2021 Engineering Leader Under 40: Deepak Sharma, 39

Deepak Sharma, 39. Principal Process Engineer, Bayer U.S. Creve Coeur, MO, United States. MS Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology.

By CFE Media September 8, 2021
Deepak Sharma, 39 Principal Process Engineer Bayer U.S.

Deepak Sharma, 39
Principal Process Engineer
Bayer U.S.
Creve Coeur, MO, United States
MS Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

Why should this person be recognized for this award?

In a short span, Deepak has contributed relentlessly towards success of Bayer by working on various key strategic projects. He is working in a corporate engineering function that supports Bayer’s major manufacturing facilities – Luling, LA,; Muscatine, IA (World’s largest producer of Acetochlor derived herbicides), Berkeley, and others in Americas. Deepak’s contributions are highlighted through 4 patents, 2 journal publications and few magazine articles. Deepak has delivered several talks on process optimization and chemical safety which have benefited the chemical industry. He is currently project process lead (support systems) for manufacture of SARS-COV-2 vaccine.

Achievements, Advancement & Career-related Industry Contributions

Deepak has developed himself by acquiring diverse set of skills across cross-functional disciplines engrained within technical, operational, and leadership paradigms. In 20 years of dedication to the chemical industry, Deepak has developed several new processes, 4 of which have been patented in the U.S. and installed internationally. Deepak has saved Bayer ~20M by optimizing existing and new processes by being directly involved with a total project CapEx of $1.5B in the last 8 years of his career at Bayer. Deepak has received several awards at Bayer for his Leadership and valuable contributions. Deepak has effectively demonstrated his leadership skills by managing a multimillion-dollar infrastructure project supporting Bayer’s production of SARS-COV-2 vaccine. His successful implementation of the project will enable timely delivery of the vaccines which will save lives. Deepak was the lead process engineer for the outside battery limits on a $1 billion project which is the largest capital project undertaken by Bayer. Deepak has progressed through the ranks at an accelerated pace from production engineering at a Bayer manufacturing facility to design engineer at corporate engineering to most recently project manager in a corporate function that supports all three pillars of the company Crop Science, Pharmaceutical, and Consumer Health.

Non-work-related Activities & Hobbies

Apart from work Deepak has volunteered as board member of the AIChE St. Louis local chapter and AIChE K-12 newsletter. Deepak has also been actively giving back to the chemical engineering community by performing peer review, writing papers pertaining to his optimization efforts, and supporting (Center for Chemical Process Safety) CCPS publications. Deepak has been actively involved in promoting STEM in the St. Louis community. He has consistently supported the Missouri science bowl in 2020 and 2021 as science judge. As officer of the AIChE STL local chapter he has also judged applications for several science fares and engineering awards.

Interesting Details

  • Deepak is passionate about safety and his passion for safety is demonstrated by several talks he has given at AIChE conferences and his article on pump safety got selected by CEP magazine. Safety is number one priority for chemical industry and Deepak has shown exemplary leadership on this topic. Deepak has developed and installed a facility for production of fish oil at Scotland that produces medical grade EPA/DHA.
  • In a previous company Deepak has developed a technology to cost effectively extract oxygenates (Ethanol, Butanediol) from dilute fermentation broths, implementation of which will enable CO2 sequestration and revolutionize the energy industry.

Why did they choose this career?

“Growing up I always wanted to solve world’s problems by becoming an engineer. Specific subjects in college kindled in me interest for Chemical Engineering. Being with Bayer and enabling their vision of “Health for all and Hunger for none” keeps me propelled and motivated to give back to the society. Now supporting Bayer’s initiative to manufacture SARS-COV-2 vaccine as lead process engineer further reinforces my decision of choosing career in chemical engineering. In these difficult times it gives me pride to be part of the solution to end the pandemic and ensure production of essential products.”

Original content can be found at Control Engineering.


Author Bio: Since its founding in 2010, CFE Media and Technology has provided engineers in manufacturing, commercial and industrial buildings, and manufacturing control systems with the knowledge they need to improve their operational efficiency. CFE delivers the right information at the right time around the world through a variety of platforms.