Dr. Ashvani Kumar: Leveraging extensive experience, technology & innovation to help firms grow high-quality lab-grown diamonds
Dr. Ashvani Kumar
Founder & CEO
An accomplished research professional with extensive experience and skillset in growing high-quality diamonds, Dr. Ashvani Kumar completed his Ph.D. in Material Science & Engineering from IIT Roorkee before doing his fellowship in Korea. After years of extensive experience and research, he started his Ahmedabad-based leading MPCVD reactors manufacturing firm, Pristine Diamonds. Under his able guidance and leadership, Pristine has become one of the leading one-stop solution providers for its clients to grow high-quality lab-grown diamonds.
In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights, Dr. Ashvani sheds light on his professional background and experience, the various technical trends adopted at Pristine Diamonds, his leadership approach, and much more.
Give a brief account of your professional background and
experiences. Could you tell us about the unique experiences IIT Roorkee offers?
I completed my Ph.D. in Material Science & Engineering from IIT Roorkee in 2009. Later, I received several international fellowships and spent more than four and a half years in Korea, where I gained experience in fabricating solid-state nanopore devices using CVD & PVD techniques for their applications in DNA sequencing and single molecule sensing. Later, I returned to India and joined Bennett University, where I served as a professor for almost half a decade before starting my organization, Pristine Diamonds.
Studying at IIT Roorkee was an incredible journey full of opportunities equipped with diverse skill sets and personal growth that shaped my entrepreneurial mindset. If I look beyond the academics then the multi-year Ph.D. program provided me with an inter disciplinary perspective on the research landscape and deeper insight into challenges. It helped me to broaden my horizons and fostered a holistic problem solving approach.
How would you define Pristine Diamonds as an organization and its current position in the market?
As an organization, Pristine Diamonds leverages cutting-edge technology to design, develop, and manufacture advanced MPCVD reactors. As an outcome of my dedicated research and development team, we are innovative in our approach to addressing real-time technological challenges faced by the client to grow high-quality diamonds. Looking rearward, I can proudly say that as an organization, Pristine Diamonds has been very progressive since its inception. Coming to market position, we are globally one of the few companies that are working on the horizon of setting up the entire facility with high-end reactors and growing high-quality diamonds as these are the two different segments. We are a pro-investor company and emerged as a single-point solution provider. These factors put Pristine Diamonds on edge with global manufacturers.
Elaborate about the technology framework built within the company’s solutions. Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow as a leader?
As I mentioned Pristine Diamonds is committed to innovations and
I completed my Ph.D. in Material Science & Engineering from IIT Roorkee in 2009. Later, I received several international fellowships and spent more than four and a half years in Korea, where I gained experience in fabricating solid-state nanopore devices using CVD & PVD techniques for their applications in DNA sequencing and single molecule sensing. Later, I returned to India and joined Bennett University, where I served as a professor for almost half a decade before starting my organization, Pristine Diamonds.
Don’t be scared of failures, as each failure offers new alternatives that eventually lead to success
Studying at IIT Roorkee was an incredible journey full of opportunities equipped with diverse skill sets and personal growth that shaped my entrepreneurial mindset. If I look beyond the academics then the multi-year Ph.D. program provided me with an inter disciplinary perspective on the research landscape and deeper insight into challenges. It helped me to broaden my horizons and fostered a holistic problem solving approach.
How would you define Pristine Diamonds as an organization and its current position in the market?
As an organization, Pristine Diamonds leverages cutting-edge technology to design, develop, and manufacture advanced MPCVD reactors. As an outcome of my dedicated research and development team, we are innovative in our approach to addressing real-time technological challenges faced by the client to grow high-quality diamonds. Looking rearward, I can proudly say that as an organization, Pristine Diamonds has been very progressive since its inception. Coming to market position, we are globally one of the few companies that are working on the horizon of setting up the entire facility with high-end reactors and growing high-quality diamonds as these are the two different segments. We are a pro-investor company and emerged as a single-point solution provider. These factors put Pristine Diamonds on edge with global manufacturers.
Elaborate about the technology framework built within the company’s solutions. Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow as a leader?
As I mentioned Pristine Diamonds is committed to innovations and
implementing them in the manufacturing process of advanced MPCVD reactors in terms of quality, automation, durability, high throughput, and ease of functionality. We advanced our technology to develop Ultra-high vacuum reactors being utilized in a semiconducting industry to grow electronic-grade single-crystal diamonds containing a ppb level of nitrogen. We also have taken one step ahead to develop reactors capable of growing doped diamonds for their applications in power electronics. I must add that over the years diamonds will emerge as a material of high technological importance other than just being used as a jewelry stone.
Instead of micromanaging, I believe in effective team building and empowerment through structuring a healthy workspace. The focus has always been on enhancing the skillsets of our employees. In case of facing any technical challenges, instead of providing instructions to follow, I believe in solving the problem together as a team.
What is the future destination you are heading towards? What are the latest technology trends that the company is planning to adopt?
Currently, we are focused on developing various diamond-based devices by integrating them with other materials that can be used for their applications in power electronics, thermal spreaders, quantum computing, and more. Looking at the boom in the Indian semiconducting industry, we also have initiated manufacturing industrial-scale Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) chambers for advanced coating applications.
Currently, we are also emphasizing on hetero epitaxial growth of large-area single-crystal diamond wafers which is an extremely challenging process and will take another couple of years for optimized growth. In short, we are working in areas where we can utilize diamonds to the fullest across different segments.
Dr. Ashvani Kumar, Founder & CEO, Pristine Diamonds
An accomplished research professional with extensive experience and skillset in growing high-quality diamonds, Dr. Ashvani Kumar has 23 international publications in various reputed journals to his name with more than 1100 citations across the globe. Currently, he works as the Founder & CEO of Ahmedabad-based leading MPCVD reactor manufacturing firm Pristine Diamonds. An inspiring leader with a firm belief in effective team building and empowerment, Dr. Ashvani has done his Ph.D. in Material Science & Engineering from IIT Roorkee.
•Hobbies:Playing Badminton, Running Marathons
Instead of micromanaging, I believe in effective team building and empowerment through structuring a healthy workspace. The focus has always been on enhancing the skillsets of our employees. In case of facing any technical challenges, instead of providing instructions to follow, I believe in solving the problem together as a team.
What is the future destination you are heading towards? What are the latest technology trends that the company is planning to adopt?
Currently, we are focused on developing various diamond-based devices by integrating them with other materials that can be used for their applications in power electronics, thermal spreaders, quantum computing, and more. Looking at the boom in the Indian semiconducting industry, we also have initiated manufacturing industrial-scale Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) chambers for advanced coating applications.
Currently, we are also emphasizing on hetero epitaxial growth of large-area single-crystal diamond wafers which is an extremely challenging process and will take another couple of years for optimized growth. In short, we are working in areas where we can utilize diamonds to the fullest across different segments.
Dr. Ashvani Kumar, Founder & CEO, Pristine Diamonds
An accomplished research professional with extensive experience and skillset in growing high-quality diamonds, Dr. Ashvani Kumar has 23 international publications in various reputed journals to his name with more than 1100 citations across the globe. Currently, he works as the Founder & CEO of Ahmedabad-based leading MPCVD reactor manufacturing firm Pristine Diamonds. An inspiring leader with a firm belief in effective team building and empowerment, Dr. Ashvani has done his Ph.D. in Material Science & Engineering from IIT Roorkee.
•Hobbies:Playing Badminton, Running Marathons