A bit about me
Mechanical engineer turned energy systems researcher — tracing a path from thermal systems in Nepal to district heating networks in Germany.
From Mechanical Engineering to Energy Systems
I started in mechanical engineering at Kathmandu University, where I built my foundation in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, structural analysis, and computer-aided design. During that time I worked on projects ranging from FEA of structural components to the design of refrigeration systems — the kind of work that gives you a visceral sense of how energy moves through physical systems.
An HVAC engineering internship at Himal Refrigeration and Electrical Industries in 2023 brought that theoretical grounding into the field. Designing, installing, and maintaining HVAC systems taught me that energy efficiency is not just a design parameter on a spreadsheet — it is something you see and feel in a real building, in a real climate.
That experience pointed me clearly toward the energy systems space. I moved to Freiburg in 2024 to pursue an M.Sc. in Sustainable Systems Engineering at the University of Freiburg, where my focus has shifted toward building energy performance, thermal networks, and the intersection of renewable energy and heat supply.
Since February 2025, I have been working as a Student Assistant at INATECH (Institute for Renewable Energy Technology), where I monitor and evaluate energy performance in district heating systems using Python. My M.Sc. research is examining how heat-pump emissions change under variable grid CO₂ intensities across Germany — incorporating the effects of photovoltaics and combined heat and power systems.
The thread running through all of this is the same: I am interested in how energy systems actually work in practice, and how to make them work better.
What I'm Working On
Monitoring and evaluating energy consumption and system efficiency in district heating networks. Using Python for data processing, performance benchmarking, and building energy analysis across the network.
Studying heat-pump emissions under variable grid CO₂ intensities in Germany, with a regional analysis incorporating photovoltaics (PV) and combined heat and power (CHP). Supervised at the University of Freiburg.
Beyond Engineering
Engineering is how I think about problems. Photography and writing are how I process the world around me.
I photograph landscapes, cities, and moments that catch my attention — mostly on the move. Living between Nepal and Germany has given me two very different visual vocabularies to draw from. My photography gallery is a growing archive of that.
Writing is part of how I think. I write about energy policy, buildings, technology, and other topics that interest me. The Hydropower Illusion — an investigative look at Nepal's energy sovereignty — is my most substantial piece so far.
I co-founded the ROE Network in Nepal in 2018 — an educational community aimed at supporting academic and professional development. It ran for nearly seven years and shaped how I think about knowledge-sharing and community building.
I am particularly interested in the politics and economics of energy transitions — how policy shapes the adoption of heat pumps, district heating, and building renovation, and where systems thinking can change outcomes at scale.
