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Dr. Kalyan Sehanobish is a leading expert in materials science, with particular emphasis on fracture behavior. He completed his undergraduate and graduate education in Chemical Engineering in India. He then came to the United States to attend Case Western Reserve University, where he graduated with a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science. Dr. Sehanobish currently is a senior scientist with Dow Automotive Research, a market- facing business unit of The Dow Chemical Company. He has technical responsibility for most of the new business opportunities for that company, with a primary focus on materials science aspects. This encompasses a broad range of technology solutions, such as intelligent foams for acoustics and crash management, new heat storage materials to improve powertrain efficiency, and identifying approaches to make crack-resistant ceramic filters. During his 20-year career with The Dow Chemical Company, Dr. Sehanobish has been responsible for pioneering work in lifetime prediction modeling for polyolefin pipes, structure-property relationships of thermoplastic polymer blends, and the engineering materials science aspects of metals, ceramics, and hybrids. Dr. Sehanobish was one of the early pioneers of developing applications for metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene resins, known as polyolefins, plastomers, and elastomers, starting from 1989. He was instrumental in developing a broad variety of applications of metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene resins. His efforts related to structure-properties relationships included pioneering work in the area of mechanical properties and tie-chain concentration over a broad range of crystallinity and the effect of processing on molecular orientation and film properties. Dr. Sehanobish was instrumental in developing applications of metallocene- and post-metallocene-catalyzed resins, such as impact modifiers for thermoplastic olefins (TPO) that are used today in almost all car bumper fascia applications, unique cast stretch films, hot water pipes, and blown films. Dr. Sehanobish has authored a series of publications and holds more than 25 patents in the areas of polyethylene pipes, blown and cast films, speciality fibers and films, and TPOs. His research is the basis for the INSITETM technology platform and new resin families such as ENGAGETM, AFFINITYTM, NORDELTM IP, and ELITETM. The INSITE technology received the R&D 100 Award in 1994 from R&D Magazine, and the ELITE enhanced polyethylenes received the R&D 100 Award in 1999. These efforts also resulted in currently more than one billion pounds per year of sales of metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene resins by The Dow Chemical Company. Since joining the automotive industry in 2004—2005 as part of Dow Automotive Research, Dr. Sehanobish has worked on the development of plastics and composites for automotive applications, including several new products in safety, bonding, acoustics, and heat storage applications. Two of these products received the R&D 100 Award in 2005 and 2007. Dr. Sehanobish also has presented papers at numerous technical and industrial conferences, often as an invited speaker.
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