Research Portfolio

A more structured view of what I work on: themes, projects, publications, teaching, and the methods I use along the way.

Research themes

Environmental assessment of electronics

I study the environmental impacts of semiconductor fabrication and integrated circuit manufacturing, using process-level and industry-scale life cycle assessment (LCA) frameworks to quantify Scope 1/2/3 greenhouse gas emissions across electronics supply chains.

Sustainable computing & data center hardware

I model datacenter server lifecycles — including replacement, refurbishment, and end-of-life pathways — to understand carbon and cost trade-offs in large-scale computing infrastructure.

Uncertainty-aware decision-making

Much of my work focuses on data gaps and uncertainty: building models that make those uncertainties explicit, using sensitivity analysis and computational methods to guide where better data would most improve decisions.

Current & recent projects

Carbon footprinting of semiconductor manufacturing

As a PhD researcher in the Olivetti Group at MIT, I analyze semiconductor fabrication and IC manufacturing to quantify Scope 1/2/3 emissions. This work combines bottom-up process models with top-down industry data to build LCA frameworks that capture uncertainty and highlight key drivers of impact.

Server replacement dynamics in datacenters

I model how datacenters should replace or refurbish servers over time, incorporating efficiency trends, operational lifetimes, refurbishment pathways, and system-dynamics representations of fleet evolution. The goal is to understand how refresh strategies interact with embodied emissions, grid carbon intensity, workloads, and cost.

Uncertainty in hardware carbon footprinting

This work develops uncertainty-aware carbon footprint models for server hardware and semiconductor-intensive systems. By quantifying data gaps and performing sensitivity analysis, we identify which parameters and supply-chain assumptions matter most for sustainable computing decisions.

Fab sustainability assessment at Seagate Technology

During a sustainability-focused internship at Seagate’s HDD manufacturing operations in Minnesota, I conducted on-site fab audits and interviews with engineering, EHS, and sustainability teams. I mapped energy, chemical, and material flows and evaluated strategies (including PFAS reduction) to support the fab’s long-term sustainability roadmap.

Manufacturing sustainability & waste reduction in industry

I have also worked on industrial waste-analysis projects, including developing strategies to reduce landfill-to-waste percentages in manufacturing environments and supporting process-improvement efforts through data-driven analysis and Six Sigma–aligned methodologies.

Publications & Presentations

Working Drafts

  • N. Bashir, A. Belavadi Subramanya, J. Xia, K. Wu, V. Gohil, A. Gupta, M. Zgola, G. Norris, E. Olivetti, C. Delimitrou, “Uncertainty-Aware Carbon Footprint Modeling and Decision-Making in Sustainable Computing.”

Publications

  • N. Bashir, V. Gohil, A. Belavadi Subramanya, M. Shahrad, D. Irwin, E. Olivetti, and C. Delimitrou, “The Sunk Carbon Fallacy: Rethinking Carbon Footprint Metrics for Effective Carbon-Aware Scheduling,” in Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing (SoCC ’24), Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 2024, pp. 542–551. DOI: 10.1145/3698038.3698542.
  • T. Bhargavi, N. M. Nair, A. Belavadi, and P. Swaminathan, “Fabrication of a Printed Heater Using a Composite of Silver Nanowires and Neutral PEDOT:PSS,” IEEE Journal on Flexible Electronics, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 395-401, Sept. 2023. DOI: 10.1109/JFLEX.2022.3224636.

Conference Presentations

  • A. Belavadi, A. Gupta, R. Kirchain, G. Norris, and E. Olivetti, “PAIA – Product Attributes to Impact Algorithm,” presented at Consultation Meeting – Towards Ambitious LCA Product Category Rules for ICT Equipment, Workshop at Electronics Goes Green 2024 Conference, Berlin, Germany, June 2024

Poster Presentations

  • A. Belavadi Subramanya, N. Bashir, J. Xia, A. Gupta, M. Zgola, G. Norris, E. Olivetti, “The Hidden Impact: Exploring Uncertainties in Server Hardware Carbon Footprinting.” IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE), Singapore, July 2025.
  • A. Belavadi Subramanya, N. Bashir, J. Xia, A. Gupta, M. Zgola, G. Norris, and E. Olivetti, “Advancing Environmental Assessment of Semiconductor Manufacturing,” MIT Sustainability Connect, Cambridge, MA, April 2025.
  • A. Belavadi Subramanya, Y. Gao, N. Bashir, J. Cuff, J. Gregory, and E. Olivetti, “Optimizing Server Replacement in Datacenters for Sustainable Energy Management,” MIT Energy Initiative Annual Research Conference, Cambridge, MA, September 2024.
  • T. Bhargavi, N. M. Nair, A. Belavadi, and P. Swaminathan, “Silver nanowire-based flexible and transparent wearable heaters,” 5th International Conference on Emerging Electronics (IEEE-ICEE 2020), IIT Delhi, November 2020.

Invited Talks

  • “Decoding the Carbon Footprint of Semiconductor Manufacturing,” MITEC Seminar Series, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , April 2025.
  • “Enhancing Environmental Sustainability in Semiconductor Manufacturing.” Seagate Virtual AI/ML Distinguished Speaker Series, August 2024.
  • "Climate Implications of Carbon and Computing,” MITEC Student Speaker Series, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, October 27 2023.

Professional Experience

Sappi North America

Sustainable Business Lab Project, Feb 2025 - May 2024
  • Developed a comprehensive waste-reduction roadmap for Sappi North America by analyzing mill waste streams and assessing operational, regulatory, and partnership constraints shaping landfill dependence.
  • Evaluated risks and challenges related to waste composition, site location, and infrastructure limitations to identify viable pathways for transitioning toward beneficial-use strategies.
  • Identified composting through cross-industry waste mixing as the most promising long-term solution, creating feedstock-mixing guidelines aligned with industry standards.
  • Proposed a regional composting model with sawmills, food-waste generators, and agricultural partners, outlining permitting, quality testing, logistics, and collaboration incentives to support scalable implementation.

Seagate Technology, Bloomington, MN

Site Visit, July 2024 - Aug 2024
  • Conducted on-site fab assessment, interviewing engineers and sustainability teams to understand environmental challenges in manufacturing.
  • Engaged with experts across CMP, electroplating, ALD, and wet etch to gather insights on energy use, material flows, and waste management.
  • Interviewed EHS teams and tool engineers to explore PFAS reduction, tool energy standardization, and emissions tracking for semiconductor-adjacent processes.

Qualitech Precision Industries, Bengaluru, India

Industrial Internship, Dec 2020 - Jan 2021
  • Monitored machining used to make parts for various machines, including automotive, medical and aeronautical applications.
  • Studied CNC, VMC, HMC, Cylindrical Grinding, other SPMs and programmed Coordinate Measuring Machine(CMM).

Vyoma Linguistic Labs Foundation, Bengaluru, India

Web Development Internship, May 2019 - Jul 2019
  • Developed a web-based tool to learn and practice a Sanskrit grammatical aspect using HTML and JavaScript.

Teaching

MIT, Course: 3.560 - Industrial Ecology of Materials

Teaching Assistant, Fall 2025
  • Supported course delivery through leading discussions, assisting with lectures, and guiding students on assignments and case-study projects in life cycle assessment (LCA), material flow analysis, and sustainable materials systems.
  • Delivered a guest lecture on uncertainty analysis in life cycle assessment, introducing methods for quantifying data gaps and assessing model sensitivity.

Gradskey, Course: Computational Mathematics with Sagemath

Course Instructor
  • Taught Computational Mathematics with Sagemath, created slides, assignments and other teaching materials to aid students.

IIT Madras, Course: MM3110 - Computational Materials Engineering Lab

Teaching Assistant, July 2021 - November 2021
  • Assisted in preparing assignments, solutions, graded 40+ assignments and handled weekly programming lab sessions.

IIT Madras, Course: MT4110 - Computational Methods in Materials Engineering

Teaching Assistant, July 2021 - November 2021
  • Evaluated 20+ assignments and organized sessions to address difficulties faced by students.

IIT Madras, Course: MM2090 - Introduction to Scientific Computing

Teaching Assistant, April 2021 - June 2021
  • Evaluated 30+ assignments, mentored 25+ students and conducted induction sessions to introduce them to research.

Methods & Skills

Environmental & Sustainability Assessment

  • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Goal and scope definition, functional unit selection, system boundary setting, inventory data compilation, impact assessment, interpretation, sensitivity analysis, scenario modeling; LCA for electronics, materials systems, manufacturing, and organizational carbon footprints.
  • Uncertainty Analysis in LCA: Monte Carlo simulation, parameter uncertainty handling, data quality assessment (Pedigree matrix), analytic and stochastic propagation of uncertainty, variance decomposition.
  • Material Flow Analysis (MFA): Mass-balance modeling, stock/flow quantification, dynamic MFA, waste management and dematerialization strategies.
  • Environmental Footprint Modeling: Ecological footprint analysis, land-use footprints, scope 1–3 carbon accounting, eco-audits based on Ashby methodologies.
  • Energy & Climate Systems Modeling: Carbon budgets, planetary boundaries framework, climate scenario development using models like En-ROADS; mapping technology and policy pathways to sustainability transitions.
  • End-of-Life & Circularity Assessment: Product EOL modeling, recycling rates & constraints (Dahmus & Gutowski), materials recovery processes, substitution strategies, circular materials systems.

Systems Thinking & System Dynamics

  • Dynamic Systems Modeling: Stock-and-flow diagrams, causal loop diagrams, system boundary definition, dynamic hypothesis formulation.
  • Simulation Modeling: Building, calibrating, and validating system dynamics models (Vensim); sensitivity analysis; scenario exploration; management flight simulators.
  • Complex Systems Analysis: Feedback loops, delay structures, reinforcing/balancing dynamics, nonlinearities, diffusion of innovations, rebound effects, market growth/maturity cycles.
  • Policy & Strategy Modeling: Designing and evaluating sustainability interventions in complex social-ecological systems; corporate sustainability strategy modeling; supply chain and operations dynamics.

Manufacturing Systems, Processes & Six Sigma

  • Six Sigma (Green Belt–level training): DMAIC methodology (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), root cause analysis, defect/yield modeling, Pareto & fishbone analysis, statistical process control (SPC), design of experiments (DOE).
  • Process Modeling & Cost Analysis: Cost of Ownership modeling, process capability evaluation, line balancing, throughput/yield modeling, factory flow optimization.
  • Semiconductor Manufacturing: Wafer handling/cleaning, contamination control, lithography & etch, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), furnace diffusion, metrics for environmental footprint of fabs.
  • Sustainable Manufacturing: Process-based environmental footprinting of fabs, chemical waste reduction, sustainable process-rule development, energy & resource intensity mapping of semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing flows.

Data Science, Machine Learning & Quantitative Methods

  • Programming & Tools: Python (NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn), MATLAB, C/C++, SQL, JavaScript, LaTeX.
  • Supervised Learning: Regression, classification, ensemble methods, nonlinear models.
  • Unsupervised Learning: Clustering, dimensionality reduction, density estimation.
  • Structured & Spatiotemporal Modeling: Models for temporal patterns, spatial datasets, graph-based structures.
  • ML + Optimization: Decision-making under uncertainty, hybrid ML–physical models, reinforcement learning fundamentals.
  • Generative Modeling: Foundations in generative processes and uncertainty quantification for predictive modeling.
  • Interpretability & Fairness: Explainable ML principles and fairness diagnostics in sustainability-focused ML pipelines.
  • Data Handling: Feature engineering, exploratory data analysis, statistical inference, model validation.

Economics, Decision Analysis & Sustainability Strategy

  • Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) & Cost Modeling: NPV, IRR, sensitivity analysis, risk-adjusted valuation for long-term sustainability investments.
  • Flexibility Analysis & Real Options in Engineering: Identifying and valuing strategic flexibility to mitigate downside risk and enable adaptation to uncertain futures.
  • Uncertainty & Risk Analysis: Probability distributions, scenario modeling, variance analysis, decision-making under uncertainty.
  • Sustainable Business Strategy: Applying PROMISE framework (Vision, Forecasting, Baselining, Implementation, Leadership) for organizational sustainability transformation.
  • Corporate Climate & ESG Strategy: Materiality assessment, SASB standards, science-based target setting (SBTi), capital market sustainability expectations, non-market strategy & policy engagement.

Negotiation, Communication & Leadership

  • Sustainability Negotiation Frameworks: Preparation and strategy using Verdini’s Winning Together (value creation, mutual gains).
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Systems-informed communication, environmental and human rights due diligence, facilitating sustainability discussions.
  • Technical & Research Communication: Structuring complex technical results for academic, policy, and industrial audiences; slide design and storytelling.
  • Teaching & Curriculum Support: As TA for Industrial Ecology of Materials—supporting lectures, assignments, case studies; guest lecturing on uncertainty analysis & LCA.

Courses

Sustainability, Industrial Ecology & Environmental Systems

Systems Thinking, System Dynamics & Decision Analysis

Manufacturing, Processes & Industrial Systems

Machine Learning, Data Analytics & Computation

Other Courses