Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

-Arthur C. Clarke, Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the
Possible
This is a very inspiring quote to me because it describes very well how technologies of
today might have looked possible only through magic in older times. Research is no less than
magic, because it can change the face of the world, the technologies that scientists develop
today can change what our tomorrow would be like. The very idea of doing something that
can be completely life changing never ceases to inspire me, relating to research on
Elastomers. The wide application of rubber was largely due to its ability to undergo
reversible high elastic deformations. The advent of improved dynamic properties with
outstanding fatigue resistance and the ability to control damping characteristics by suitable
compounding, revolutionized the way in which rubber was utilized in industry mostly like
tires etc.
First, how did I land on rubber?
Growing up in a typical Indian household, I, like most of my peers, was confused as to what I
should do once I graduated from high school and when the day finally came, again, like most
of my peers, I let my father take the decision for me. He chose the Madras Institute of
Technology (Anna University- Chennai), one of the premier colleges back in India whose
alumni include many eminent scientists including Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former
President of India and lead scientist on a number of missile projects undertaken by the ISRO.
The course I was offered here was Rubber & Plastics Technology and I frankly didnt know if
it was the right course for me since I knew absolutely nothing about it. Unlike my fellow
class-mates, I had no exposure to the field nor did I have someone guiding my career path.
And so, the first two years of my under-graduation dragged on like some unending series of
chores I was forced to do with no motivation to do them. At the beginning of the third year, I
was offered an opportunity to complete a six-week internship at Mumbai and jumped at the
chance to break free of my boring routine. Little did I know that this would be the turning
point of my whole career and life.
The company I did my internship in was Bymer Elastomers. The Director, Mr. Yazdi Patel,
started his career in rubber technology without any knowledge of it at a moulding company
that produced rubber components for the MiG-21 fighter jets in India. After many years of
service he founded Bymer Elastomers and has been allowing for students to do their
internship there ever since. The interns met with this man, the Director, everyday between 6
p.m., and 8 p.m., and discussed the events of the day. It took me days to understand the
point of this whole exercise where he patiently listened to what he knew was happening in
his company and why it had to be done that way. He then asked us questions that left us
perplexed - Why do the rolls rotate in opposite directions? If the roll at the back rotates
faster, how many teeth should it have? Why do some rubber compounds tend to go to the
faster roll and some stick to the roll when others dont? Our evening discussions with Mr.
Patel left me intrigued and yearning to know more about rubber. I finally had found my
inspiration to learn about rubber.
During the final year of under-graduation, I was recruited by Fenner India Ltd., as a Design
cum Process Engineer for their R&D division. My interview was conducted by Mr. T.N.
Krishnan, the Head of the R&D division, who deputed me right under him during my

probationary period of six months in the company. I owe him my deepest respect for helping
me learn each and every nuance of the rubber sealing industry. Even here I had lengthy
discussions with Mr. Krishnan, but on a weekly-basis. I soon found myself reading research
papers and articles on the innovations in rubber seals before I realised that I had fallen in
love with rubber. And this love reflected in my work, pleasing my superiors at the workplace.
As my probationary period drew to a close, I was left with a unique skill-set having learnt to
use designing and processing software, while also being knowledgeable about the rubber
material being used for production. My superiors created a separate sub-division under R&D
to effectively utilize this and thus, I was now on the roster of the newly-created Processing
Department. I was tasked with co-ordinating the work between the Materials and the Design
Department, since these two departments were completely separate and neither of them
were wary of what happened in the other department.
Just as I was settling into the new job at the Processing Department, I was presented with
the opportunity to pursue my Masters at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IITKgp), the Crme de la crme of Indian institutions. My craving to learn more about rubber
got the better of me and I was headed to do my Masters in Rubber Technology after having
persuaded my boss, Mr. Krishnan, who was reluctant to let me go. I did not pay heed to the
advice offered by my colleagues and friends to choose Polymers or Material Science
Engineering which would broaden employment opportunities and stuck with Rubber
Technology, my love. This was the first time I had decided to do something for myself and I
knew there was no looking back. Loving Rubber Technology from the start this time around, I
was able to give it everything I had and ended up topping the batch in the first semester with
a 9.92 CGPA and got selected by the German DAAD Scholarship to finish my Masters thesis
at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Science (IPF), Dresden.
My Masters thesis revolves around improving the aging of natural rubber with layered
mineral fillers modified with anti-oxidants giving controlled release of anti-oxidant radicals.
This also has an additional benefit as it aids in the dispersion of nanomaterials, thus enabling
it to be adopted by the rubber industry. The results of the project will have a great impact on
the 12 million tonnes of natural rubber consumed every year. Before my Masters thesis, I
took up a company project (Vikas Rubber, India) as a freelancer involving the Design and
Development of EPDM based heat-exchanger rubber gasket for food-grade application and
successfully completed it.
With the knowledge of Rubber, and Design, I believe that I am a perfectly suitable candidate
for research in an interdisciplinary field of study concerning Elastomers applications. I am
ready to make my contribution to this field of science with ideas in mind. All I need is a
platform to materialise these ideas into useful products of science and for a young
researcher like me I am confident that there is no better place than the University of
Birmingham to springboard my ideas from dreams to reality. Being a part of the Doctoral
program at your university would bring fruition to my aspiration of being a successful
researcher and academician.2