Student Spotlight

Chirag Goel is a Ph.D. candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Houston, under mentorship of Prof. Venkat Selvamanickam since 2021. He completed his Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the same university in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, he worked on the position as Researcher in the Energy and Device Fabrication Lab at the University of Houston led by Dr. Selva.

My journey into superconductivity began during graduate school at the University of Houston in 2018, when I took Prof. Selva's course on Mechanical Behavior of Materials. His class sparked my interest in the field, and I was fortunate to be selected as a research assistant in the fall of 2018. I continued in this role throughout my master’s program, which eventually led to a full-time research position. After working for a year in this capacity, I realized the vast potential in superconductivity, which solidified my decision to pursue a PhD in the field.

Chirag's research focuses on thin film fabrication of long-length high-temperature superconductors (REBCO) using Advanced MOCVD. He has co-authored thirteen published refereed papers in renowned journals such as Superconductor Science and Technology and IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity. He has long been fascinated by the nuclear fusion reactions that power the sun and stars and has been driven to replicate a similar process on Earth. Chirag's work holds promise for groundbreaking advancements in materials science and energy technologies. 

Before embarking on his academic journey, Chirag held the role of Design Quality Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in India from 2014 to 2018. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from D.C.R. University of Science and Technology, Haryana, India, in 2014 and secured fourth position in the class. 

He presented his research at the ASC 2022 and 2024 conferences, held in Hawaii and Utah, respectively. He also serves on the ELEVATE team, one of only six worldwide, for the Applied Superconductivity Conference (ASC) 2024 Program Committee. Additionally, he volunteered in organizing the International Workshop on Coated Conductor Applications (CCA) 2023 in Houston. 

Chirag is the recipient of the 2024 Mechanical Engineering Department Scholarship for outstanding Ph.D. students and the prestigious TcSUH Cora Hawley Scholarship, awarded to only six students university-wide by the Texas Center for Superconductivity (TcSUH). He was also named a UH Chevron Graduate Energy Fellow, one of just eight students, with a $12,000 award. His poster presentation at the International Workshop on Coated Conductors for Applications (CCA 2023) earned him second prize and a $500 cash award.

Chirag is a contributing writer for the "Superconductor Week" newsletter, published by TcSUH at the University of Houston, and serves as an active committee member for the IEEE CSC Young Professionals, managing their social media activities. He pitched the startup "AmpsUP," which focuses on scaling the production of high-temperature superconducting tapes using the A-MOCVD method for clean energy applications. His pitch earned him special recognition as a finalist (one of only five university-wide) at the Third Annual Energy Innovation Commercialization Competition at the University of Houston.

Chirag's contributions to superconductivity research at the University of Houston led to his selection to feature in a national UH commercial celebrating the field. The commercial debuted on Saturday, Aug. 31, during the Houston Cougar football opener against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on FS-1. It will continue airing throughout the 2024-25 season during televised UH football games and other athletic events.

Outside of academia, Chirag enjoys camping, exploring new places, and listening to podcasts. To date, he has visited 10 U.S. states and plans to see many more.