Dr. Rahul Agarwal

Education

• Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering - IIT Kharagpur (2022)
  Thesis Supervisor- Prof. Suman Chakraborty; Microfluidics and Point-of-Care Medical Diagnostics
• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering- Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, U.S. (2017)
  Thesis Supervisor- Prof. Gerald Morrison; Computational Analysis of a Centrifugal Pump
• B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering- IIT Indore (2015)
  Thesis Supervisor- Prof. Gautam Biswas; Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Nanoscale Osmosis

Experience

• Assistant Professor, JBMSHST, IIT Guwahati (2025-Present)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Anupam Sengupta Group, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg (2024-2025). Link
• Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Engineering, Marc Madou Group, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico (2022-2024). Link

Research Interest

Biophysics and Diagnostics Systems lab; "Where Motion Meets Healthcare: Bridging Microbial Flows, Disease Mechanics, and Diagnostic Innovation"

1. Point-of-Care Medical Diagnostic Devices and Microfluidics

   Our group develops next-generation microfluidic and lateral flow–based point-of-care diagnostic devices for affordable and rapid healthcare. We focus on improving chemical transport, fluid handling, reaction kinetics, and device design to achieve high sensitivity and specificity in biomarker detection. While a core emphasis is on medical diagnostics, we also design portable POC platforms for food safety (for example, detecting milk adulteration), drug-of-abuse screening, and identifying spurious or counterfeit commercial products in real-world settings. By leveraging advances in immunochemistry and fluidic engineering, we aim to revolutionize portable diagnostics for real-world and resource-limited settings, ensuring both usability and reliability.

2. Vascular Hemodynamics and Computational Modeling

   This area focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of blood flow to study complex vascular phenomena such as stenosis, turbulence, and vessel wall integrity in cardiovascular systems. Validation is carried out using 4D Flow MRI and CT scan data (in collaboration with clinical partners such as AIIMS), as well as through custom-designed vascular phantoms on microfluidic platforms. Beyond major arteries and veins, this work extends to other vascular networks, including cerebral and coronary circulation, microvascular beds, and specialized systems such as pulmonary, renal, and portal/hepatic vasculature. By bridging high-fidelity simulations with experimental and imaging-based validation, this research aims to deepen understanding of flow-structure interactions across diverse vascular environments and inform diagnosis, risk assessment, and medical device design.

3. Mechanobiology and Biophysics: Pathogen Transport and Soft Biological Systems

   We study how biological motion and mechanical forces govern pathogen transport and disease progression within the human body. Our work focuses on bacteria and other pathogens as active entities navigating complex flow environments, exploring their attachment dynamics to vessel walls, interactions with the endothelium, and the coupled hydrodynamic and mechanical responses that influence infection. Alongside, we examine soft biological materials such as cysts and tissues, modeling their viscoelastic and deformation properties under physiological flows. By combining theoretical modeling with experimental approaches, we aim to unravel how mechanical and biochemical cues together regulate health and disease at multiple scales.

4. Microplastics and Biofilms Across Scales: Growth, Transport, and Human Health Impacts

   We explore the coupled processes of biofilm growth on microplastics and their environmental and physiological consequences. Starting from biofilm formation during microplastic settling in aquatic systems, we track their advection, aggregation, and eventual entry into the human body. Our goal is to elucidate the multiscale transport mechanisms and biochemical interactions governing these systems, shedding light on the ecological and health impacts of microplastics and biofilms.

Key publications

• Rahul Agarwal, Sergio Omar Martinez Chapa, and Marc Jozef Madou. "Theoretical analysis of immunochromatographic assay and consideration of its operating parameters for efficient designing of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) detection." Scientific Reports 13.1 (2023): 18296.DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45050-1. (IF: 4.6). Link
• Rahul Agarwal, Arnab Sarkar, Arka Bhowmik, Devdeep Mukherjee, and Suman Chakraborty. "A portable spinning disc for complete blood count (CBC)." Biosensors and Bioelectronics 150 (2020): 111935. DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.111935. (IF: 12.5) Link
• Rahul Agarwal, Arnab Sarkar, Subhechchha Paul, and Suman Chakraborty. "A portable rotating disc as blood rheometer." Biomicrofluidics 13, no. 6 (2019): 064120. DOI: 10.1063/1.5128937. (IF: 3.2). Link
• Rahul Agarwal, Arnab Sarkar, and Suman Chakraborty. "Interplay of Coriolis effect with rheology results in unique blood dynamics on a compact disc." Analyst 144, no. 12 (2019): 3782-3789. DOI: 10.1039/C9AN00645A. (IF: 4.2). Link
• Rahul Agarwal, and Suman Chakraborty. "Analytics with blood on hybrid paper-rotating disc device." Sensors and Actuators Reports 4 (2022): 100122. DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2022.100122. (IF: 5.9) . Link
• Rahul Agarwal, Abhay Patil, and Gerald Morrison. "Efficiency Prediction of Centrifugal Pump Using the Modified Affinity Laws." Journal of Energy Resources Technology 142, no. 3 (2020): 032102. DOI: 10.1115/1.4044940. (IF: 3) . Link
• Masoud Madadelahi, Rahul Agarwal, S.O.M. Chapa, and Marc J. Madou. "A roadmap to high-speed polymerase chain reaction (PCR): COVID-19 as a technology accelerator." Biosensors and Bioelectronics 244 (2023): 115830. DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115830. (IF: 12.5). Link
• Victor Pakira, Rahul Agarwal, Subhamoy Chatterjee, Arghya Mukherjee, and Suman Chakraborty. "Lipidest: a lipid profile screening test under extreme point of care settings using a portable spinning disc and an office scanner." Analytical Methods 15, no. 20 (2023): 2427-2440. DOI: 10.1039/D3AY00412K. (IF: 3.1). Link
• Abhiram Hens, Rahul Agarwal, Gautam Biswas. “Nanoscale study of boiling and evaporation in a liquid Ar film on a Pt heater using molecular dynamics simulation.” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 71 (2014): 303-312. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2013.12.032. (IF: 5.2). Link
• Gerald Morrison, Wenjie Yin, Rahul Agarwal, and Abhay Patil. "Evaluation of effect of viscosity on an electrical submersible pump." In ASME 2017 Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Digital Collection, 2017. DOI: 10.1115/FEDSM2017-69157. Link

Patents

• Rahul Agarwal, Arka Bhowmik, Arnab Sarkar, Devdeep Mukherjee, Suman Chakraborty. “A Point of Care System Comprising Blood/Body Fluid Counting Kit”. Patent No. 568043. (Granted).

Join Us

These interdisciplinary challenges welcome students from biotechnology, chemistry, pharmacy, as well as core engineering fields such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering—inviting all to innovate where medicine, biology, and next-generation healthcare technology converge. We enthusiastically welcome applications from students and researchers with an interest in any approach—whether experimental, computational, or theoretical. Join us to shape the future of interdisciplinary biomedical innovation!

If you are interested to apply or know more, please send an email to: rahulag@iitg.ac.in.

External Profiles

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