LEADERSHIP
PIIL staff has decades of collective experimental, computational, design and analysis experience. Our expertise assures consistent, effective results for complex projects in the nuclear power, defense and transportation infrastructure sectors. Our staff also supports creating structured financial strategies for large projects, especially in the field of nuclear power.
The staff includes talented engineers and researchers with advanced degrees, and a large cohort of capable graduate students who are pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees in civil and structural engineering and mechanical engineering at Purdue.
Dr. Amit Varma
Executive Director
Executive Director
Amit Varma is a highly decorated, world-renowned structural engineering researcher with nearly 25 years as a go-to problem-solver, especially in nuclear power, defense and tall buildings. Varma holds appointments as the Karl H. Kettelhut Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University and is director of Purdue’s Bowen Large Scale Structural Testing Laboratory. He has a strong network within the structural engineering community and associated trades groups. Varma’s research products are extensively cited in numerous national and international building codes and standards for the design of civil engineering structures.
Rinaldo Hunt
Executive Director for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Executive Director for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Rinaldo Hunt has more than two decades of finance, marketing and business development experience and has been essential in financing and development of many commercial and industrial projects. Hunt has a deep network of executives and investors in the nuclear power industry, which is critical for helping organize complex power purchase agreements and pre-development infrastructure finance strategies.
Dr. Sanjeev Malushte
Distinguished Fellow & Senior Director of Technology
Distinguished Fellow & Senior Director of Technology
Sanjeev Malushte holds many professional engineering licenses in the United States and United Kingdom. He is a former Bechtel Fellow and is a well-known structural engineer with more than 35 years of experience. His expertise includes many functional and line management roles and responsibilities to support analysis, design and consulting for a broad spectrum of projects in nuclear, defense, space launch, transportation and energy facilities. He also has teaching and research roles in the academia. Malushte uses his experience and expertise to develop innovative structural and construction technologies for applications to many types of infrastructure facilities. He is an active member of many codes and standards committees and is well networked within the structural engineering profession.
Dr. Robert Connor
Director of Bridge and Transportation Infrastructure Division
Director of Bridge and Transportation Infrastructure Division
Robert Connor is an internationally recognized leader in bridge engineering and has had significant impact in developing bridge design specifications. He is director of the S-BRITE Center, deputy director of Bowen Lab and is the Jack and Kay Hockema Professor of Civil Engineering in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue. Connor has received numerous national awards, evidence of his significant impact on the industry. He has been involved with many bridge failure investigations throughout the United States and dozens of repair and retrofit projects. This has made for his deep network in the bridge and transportation engineering community.