Alumni Kaleidoscope: Praveen Balaj - MSc(MECH)
While pursuing his graduate studies at HKUST, Praveen learned of the Ford-HKUST Conservation & Environmental Research Grants – a unique collaboration between Ford Motor Company and HKUST to encourage innovative thinking by Master of Science students and help them apply their ideas to environmental and conservation issues, with a focus on green technologies and transportation – and decided that he would come up with a more sustainable method of air conditioning for vehicles.
Praveen's design takes an existing technology, typically used in large buildings, and adapts it to work for automobiles. Unlike conventional air-conditioning systems, his version is powered by existing adsorption technology along with waste exhaust heat from the engine, which removes the need for a compressor and makes the design both simpler and more efficient.
His new approach won one of the Ford-HKUST Research grants, and with support from Ford's engineers, Praveen was able to build a working prototype after just eight months. He is now working as a Sheet Metal Formability Engineer at Ford India where he is responsible for developing the company's Asia Pacific Stamping Feasibility team.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2019. Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global University Employability Survey 2018.
