Mitra Ganewatta, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, California, United States

Ingevity provides specialty chemicals, polymers, and high-performance carbon materials and technologies that help customers solve complex problems. In this role, I was responsible for various aspects of R&D innovation: Provide guidance and direction for internal R&D projects developing advanced sustainable materials. PI for collaborations with national.

Multifaceted role in R&D and business development. Manage internal R&D projects developing new polymeric and carbon materials for energy, personal care, and industrial markets. Established new partnerships for raw material supply. Lead open innovation partnerships with universities, startups, national labs, and the US government. Conduct technology.

Corporate Venture Capital: External technology and startup scouting via scientific trend analysis, VC conference participation, databases (PitchBook), and patent/literature searches. Technolgy landscaping, Patent landscaping (SciFinder, PatSnap). Technical due diligence work during corporate investments. Collaborate with internal BUs for project management.

Worked with an awesome team to create new value for our bio-based raw materials by new technology development from idea to commercialization: Ingevity AltaMer™ and AltaRez™ products, led to six patent filings in three years. Carried out R&D in monomer and polymer synthesis, formulation, and application testing: thermoset resins, UV-curable coatings, hot.

Developed catalytic processes for tall oil rosin functionalization and decarboxylation. Developed chemical routes to increase lignin reactivity.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Developed block copolymer micelle-based formulations to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing in HEK cell lines. In addition, conducted R&D on thermoresponsive polymers for DNA delivery, protein-polymer nanoparticles, and dye-loaded high-molecular weight polymers.

My Ph.D. dissertation was focused on developing sustainable polymers and biomaterials from natural biomass. New monomers/polymers were made using rosin acids, fatty acids, and bile acids. Polymerization methods such as ATRP, RAFT, ROP, and ROMP were used to make homopolymers, and block copolymers both in solution and on surfaces. Analytical tools such as.

POLY/PMSE Student Chapters are student run organizations affiliated with the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry (POLY) and the Division of Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering (PMSE) that provide networking and career development opportunities to students and post-doctoral associates in the polymer field. Together with my officers, I was able to.

ACS's paid summer internship program for high school students. SEED students work in real laboratories, with real scientists serving as their mentors. I managed administrative responsibilities by coordinating with faculty, teachers, students, parents, finance office, EHS, and parking services. Also, I organized safety trainings, poster sessions, and.

Colombo 03, Sri Lanka

I taught two semesters of recitations and labs for senior organic, analytical, and physical chemistry students including the chemistry special honors program.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Chemistry, 4.0

Guy F. Lipscomb Award for the Best Graduate Student College and Arts and Sciences Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Chemistry Honors

Chemistry, Physics, Biology

Presidential Medal - Environmental Pioneer