Varun Kelkar

Varun Kelkar, PhD, PE, is a Project Manager and Environmental Engineer at Alta Southwest since January 2022, with a diverse background in environmental engineering and research. Prior experience includes serving as a Volunteer Environmental Engineer at Plastic Oceans International, where collaboration with Blueland corporation focused on biodegradation evaluations and wastewater compliance. As a Graduate Research Assistant at Arizona State University, Varun partnered with the City of Tempe to analyze opioid consumption patterns in wastewater, contributing to a publicly available opioid dashboard. Significant contributions were also made as a Research Technician at The Biodesign Institute, leading impactful studies on plastic pollution, and in previous roles at Green's Lab and VVF Group, focusing on wastewater treatment and glycerin manufacturing processes. Varun holds a PhD in Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering and a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, both from Arizona State University, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Mumbai.