ChemE alumna’s fleet decarbonization solution wins hackathon

Saaksshi Jilhewar (ChemE ’23) feels three steps ahead after earning her master’s degree from the Department of Chemical Engineering. “The world has yet to see AI’s potential in chemical engineering, but I’m already there,” she says.

As a lead data scientist at Neuralix Inc., Jilhewar works with the midstream sector of the oil and gas and manufacturing industries. She applies concepts from machine learning, optimization, and data science to help companies make more sustainable choices and also reduce their downtime. Her job requires expertise in both chemical engineering and data science.

Jilhewar’s drive comes from solving issues in industry as technology evolves. She recently led the Neuralix team that won the 2024 Shell.ai Changemakers of Tomorrow Global Hackathon for Sustainable and Affordable Energy. The challenge focused on fleet decarbonization. Jilhewar combined AI, machine learning, and real-time analytics in a platform that optimizes for carbon emissions and cost.

In the startup division, the Neuralix team competed against more than 390 startups from more than 70 countries. The first stage of the competition began in May. Jilhewar submitted a mixed-integer linear programming model that was scored high enough to advance. In the second stage, Jilhewar had to explain how her fleet decarbonization solution is not only innovative but also flexible and scalable for industry.

When she advanced to the third stage, Jilhewar was joined by a deployment team from Neuralix who developed the user interface and user experience for the platform. Jilhewar pitched their solution to a fleet owner. Her team was selected as one of three finalists. In Bangalore, India, in September, Jilhewar made one final, five-minute pitch to an audience of thousands.

Shell will now collaborate with Neuralix to take their winning solution from prototype to deployment. They are trying to solve a real-life use-case and meet an industry need. Jilhewar is continuing to lead the project, equipped with the skills for Industry 4.0.

Jilhewar is grateful to her faculty, peers, family, and friends for supporting her along her journey and particularly during the hackathon and her graduate studies. She was part of the first cohort to graduate from Carnegie Mellon’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering-Chemical Engineering (MS in AIE-ChE) degree program. In her conversations with colleagues in industry, Jilhewar has heard of very few similar graduate programs in the United States. “When I tell someone that I did my master’s in artificial intelligence engineering and chemical engineering, there’s a curiosity that sparks within them,” she says.

Jilhewar appreciates that AI and ChemE are integrated in the program, not separate degrees. She carried this through all her course projects, applying concepts from both fields. For her independent project, “Optimization of Cyclic Multistage Batches Using Probabilistic Machine Learning Surrogates with Uncertainty,” Jilhewar worked with Carl Laird and the Center for Advanced Process Decision-making. From her work in industry, she has a deeper understanding of the applications of the research and their importance.

“Before this degree, my training was in core chemical engineering. Now I have broadened my career prospects,” she says. “I’m future-ready.”

Pictured, top: Saaksshi Jilhewar (third from left) and the hackathon team from Neuralix Inc.