IN THE NEWS | Sumil Thapa Named to PBN’s 2019 40 Under 40

Each year, Pacific Business News honors 40 of Hawaii’s outstanding entrepreneurs and business leaders by naming their 40 Under 40 Awards list. The honorees for 2019 are recognized at PBN’s awards event at the Sheraton Waikiki in early June. This year, Sumil Thapa was selected for his dedication to company and community, where he has led and contributed to efforts promoting science and materials engineering along with putting Hawai’i on the map for worldwide innovation.

In the past, he has been involved with work focusing on improving performance characteristics of polymer composites used on sea vessel exteriors. He extensively participates on many of Oceanit’s keystone efforts, including novel nanoparticle applications such as piezoelectrics, biologically active materials, fuel cell membranes, and most recently high performance drying material.

Currently, he is applying his knowledge in scale up manufacturing to oversee the construction of a pilot scale electrospinning system that will enable manufacturing of larger quantities of electrospun material. He also has been trained in the Design Thinking (user centric design) process by Stanford design instructors and has applied this training for efforts such as the development of a thermoelectric generator. Not only is Sumil Thapa an innovator in his professional life, he leads the way in impacting our community and giving back to Hawaii’s Keiki. Being a local boy fortunate to have the opportunities that lead to a career in technology, he is driven to share his experience and knowledge help inspire the next generation of innovators.

Mr. Thapa received his M.S. degree in Biological Engineering from University of Hawaii (2013) and B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University (2010). His academic background is focused on the areas of chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, and bioprocessing. His research experience centers around polymer coatings, polymer composites, and nanomaterials for various applications including self-healing and corrosion prevention. Sumil has grown into an accomplished technical entrepreneur who demonstrates outstanding business excellence. His continued efforts in the developing Oceanit’s manufacturing capabilities serves as an exemplary model for business innovation.

Sumil was honored at the Pacific Business News ceremony on Friday, June 7th. Oceanit is beyond proud of Sumil for being named as one of Pacific Business News’ 40 Under 40 for 2019!

Oceanit is a ‘Mind to Market’ company founded in 1985 on Oahu, Hawai’i. Oceanit has earned a world-class reputation for developing and migrating fundamental science to real-world application, built upon our values of Curiosity, Community, and Ohana. We are a skilled group of scientists, engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs delivering solutions, products, and services to clients across a multitude of diverse industries.