Dwarak Ravikumar

Dwarak Ravikumar’s interest in engineering began in India during the ‘90s.

“I witnessed firsthand the immense negative impacts economic growth and large-scale technological transitions have on the environment and human livelihood,” Ravikumar says. “This experience motivated me to conduct research and train engineering students to expand their horizons beyond technical efficiency to critically assess broader impacts.”

Ravikumar’s conviction that social, environmental and economic considerations should be a core component of engineering solutions led him to take on the role of assistant professor in sustainable engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

Coming from a faculty position at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Ravikumar says he chose to work at ASU because of its institutional support and funding for interdisciplinary research to address challenges arising from climate change.

“I am excited about leveraging the opportunities arising from the rich ecosystem of world-class faculty, research centers and students at ASU to address challenges in climate sustainability,” he says. “I will focus my research on implementing a sustainable circular economy for renewable energy systems and carbon dioxide.”

This year, Ravikumar will teach CEE 400/581 Earth Systems Engineering and Management. He says students can expect to learn how to identify, design and implement truly sustainable engineering solutions for challenges like climate change.

Lessons will also include information about how to account for policies and social and political dimensions, which Ravikumar says can determine whether an engineered solution is successfully implemented or not.

“Students can also expect multiple opportunities for experiential learning through group projects and real-world case studies,” he says.

Ravikumar has also set aside time during his classes for students to interact and receive guest lectures from professionals in industry, national labs, non-government organizations and the public sector.

When he’s not working, Ravikumar enjoys playing chess, cricket and swimming.

Meet the newest faculty members of the Fulton Schools of Engineering here.

Written by Bobbi Ramirez