of Science - Chemical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
Doctor of Philosophy Candidate - Mechanical Engineering
University of Toledo