Kripa K. Varanasi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge. He is also the Faculty Director for the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation. He received his B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, and his SM (ME and EECS) and Ph.D. from MIT. Before joining MIT as a faculty member, Prof. Varanasi was a lead researcher and project leader at the GE Global Research Center, where he was recognized with awards in innovation and leadership such as Best Patent, Best Technology Project, and a Leadership Award.  

At MIT, he leads the Varanasi Research Group, an interdisciplinary lab focused on understanding many aspects of physico-chemical and biological phenomena. These include interfacial science, thermal-fluids, soft matter, electromagnetism, electrochemistry, phase transitions, advanced materials, and life sciences. In parallel, he also works on developing engineering systems and manufacturing processes that scale basic research into practical applications, with the goal of translating scientific discoveries into market-ready products. His work has contributed to the development of innovative materials, devices, products, and processes designed to address challenges in areas such as energy, decarbonization, life sciences, water, agriculture, transportation, and consumer products.  

He is passionate about entrepreneurship, scale-up, and manufacturing and has translated various technologies from lab to market. He has co-founded several companies, including AgZen, Alsym Energy, Coflo Medical, Infinite Cooling, LiquiGlide, and Dropwise.  His companies have been widely recognized for driving innovation across a range of industries. LiquiGlide has been recognized by Time and Forbes magazines as one of the “Best Inventions of the Year.” Infinite Cooling has received award the DOE’s National Cleantech University Prize, Edison Award for Sustainability and Water Conservation, Prix Galien EcoHealth Award. AgZen is pioneering feedback optimization for agrochemical application that allows farmers to use 30-90% less pesticides and fertilizers while achieving 1-10% more yield. AgZen has won the Agtech Breakthrough Crop Protection Solution of the Year. Alsym Energy is advancing non-flammable, high-performance batteries for energy storage that are Lithium-free and capable of wide range of storage durations. CoFlo Medical won the 2025 MIT 100K and is unlocking subq delivery of high concentration biologics and new therapeutics. 

Varanasi has been honored with several awards, including the NSF Career Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award, SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, ASME Bergles-Rohsenow Heat Transfer Award, Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, MIT 100K, MassChallenge and other entrepreneurship awards, ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, APS Milton van Dyke Award, and MIT Graduate Student Council’s Frank E. Perkins Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising. He has been recently elected to the National Academy of Inventors.