CARD Researcher Completes Internship at Kerry Group
By Victoria Birk Hill October 8, 2024
Anurag Bhattacharjee, a 4th year PhD student at WPI, recently completed a summer internship with Kerry Group, a global leader in food and beverage solutions. The internship was made possible with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), which provided funding for the opportunity. During the internship (June 3rd to August 16th, 2024), Anurag worked closely with experts in food science and product development, gaining hands-on experience in cutting-edge research and innovative food technologies.
The internship focused on gaining hands on experience in performing spray drying experiments while understanding the critical parameters that influence both the product and drying quality, allowing Anurag to apply academic knowledge in a professional setting. During the internship, under the guidance of his academic advisor, Dr. Aswin Gnanaskandan, and his industry mentors, Anurag developed and optimized a novel spray drying model capable of accurately predicting both dryer and product characteristics. “The internship has helped me bridge the gap between single droplet drying and large-scale spray drying operations, where millions of droplets are drying and interacting simultaneously with each other and the dryer. This experience has broadened my understanding of the food industry and associated processes and has equipped me with skills that will be valuable for my research,” said Anurag.
Kerry Group, known for its focus on sustainability and innovation, provides a range of food and beverage solutions to enhance taste, nutrition, and functionality in consumer products. Anurag was part of a team that contributed to development and manufacturing of powdered products through spray drying applications. The team also worked on providing innovative solutions to other product ranges with primary focus on dairy.
With the completion of this internship, Anurag is excited to continue exploring opportunities in Computational Fluid Dynamics in areas of food science, R&D and product development and to bring this experience into future academic and professional endeavors.
Wow! Great work, Anurag! So glad you had this invaluable experience at Kerry!