About
Skanda Vishnu Sundar is an environmental engineer and environmental biotechnology researcher based in the Greater Phoenix area. His work focuses on bridging laboratory-scale microbial processes with real-world environmental engineering applications, particularly where waste streams and infrastructure meet.
He is currently an Environmental Engineer at Arcadis U.S., Inc., building on graduate research at Arizona State University in microbial chain elongation, scrap tire valorization, and contaminated-soil analysis.
Professional Summary
Skanda specializes in environmental biotechnology, microbially mediated waste-to-value pathways, contaminated-soil assessment, and sustainable infrastructure development. His background spans academic research, industry consulting, and hands-on field investigations. He is particularly interested in microbial chain elongation, scrap-tire valorization, and engineered ecosystems that support climate-resilient infrastructure.
- Experience supporting environmental projects at Arcadis U.S., Inc.
- Research background at Arizona State University in environmental biotechnology
- Published work on chain elongation and rubber recycling pathways
- Field experience with contaminated soils and petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)
- Technical writing, scientific analysis, and lab-to-application translation
Areas of Focus
Skanda works at the intersection of environmental science and engineered systems. These are the areas where he has the most experience and interest:
- Environmental Biotechnology & Microbial Process Engineering
- Scrap Tire Recycling & Valorization
- Microbial Chain Elongation (acetate → butyrate → hexanoate)
- Contaminated Soil Assessment & TPH Remediation
- Sustainable Pavement & Bitumen–Rubber Interactions
- Data-Driven Environmental Analysis
- Materials Reuse & Waste-to-Value Systems
Current Role
Skanda works as an Environmental Engineer at Arcadis U.S., Inc., contributing to sustainability-driven projects across the Greater Phoenix region. His work includes environmental sampling, data interpretation, contaminated soil evaluation, site characterization, and cross-disciplinary support for environmental consulting teams.
Background
Before joining Arcadis, Skanda conducted research at the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at Arizona State University. His work involved microbial manipulation, optimization of chain-elongation pathways, and materials reuse through microbially mediated processes. He also collaborated with the CREATeS Center (Rowan University) on sustainable pavement materials and rubber–bitumen interaction.
His academic training includes graduate work in civil and environmental engineering at ASU and an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Anna University/SSN College of Engineering.
A Little More
Outside of engineering, Skanda is interested in high-efficiency transit systems, materials science, and community-scale sustainability initiatives. He enjoys technical writing, experimental design, and exploring ways engineering and biology intersect in practical, real-world systems.