Harsha Sista

Research Assistant and recent graduate in Mechanical Engineering

Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Biography

Ahoy! My name is Harsha Sista, and I recently completed my B.E. Mechanical Engineering degree from BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, one of the finest colleges in India. A lifelong love for space exploration and a fascination with machines from an early age spurred me to pursue Engineering as a career, with a focus on Mechanical and Aerospace. Having completed my undergraduation, I am looking to advance my learning by getting into Graduate School and ultimately pursuing a Ph.D.

Although I had always dreamed of becoming an engineer or a scientist, my real journey began in my first year, when I joined various student teams, participating in competitions like SAE BAJA India, the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, and CANSAT. Working in various profiles within these teams taught me how to break complex problems into simpler parts, and gain an understanding of them intuitively. I carried this mindset forward when I started working with professors on various projects during my second and third years, learning research methodology, and building my research acumen.

By this point, I was piqued by what research had to offer. My Bachelor’s Thesis at the Rotorcraft Aerodynamic Laboratory at Politecnico di Milano solidified my desire to pursue a Ph.D. and get into academia. My final year project, which I am currently continuing in the capacity of a Research Assistant, provided valuable experience in writing papers and presenting at conferences.

Outside the academic sphere, I have diverse interests, ranging from playing and watching various sports to catching up on fantasy novels and quizzing. I also play the piano and guitar and love listening to music from the previous century.

I am currently looking for opportunities in research labs compatible with my interests, starting immediately. I can also relocate, given the right circumstances. If you are interested in discussing potential opportunities, do let me know.

Interests

Aerodynamics
Propulsion
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Wind Energy
Rotorcraft Dynamics
Space Science

Education

B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, 2016-2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

News

August 2020 - Started working as a Research Assistant under Prof. K.R.C.Murthy at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus remotely.
July 2019 - Started my undergraduate thesis under Prof. Luigi Vigevano at the Rotorcraft Aerodynamic Laboratory, Politecnico di Milano.
May 2019 - Started my summer internship under Prof. Sourav Mitra at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

Experience

Research Assistant

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Jan 2020 – Present Hyderabad, India

Under the guidance of Prof. K.R.C. Murthy and Prof. Y.V.D. Rao, I designed and ran flow simulations on a novel laparoscopic surgical device, which combines the functionality of a forceps, a suction-irrigation apparatus, and a Carbon Dioxide insufflator. Responsibilities include:

Design of the novel instrument
Non-newtonian simulation of blood through the annular region
Multiphase simulation of CO2 and water for various volume fractions through the annular regions

Research Assistant

Rotorcraft Aerodynamic Laboratory, Politecnico di Milano

Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 Milan, Italy

Under the guidance of Prof. Luigi Vigevano, Associate Professor at the Dept. of Aerospace Engineering. Responsibilities included:

Aerodynamic study of the flow field around the fuselage and tail rotor of a helicopter.
Generation of the mesh for the geometry and simulation on the in-house Navier-Stokes based CFD code, ROSITA.
Implementation of the results of this aerodynamic study for aeroelastic purposes and the objective of noise reduction by the rotorcraft.

Research Assistant (Summer Intern)

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

May 2019 – Jul 2019 Kharagpur, India

Under the guidance of Dr. Sourav Mitra, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Responsibilities included:

Flow simulation of supercritical carbon dioxide through a channel on ANSYS FLUENT.
Extracted property tables using NIST REFPROP software and linked it to FLUENT while setting up the simulation.
Simulated the critical parameters and analyzed the flow behavior and development of a flow profile.

Summer Intern

National Aluminium Company, Mines and Refinery Complex

May 2018 – Jul 2018 Damanjodi, India

The Mines and Refinery complex works towards processing the raw Bauxite into Alumina, which requires steam at a particular pressure as part of the process. My responsibilities included:

Learned about the working of the Steam and Power Plant (SPP), which produces the steam at the required pressure.
Successfully selected a Centrifugal Pump for Industrial use for the SPP.

Competitions

Hyperloop India

SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition Oct 2017 – Aug 2020

The Hyperloop Pod Competition is an annual competition hosted by SpaceX, in which several student and non-student teams participate to design and build a subscale prototype transport vehicle. Hyperloop India was the first team from Asia to qualify for the International Finals in 2017. It set a benchmark and paved the way for this technology to take a step forward in India.