Chaitanya Ullal

Chaitanya Ullal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), affiliated with the School of Engineering. He leads the Ullal Lab, focusing on advanced materials science with expertise in polymers, optics, and nanolithography. His research emphasizes nanoscale structure-property relationships in hydrogels, polymer gels, and functional materials using super-resolution microscopy techniques like STED.

Ullal earned a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and a Ph.D. from MIT. He joined RPI in 2013 and has received prestigious awards including the NSF CAREER Award (2017) for studying hydrogel structures and the American Chemical Society New Investigator Award (2016). His work bridges engineering and life sciences, addressing applications in biomedical materials, nanotechnology, and sustainable manufacturing.

Key research thrusts include developing digital design frameworks for 3D printed materials, optimizing nanolithography processes, and understanding polymer dynamics at the molecular scale. He collaborates on projects like light-emitting diode enhancement and nanostructured template fabrication. Educational outreach includes STEM initiatives with Iridescent Learning.