Milind and Raj Ajinkya Recognized with Delta Award
Delta Award recipients Milind and Raj Ajinkya (center) with chemical and biological engineering faculty Mark Swihart (far left) and Stelios Andreadis (far right).
Published November 6, 2019
The Ajinkyas created the Amol Ajinkya Memorial Fund in honor of their son, which provides fellowships to graduate students and funds a lecture series that brings renowned experts in chemical engineering from across the U.S. to UB.
Alumnus and advisory board member, Milind Ajinkya (PhD ’75, MS ’72) and his wife Raj have been dedicated members of the SEAS community, demonstrated through generous financial support and service, for over 10 years. Their Amol Ajinkya Memorial Fund, created in honor of their son, provides fellowships to outstanding graduate students and funds a lecture series, benefitting the entire engineering school. Each fall, the lecture series brings to UB renowned experts on pressing topics in chemical and biological engineering from across the United States.
“Milind and Raj have become true partners in our mission to conduct high impact original research in science and engineering and produce graduates capable of leading and innovating across a spectrum of engineering disciplines,” said UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Interim Dean Rajan Batta.
During his time at UB, Ajinkya studied under W. Harmon Ray, and worked with Sol Weller and Bill Gill. After earning his PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering in 1975, he went on to a 35-year career in the reaction engineering field, working at Shell and Exxon. Ajinkya also serves on the UB CBE Advisory Board.
“It’s great to see the younger generation here tonight,” said Ajinkya, who expressed his appreciation for the pivotal role UB has played in his life when he attended nearly 50 years ago. “I really hope that this fund can support undergraduate and graduate students and make a difference.”
