Four CBE Graduate Students Receive the 2026 RPI Founders Award
The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) congratulates four of our outstanding graduate students who have been honored with the prestigious 2026 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Founders Award of Excellence.
The Founders Award of Excellence is one of the highest honors bestowed upon students at RPI. It recognizes individuals who embody the university’s highest traditions of pride, honor, and academic achievement, demonstrating both exceptional leadership and dedication to impactful scholarship.
Our 2026 recipients represent the vanguard of innovation across biomaterials, biotechnology, computational materials science, and synthetic biology:
- Sahiti Tamirisakandala (Advised by Prof. Helen Zha) | Thesis: “Recombinant chromoprotein production for a synthetic dye alternative”
- Manasa Chillara (Advised by Prof. Jonathan Dordick) | Thesis: “Investigating the Impact of LNP Formulation, mRNA Payload, and Lyophilization on mRNA-LNP Stability”
- Thi Nguyen (Advised by Prof. Prashun Gorai) | Thesis: “Emerging Materials, Mechanisms, and Design Principles for Wurtzite Ferroelectrics”
- Saurabh Rastogi (Advised by Prof. Mattheos Koffas) | Thesis: “Investigating Impact of Genomic and Oxygenic Factors on Cell-Free Synthesis”
Additionally, Sahiti Tamirisakandala has been named a recipient of the Spring 2026 Groll Mentor Award.
Congratulations to Sahiti, Manasa, Thi, and Saurabh on these well-deserved milestones!
From left to right: Thi, Sahiti, Manasa, and Saurabh