Clean air: Tec professor wins award for international research

Venkata Karthik, a research professor at the Tec's State of Mexico campus, has been recognized by the Seed Grant Program for his research in gas sensor development and optimization using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect air pollutants.

Karthik worked in collaboration with Arturo Ponce, a researcher from the University of Texas, with the goal of applying machine learning algorithms to sensors to reliably detect benzene, a highly toxic compound pertaining to the petrochemical industry.

The Seed Grant Program is an initiative created by the University of Texas at San Antonio, in collaboration with Tec de Monterrey, which aims to support early-stage, collaborative projects that further their mutual research interests.

"It was very surprising because it was the first time we'd participated in this call and we didn't expect to win", Karthik said.

International scientific collaboration

Karthik and Ponce had previously collaborated. In 2025, the professor from the Tec's State of Mexico campus organized a symposium as part of the International Materials Research Congress, to which he invited Arturo Ponce as co-organizer.

"It's where almost all the researchers working with nanomaterials meet. They come from the United States, Europe, and all over Latin America.

"I went as a student in 2012. In 2025, I was organizing a new symposium and was looking for some co-organizers," Karthik recalled.

So, along with Ponce and two other doctors, Karthik managed to organize one of the 40 symposia held during the congress's 33rd edition.

"Participating in and winning this call was amazing".

What's more, Karthik is working on two lines of research at the Tec's State of Mexico campus. The first one is dedicated to wastewater treatment and the other to the manufacture of nanosensors.

"These sensors have generated significant interest due to their diverse applications; so far, we've contacted three types of industries", he explained.

Hailing from India, Venkata Karthik holds a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He began his career at the Tec in 2023. Since then, he has published over twenty national and international articles.

He's currently a Level 1 member of the National System of Researchers (SNII), a distinction that seeks to foster and strengthen the quality of scientific and technological research, as well as the innovation produced in Mexico.

DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT READING:

Related stories