Email
pmrao@wpi.edu
Office
50 Prescott St (Gateway II) - 4910
Affiliated Department or Office
Education
BS Mechanical Engineering Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2007
PhD Mechanical Engineering Stanford University 2013

My research is aimed at discovering, understanding and developing advanced materials for a range of applications including solar energy conversion, catalysis, printed electronics, sensors, and functional coatings. Our lab specializes in the synthesis of nanostructured thin film materials using scalable processes. Students and researchers in my lab can expect to work on highly interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of materials science, mechanical engineering, solid state physics, and thermal sciences.

Professional Highlights & Honors
, 2007
WPI
, 2009

, 2011

News

SEE MORE NEWS ABOUT Pratap Rao
Waste Advantage Magazine
EPA Awards Nearly $1.2M to Student Teams for Innovative Solutions to Environmental and Public Health Challenges

A WPI research team working to tackle harmful algal blooms by creating 3D-printed floating structures which serve as photocatalysts was chosen for funding by the Environmental Protection Agency. The project will include students in mechanical & materials engineering and robotics engineering, Professors Pratap Rao and Markus Nemitz, and postdoctoral fellow Ceren Yilmaz Akkaya.

Boston 25
WPI Engineers Create Wireless Oxygen Sensor for Sick Babies

Boston 25 reported on WPI researchers developing a sensor the size of a Band-Aid to measure a baby’s blood oxygen levels, a vital indication of the lungs’ effectiveness and whether the baby’s tissue is receiving adequate oxygen supply. This wearable device will be flexible and stretchable, wireless, inexpensive, and mobile - possibly allowing the child to leave the hospital and be monitored remotely.