Kumar Sanketh, R&D director of Functional Polymers product R&D within Packaging, Specialty Plastics and Hydrocarbons at Dow Inc., is the 2026 R&D 100 Leader of the Year.
Sanketh leads a global product R&D organization of more than 110 employees at six sites across the Americas, Europe and China. He supports business portfolios that drive more than $6 billion in annual revenue.
Sanketh joined Dow in 2007 as associate scientist and later worked as a research scientist, application materials science leader and technical service and development manager. His historical technical work spans polyurethane coatings, functional packaging, photovoltaic encapsulation, infrastructure materials and high-performance polymers for wire and cable applications.
Kumar Sanketh
Early in his Dow career, Sanketh helped develop a class of polyolefin photovoltaic encapsulation resins. The resins have grown to more than 300 million pounds in annual sales. Sanketh has since moved from individual research roles into the leadership of multidisciplinary product-development organizations.
Sanketh has contributed to several R&D 100-winning products through his own technical work and the teams he has led. They include ENGAGE PV Polyolefin Resins, a 2018 winner for photovoltaic encapsulation; ELVALOY RET MF 1177, a 2022 winner used to incorporate recycled plastic into asphalt pavement; and DOW ENDURANCE HFDD-4201, a 2023 winner for high-voltage and extra-high-voltage cable insulation.
Sanketh is an author or co-author of more than 15 peer-reviewed publications and a co-inventor on more than 15 patent applications, according to his résumé. His research has covered polymer physics, adhesion and friction, photopolymerization, coatings and photovoltaic materials.
His work outside his immediate organization includes serving as a board member and councilor for the Society of Plastics Engineers South Texas Chapter and as an industrial advisory board member for the Akron Polymer Innovation Cluster. He has also worked with Third Pillar Solar on a memorandum of understanding covering materials support and lifecycle data for floating photovoltaic systems on industrial water bodies.
Sanketh earned a doctorate in polymer science and a master’s degree in polymer engineering from the University of Akron. He also completed a graduate leadership certificate at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.
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