Rakesh Agrawal

Who is Rakesh Agrawal?

Rakesh Agrawal is a National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate as well as the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University. Previously he was employed for more than two decades with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., where he was elected to the highest technical position in the company, an Air Product Fellow, before moving to Purdue in 2004.

His technical contributions towards improving the energy efficiency of separation plants producing industrial gases such as O2 and N2 from air, and in the general area of gas liquefaction and separation, has led to 116 US patents and 500 international patents along with several peer-reviewed publications. In recognition of his technical accomplishments during his more than two decades at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., he was announced as the recipient of National Medal of Technology and Innovation for 2011, by the White House.