Today we're spotlighting Chaitanya Wadkar, Senior CFD Engineer at Amogy. Read on for his unique perspective on working at Amogy, our ammonia-to-power technology, and the future of ammonia as an energy source.
Name: Chaitanya Wadkar
Job title: Senior CFD Engineer
Team: Engineering, Research, and Operations
With a career shaped by deep technical expertise in combustion, alternative fuels, and high-fidelity computational modeling, Chaitanya brings a rare combination of academic rigor and applied engineering experience to his role at Amogy. He works at the core of Amogy’s ammonia-to-power technology, where predictive simulations directly inform reactor design and enable close collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines.
Can you share a bit about your background and what led you into this field?
I grew up in Mumbai, India, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering before moving to the U.S. to pursue a master’s at Kettering University in Michigan. During my master’s program, I followed a research-focused track and worked on CFD-based studies to improve diesel engine combustion. This experience was pivotal as it was my first exposure to using high-fidelity simulation to understand and improve complex reacting-flow systems.
Building on that foundation, I completed my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, where my research focused on alternative fuels using a combination of experimental diagnostics and numerical modeling.
I then pursued post-doctoral research at the University of Minnesota, focusing on numerical modeling of ammonia and hydrogen fuel oxidation and packed-bed reactor modeling with heterogeneous reaction kinetics. It was through this work that I developed a deep technical understanding of ammonia-based fuel systems and their underlying physics and chemistry. The insights gained from this research highlighted ammonia’s potential as a scalable, carbon-free energy carrier, and it shaped my decision to transition from academic research into applied technology development.
What inspired you to join Amogy?
During my postdoc, I was working on projects that closely aligned with what Amogy was already pursuing in the field of catalytic reactor systems and ammonia-based fuels. While reviewing literature in this space, I came across Amogy’s early demonstrations, such as the ammonia-powered drone and tractor.
What stood out was that Amogy was not simply exploring ammonia-to-power as a theoretical concept. The company was actively designing and building hardware and proving that these systems could operate in practice. I saw an opportunity to transition from academic research to real-world impact, where the models and concepts I developed could directly inform functioning energy systems.
I have always wanted to work in a field where my technical training could directly contribute to addressing climate change, and Amogy provided a clear path to apply my expertise in a way that has measurable environmental impact. The combination of technical ambition, execution, and purpose is what ultimately convinced me to join.
What do you do at Amogy, and how has your role evolved?
I am a Senior CFD Engineer at Amogy, which means I develop high-fidelity simulation models that drive the design of the company's reactor systems. What makes the role unique is that CFD is not a secondary tool here; but instead plays a critical role in guiding engineering decisions throughout development and in how we create, refine, and scale our reactor designs.
Over time, my role has expanded from modeling focused work to leading key aspects of reactor design. This includes influencing geometry development, defining operating conditions, and shaping the overall system architecture. I work closely with structural engineers, manufacturing teams, CAD designers, chemical engineers, and test teams to translate simulation results into fabricated hardware and experimental validation. Seeing designs progress from models to working systems through this interdisciplinary collaboration is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
What do you enjoy most about working at Amogy?
What I enjoy most is the opportunity to translate advanced research into real, operating systems. In academic settings, ideas often remain at the conceptual or simulation stage. At Amogy, those ideas are engineered, built, and tested. Seeing a reactor design progress from a CFD model on my screen to functioning hardware is extremely rewarding.
I also value Amogy’s strong culture of ownership. Since CFD plays a central role in product development, I have a direct technical stake in the performance and reliability of the systems we design. It feels like guiding an idea from first principles through detailed modeling and into physical hardware, with clear responsibility at each step.
Having said that, equally important is the team. Engineers from multiple disciplines work closely together every day, bringing different perspectives to complex problems. The environment is collaborative, mission-driven, and intellectually engaging. I’m constantly learning from the people around me.
From your perspective, what’s exciting about the future of ammonia and hydrogen as fuels?
What excites me most is that ammonia introduces a powerful new option for decarbonizing sectors where electrification alone is not sufficient, particularly in heavy-duty and high-energy-demand applications. As a carbon-free fuel with high energy density, ammonia can be paired with fuel cells or engines to deliver reliable, scalable power in ways that few other alternatives can.
At the same time, there are real challenges to address, such as building ammonia fueling infrastructure, reducing system costs as technologies scale, establishing safety and regulatory frameworks, and integrating these technologies within existing architecture. Addressing these challenges requires careful system-level engineering, which is exactly why the work being done at Amogy is so important.
Amogy recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. What does that milestone mean to you, and what are you excited about going forward?
Five years is a major accomplishment, especially given the amount of progress Amogy has made in a relatively short time. It reflects not only technical achievement, but the company’s ability to consistently execute and transition from early demonstrations to increasingly mature and deployable systems.
Looking ahead, I’m excited by the expanding range of applications for the technology. The portfolio is growing, the systems are becoming more refined, and the pace of development continues to accelerate. We now have the computational capability, technical depth, supportive policy environment, and most importantly the people needed to keep advancing ammonia-to-power technology. I feel very optimistic about the direction we’re heading in and the impact this work can have going forward.