Milind Ajinkya

Milind Ajinkya believes that all students make an impact on their institution, through their studies, their research, and the people they connect with. A 1975 PhD graduate of the UB Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Milind studied under the guidance of W. Harmon Ray, and learned from chemical engineering legends like Eli Ruckenstein, Sol Weller and Bill Gill. “I found my first job at Shell Research in Amsterdam, Holland and later moved on to Exxon Research and Engineering Company in Florham Park, NJ, ultimately spending some 35 years in the reaction engineering field. UB ChE Department (as it was known at the time), did a fine job in preparing me for my industrial career.”

As a token of his appreciation and gratitude, Milind has recently established the Amol Ajinkya Memorial Fund in his son’s memory for Fellowships and Lectures. We’re proud to announce that a lecture series has been established as a result of this generosity, with four speakers presenting this fall from universities across the United States. In addition, the Ajinkya Fund will provide fellowships for outstanding graduate students.

Now retired from Exxon, when he and his wife Raj are not traveling or babysitting their grandson, he enjoys working in his garden. He also teaches a graduate course in chemical reaction engineering at the University of Maryland – a passion he has followed as an adjunct even while employed at Exxon. He made his recent gifts to UB CBE as a token of appreciation for the solid foundation he received during his time here as a student.