Dr. Satya Pal Singh Chauhan began his professional life upon graduating with highest honors from the top-ranked Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He then attended Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, earning a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. His student research led to a patent application on the production of synthetic diamonds. Since then, he has won seven R&D 100 Awards, known as "The Oscars of Innovation." In 2008, Dr. Chauhan won three R&D 100 Awards, which no one else has done. He previously won four other R&D 100 Awards (in 1994, 2002, 2004, and 2005).

Dr. Chauhan has had a 35-year illustrious management career at Battelle, the world’s largest non-profit independent R&D organization and a leading developer of innovative technologies, such as the Xerox photocopier. His professional career has had four key focus areas: (1) leading research and development (R&D) teams representing multiple disciplines to solve complex problems; (2) solving key societal problems related to energy, environment, water, and health; (3) creating patentable, new technologies and advancing the same to market introduction; and, (4) advancing green energy products and processes.

During his Battelle career, Dr. Chauhan has led the development and commercialization of over 30 technologies. Initially, he led alternative fuels research, then in the early 1980s shifted his emphasis to separations technologies, and helped establish new areas of research initially focused on pollution prevention and advanced materials, and later on biotechnology, manufacturing, aerospace, and defense technologies. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Chauhan expanded his pollution prevention innovations to even more industries. In recent years, Dr. Chauhan has been responsible for creating and exploiting Battelle intellectual property (IP) for advanced materials and chemical processes, including green products, green manufacturing, and green energy. Dr. Chauhan has been simultaneously responsible for managing over $200 million per year of multi-sector and interdisciplinary R&D programs that cut across energy, environmental, materials, chemical, and defense sectors. During his senior management career, he has overseen over $1 billion in R&D contracts/grants.

Dr. Chauhan is credited with 18 U.S. patents issued, over 30 U.S. patent applications, including 5 currently pending; numerous foreign patents and applications; and over 100 reports of inventions at Battelle. He has published over 100 journal articles, presented over 200 technical papers, contributed chapters in 3 engineering handbooks, plus has been the subject of numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Dr. Chauhan was recognized with the 2008 Industrial Innovation Award from American Chemical Society; the 1989 Product-of-The-Year Award for Electroacoustic Dewatering from the Water Environmental Federation; and from Battelle, over 50 IP Creation and Development Awards, the Distinguished Inventor Award in 2007, and a Special (life-time) Technical Leadership Award in 2009. His professional recognition includes a listing in Who’s Who in the Midwest USA and membership in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Chemical Society, Air and Waste Management Association, National Defense Industrial Association, Society of Automotive Engineers, Water Environment Federation, Phi Alpha Kappa (Finance), and Phi Kappa Phi. Since 2005, he has served as a panelist for “aviation” and “environmental” research for the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

A common thread in Dr. Chauhan’s career of notable innovations is the intent to decrease environmental impact. He is currently leading the commercialization of seven technologies related to green products, green chemistry, and green energy. The technologies include a bio-based aircraft and runway deicing fluids (EcoFlo and Gen3); a process (F-LLX) to purify acid-mine and plating-shop wastewaters while recovering valuable chemicals; a micro-channel reactor system to efficiently convert non-petroleum feedstocks to distillate fuel (Velocys-FT); a process (ARP) to remove toxic ammonia from municipal wastewater treatment plants, while producing a fertilizer byproduct; a pulsed-electric-field process to reduce sludge generated in municipal wastewater treatment plants; and a process to convert municipal solid waste (MSW) to substitute lumber or green energy.

Most of Dr. Chauhan’s career has been spent in a management role, which has been a very good fit for his skills and a path that has given him great fulfillment. After serving as a post-doctoral research associate at Case Western Reserve University, he was hired at Battelle, where he has spent his entire career. His first placement was as a Research Scientist in Energy and Environmental Technology. Very quickly, he was tapped for a management role and became Associate Department Manager, Chemical Process Development. Subsequently, he served as Department Manager for Alternative Energy R&D, and then Minerals/Materials Processing R&D. Dr. Chauhan next progressed to the level of Program Director, first for Multidisciplinary Separations Technology R&D Programs and later for Biotechnology R&D Programs. He then served as Commercialization Manager, and then Director of Process Systems and Separations Technology, and later, Environmental Health and Safety R&D Programs. Since 2001, he has served in a multiple management role as Senior Program Director of Multi-Sector R&D Programs and as the Commercialization Leader for Pollution Prevention Technologies.

Along with his professional career at Battelle, Dr. Chauhan has successfully launched three businesses and has been a civic leader.