Shweta Burgula
Incoming Chemical Engineering PhD Student at the University of Delaware.
Shweta graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in May 2022. Her goal is to join a research group to utilize molecular dynamics and machine learning to develop models and simulations, which can be used to reduce the cost and time required for research and development of new pharmaceuticals.
During her time at RPI, she worked in Dr. Zha’s lab to help create a molecular dynamics simulation to model the self assembly behavior of silk proteins. She has also contributed to the lab on a chip device in Dr. Basuray’s lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), which uses microfluidics and electrochemistry to detect biomarkers in blood samples.
During her internship at Genentech, she developed a Tableau dashboard to track the performance of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) instruments and contributed to an automated alert system to inform analysts of potential sources of errors in failed HPLC injections.
As a Private Tutor, she communicates complex concepts in an easy to understand way to help students learn and gain confidence. At RPI, Shweta held a customer facing role as an IT Consultant at the Rensselaer Help Desk, where she helps students and faculty with software issues.
Shweta has held the position of President, Professional Relations Coordinator, and Webmaster of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) at RPI. Through these positions, she organized the club’s events by inviting professionals from industry and academia to speak to the RPI chemical engineering community.
Outside of work, Shweta is passionate about serving her community. She served as the president and lead curriculum developer of an outreach club called coding and community, which is a student led organization devoted to providing free computer science education to underrepresented students in the local area. She has served as the Scholarship Chairperson and Director of External Operations, among others, to build a community where high school students have the resources to continue their education.
Shweta’s objective is to pursue a PhD in chemical engineering to broaden her knowledge and be on the forefront of innovation. She hopes to work in a forward-looking laboratory to pursue a career in academics.