Durgadevi

R&D professional with 4.3 years of industrial experience in formulation development, sustainable materials, coating technology, laboratory experimentation, material characterization, application trials and technical validation. Hands-on experience in developing and optimizing coating formulations for paper-based and biodegradable packaging applications. Experienced in experimental design, raw material evaluation, formulation optimization, performance testing, troubleshooting, data analysis, technical documentation and customer/application trials.

Skilled in WVTR, OTR, FTIR, tensile testing, Cobb, viscosity, solids content and coating GSM evaluation. Experienced in supporting product development and commercialization through laboratory trials, technical validation, experimental data interpretation and cross-functional collaboration.

Research Associate at PAKKA Ltd (2024-03 – Present)

• Developed and optimized 20+ coating formulations through laboratory-scale experiments for sustainable packaging applications.
• Designed and executed formulation trials by evaluating raw material combinations, formulation parameters, substrate compatibility, coating performance and application requirements.
• Worked on coating development for metallized and non-metallized paper structures, including paper-based and biodegradable packaging materials.
• Evaluated and optimized formulation performance through WVTR, OTR, Cobb, tensile, FTIR, viscosity, solids content, coating GSM and other material characterization techniques.
• Conducted systematic experimental trials to identify suitable formulation ranges and improve packaging barrier and functional performance while considering material compatibility and practical application requirements.
• Investigated formulation and application-related failures through raw material evaluation, formulation review, coating-process assessment, testing and comparative experimental trials.
• Supported application and customer trials by preparing formulations, evaluating trial results, identifying technical issues and recommending formulation or process improvements.
• Worked with biopolymers and biodegradable materials for sustainable packaging development and evaluated their performance for practical packaging applications.
• Contributed to achieving WVTR and OTR values below 10 for selected packaging applications through formulation optimization and experimental evaluation.
• Supported product development and commercialization activities by generating technical data, interpreting experimental results and providing formulation and material recommendations.
• Maintained experimental records, test results and technical documentation to support formulation development, validation and decision-making.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams during product development, customer trials and commercialization activities.
• Trained junior team members on laboratory procedures, experimental work and material testing practices.

Junior Research Associate at Filtrex Technologies (Marmon Holdings) (2023-05 – 2024-02)

• Designed and executed experiments to evaluate Anti scalent product effectiveness and chemical performance.
• Analyzed raw materials and supported optimization of synthesis pathways based on research findings and experimental observations.
• Performed instrument calibration and maintenance to support accurate and reliable laboratory testing.
• Maintained detailed experimental records and technical documentation to ensure reproducibility and process validation.
• Evaluated experimental results and supported R&D activities related to product development and performance improvement.
• Followed established laboratory safety, chemical handling, and quality procedures.

Research Trainee at ITC LSTC (2022-09 – 2023-04)

• Contributed to the development of plastic-free packaging coatings for sustainable packaging applications.
• Conducted testing and characterization of raw materials and finished materials to evaluate performance and suitability.
• Assisted in optimizing coating formulations to improve substrate compatibility and functional performance.
• Worked with laboratory testing equipment and maintained equipment to support consistent testing results.
• Documented experimental observations and results for R&D evaluation.
• Followed strict laboratory safety, chemical handling, and quality procedures in an industrial R&D environment.

M.Sc. in Chemistry – The Standard Fireworks Rajaratnam College for Women, Sivakasi (2020-06 – 2022-07)

B.Sc. in Chemistry – The Cardamom Planters' Association College, Theni (2017-06 – 2020-05)