Ratul Biswas

Highly skilled Industrial Materials Scientist with 2+ years of experience in catalytic materials, functional materials, and surface engineering, bridging research and industrial applications for advanced material development. Hands-on experience with Fluidized Bed Coater, Sputtering technology, Extrusion-spheronizer, Sol-Gel chemistry, BET and XRF. Skilled in process optimization, Six Sigma methodologies, and DOE-driven R&D, consistently delivering measurable improvements in material performance, product quality, and manufacturing efficiency.

Capability to translate laboratory innovations to industrial-scale production, including catalysts, ceramic supports, and process optimization, driving high-yield and scalable outputs. Experienced in multidisciplinary collaboration and scientific leadership, at international university and established industrial partnerships. Recognized for innovative contributions in laser-induced graphene fabrication resulting in multiple peer-reviewed publications and successful integration of high-performance materials into commercial applications.

Deputy Manager – R&D at Prism Johnson Ltd. (2024-06 – Present)

• Project 1: Development of Alumina Ceramic Supports for Catalytic Applications - Developing Alumina sol formulations for Gamma Alumina ceramic supports using Oil-Drop Method and porous coating on spherical ceramic supports using Fluidized Bed Coating for Reforming catalyst applications.
• Formulating ceramic dough compositions for Alumina-Silica trilobes using extrusion method, optimizing surface area, bulk density, and pore volume.
• Characterizing materials using BET (surface area), XRF (composition), and PSD (particle size distribution).
• Creating SOPs, managing product costing, procuring materials, and conducting TRL and risk assessments.
• Handling hazardous chemicals, high-temperature processing, and advanced laboratory equipment.
• Designing and executing Response Surface DOE for spray coating, thus achieving crack-free alumina coating with 23% improvement in Cpk.
• Implementing Six Sigma methodology in trilobe manufacturing, reduced process defects by 30% and improved BET surface area by 20%.
• Performing transition-metal salt impregnation, drying, and calcination, delivering 10 tons of Nickel-Alumina-based catalyst.
• Project 2: Manufacturing of Platinum-Based CATRELOX Catalyst - Executing platinum-based CATRELOX catalyst manufacturing using established SOPs, including impregnation, drying, calcination and reduction processes.
• Ensuring strict adherence to process parameters to achieve uniform metal dispersion and consistent catalyst performance.
• Performing catalyst characterization such as BET surface area, pore size distribution (PSD) for quality assurance.
• Applying Six Sigma (DMAIC) methodology to monitor process performance, identify sources of variability, and improve process stability to maintain batch-to-batch consistency.
• Utilizing DOE and statistical analysis within a Six Sigma framework to optimize operating conditions, achieving 30% improvement in process yield.
• Implementing statistical process control (SPC) tools to maintain critical quality attributes within defined limits during scale-up.

Management Trainee at Gujarat Guardian Ltd. (2017-07 – 2018-02)

• Prepared SOPs and work instructions for console operation in sputtered-coated glass manufacturing.
• Optimized thin-film layer thickness using OptiLayer software to meet product specifications.
• Validated sputtering recipes and coating thickness targets to ensure production compliance.
• Manufactured and dispatched 500 kg of low-E coated float glass meeting optical and quality standards.

Postdoctoral Researcher at University College London, Harwell (2023-06 – 2024-03)

Advisor: Dr. Chu Lun Alex Leung

• Executed in-situ Synchrotron X-Ray radiography experiments at ESRF, France, for real-time pore evolution study during Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF).
• Developed process maps for Laser-Additive Manufacturing of Nitinol by correlating melt-pool dynamics with process parameters.
• Performed microstructural analysis of printed tracks using SEM and elemental analysis using EDS.
• Applied DOE-driven process mapping to identify keyhole regimes and correlate them with Ni/Ti compositional variation for data-driven parameter selection.
• Established stable LPBF process windows by analyzing in-situ synchrotron melt-pool observations.

Doctoral Researcher at National University of Ireland, Galway (2018-11 – 2023-05)

Advisors: Dr. Patricia Scully & Dr. Gerard O'Connor

• Designed and fabricated laser-induced graphene (LIG) based sensors on Polyimide using CO2 and femtosecond lasers.
• Improved Polyimide surface wettability using Argon plasma, enhancing LIG crystallization.
• Performed defect analysis using Raman spectroscopy, surface roughness and ablation depth measurement with profilometer, and morphology characterization using SEM.
• Acquired and analyzed LIG-based strain sensor signals using Phidget Wheatstone Bridge and OriginLab.
• Engineered DOE-driven laser and plasma surface modification processes to enhance LIG conductivity.
• Published 4 international journal papers and presented posters at ISSC-23, UK.
• Contributed to preparation of SFI-funded research proposal, securing EUR 470K in competitive funding.
• Established collaborations with Irish and UK composite industries to integrate LIG sensing into recycled plastic products.

Junior Research Fellow at IIT Bombay (2018-03 – 2018-09)

Advisors: Dr. Dipti Gupta

• Design and Fabrication of EEG sensor electrodes with Silhouette Cutting Machine.
• Synthesis of Silver Nanowire (AgNW) ink by Polyol method for deposition on PDMS by Transfer Printing Method.
• Data Acquisition of Alpha brain waves performed with the flexible electrodes from the human forehead using BIOPAC instrument.

Ph.D. in Physics – National University of Ireland, Galway (2023)

M.Tech. in Materials Science – IIT Bombay (2017)

B.Sc., M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry – Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira (2015)