Learning that chemical engineering “was among the most demanding undergraduate majors” was a reason for Gounder to pursue the degree, not shy away from it. An undergraduate research project sparked his interest in catalysis and academia, and positioned him to become an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Purdue Univ., where, he says, “I now spend most of every day thinking about catalysis.”
The goal of all that thought and research is to “enable catalysis to become a more quantitative and predictive science,” he says. A busy schedule makes it difficult for Gounder to protect his time for uninterrupted thinking and scholarly output. However, he enjoys the time he spends “working with and learning from talented, energetic, and creative students.”