Rahul Panat
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Courtesy Appointments, Biomedical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Rahul Panat is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). After his Ph.D., Panat worked at Intel Corporation, Chandler, AZ, for a decade in the area of microprocessor manufacturing research and development (2004-2014). His work at Intel included research on next generation high density interconnects, thinning of Si, 3-D packaging, and lead-free and halogen-free ICs. He won several awards for his work at Intel, including an award for developing manufacturing processes for the world's first fully green IC chip in 2007. He moved to academics in 2014 and joined the Washington State University, Pullman, before moving to Carnegie Mellon in 2017.
At Carnegie Mellon, Panat works on micro-scale additive manufacturing, flexible and printed microelectronics, and advanced energy materials. His research aims to enhance fundamental scientific knowledge and create engineering breakthroughs for several important applications. For example, the Panat group recently mimicked the natural process of the formation of desert roses in the Namibian desert to develop a breakthrough additive manufacturing method that can make 3-D hierarchical materials with structural control from hundreds of nanometers to several millimeters. Such designer materials can lead to unusual mechanical properties such as high strength but ultra-low weight. His research has also helped in realizing high-performance high-temperature sensors and improved energy storage solutions.
Advanced Manufacturing Using Nanoscale 3D Printing
Hands-on Product Design: Advanced Mechanical Design course
Education
2004 Ph.D., Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1999 MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
1997 BS, Mechanical Engineering, Pune University
Research Interests
- additive manufacturing
- advanced manufacturing
- batteries
- bioengineering
- biomedical engineering
- devices and material manipulation
- energy
- materials for energy efficiency
- materials science & engineering
- medical device manufacturing
- medical devices
- micro/nanoengineering
- micromanufacturing
- microstructural science
- neural probes
Media mentions
CMU Engineering
Pick your own project
Whether CMU engineering teams are given a week or a whole semester, their projects are always innovative and exciting.
Finding Genius Podcast
Panat on Finding Genius Podcast
MechE’s Rahul Panat was a guest on the Finding Genius Podcast; he discussed his work in microscale additive manufacturing, microelectronics, and 3D printing.
3dprintingindustry.com
Panat receives grant to develop neural probes
MechE’s Rahul Panat is developing a new class of neural probes to map the brain. Current probes are fragile, expensive, and lack the needed resolution. Panat proposes using an aerosol jet printing technique to create high-density neural probes, which would increase access to brain tissue, allow quick prototyping, and open new avenues of treatment. For this project, he received a $1.95 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
CMU Engineering
3D printing nanoparticle neural probes
MechE’s Rahul Panat has received a R01 grant from the NIH to use a low-cost, rapid additive manufacturing method to create a new class of high-density neural probes to record neurological data.
CMU Engineering
Securing the energy grid with blockchains
The US Department of Energy has awarded two Carnegie Mellon researchers a $400,000 grant to strengthen grid security using blockchain technology.
Wabtech purchases rights to students’ coupler design
Four students in a course taught by MechE’s Rahul Panat have had their design for an improved railroad coupler purchased by Wabtech, a major rail transport company headquartered in the Pittsburgh suburb of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania.
CMU Engineering
Design and build
Engineering students present innovative technical projects at the Mechanical Engineering Design Expo and Build18.
NEXTpittsburgh
Panat’s 3D printed battery could help Pittsburgh build a greener grid
A new 3D printed battery design created by MechE’s Rahul Panat that provides a higher energy density and more design options than traditional batteries could prove a significant contribution toward creating a greener grid for Pittsburgh.
Forbes
Panat energizes 3D-printed batteries
Forbes reported on Rahul Panat's work with 3D printing batteries, which will enable batteries to hold charges longer and more effectively charge.
CMU Engineering
3D printing the next generation of batteries
MechE’s Rahul Panat has developed a revolutionary new method of fabricating battery electrodes using Aerosol Jet 3D printing.
CMU Engineering
3D printing remakes the strain gauge
Rahul Panat and a team of researchers from CMU, WSU, and UT-El Paso have developed a new 3-D printing technique for manufacturing strain gauges that breaks the Poisson Ratio by 40%.
ScienceMag
Panat talks stainless steel 3-D printing
Material scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California came up with a successful approach to reproducing stainless steel by designing a computer-controlled process to tightly control the microscopic structure. MechE’s Rahul Panat is particularly intrigued by the scientists’ use of a commercially available 3D printer and laser, making it easier for others to follow their lead and further stretch the boundaries of 3D printed stainless steel.