Scientific American Recognized Anurag Bajpayee for His Top 10 World-Changing Ideas. Now He is Embroiled in a Brothel Scandal

An Indian American entrepreneur has been arrested in a high-profile brothel scandal in Massachusetts. Anurag Bajpayee, co-founder and CEO of Gradiant, a cutting-edge wastewater treatment firm with a valuation of over $1 billion, is accused of paying hundreds of dollars per hour for sex earlier this year.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Bajpayee is among more than 30 people or “johns,” whose names have been released in batches. They all face misdemeanor charges. 

While many of those involved in the brothel scandal are facing calls for resignation, or have left high-profile posts in business and medicine, Gradiant is defending Bajpayee. “We believe in the justice system and are confident that this will resolve favorably in due course,” Gradiant representative Felix Wang told The Journal. “Unrelated to this, Gradiant will continue to pursue excellence in technological innovation and to strive towards our mission to ensure clean water for all society.”

Bajpayee’s work has been recognized by Scientific American, which named his innovation among the “Top 10 World-Changing Ideas” for its contribution to global water sustainability.

The operation, dubbed “The Cambridge Brothel Hearings” by local media, targeted elite clients like doctors, public officials, military officers, government contractors, professors, and scientists, and allegedly charged them up to $600 per hour for sexual encounters at luxury apartments, The Journal said. 

The apartments were in Cambridge, Dedham, Watertown in Massachusetts, and eastern Virginia. In Cambridge, the brothel ran out of “a swanky condo complex” that touts “unrivaled city views,” The Journal quoted Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, as saying. Foley’s office referred 34 “alleged buyers to Cambridge authorities and a separate batch to Virginia,” The Journal report said. 

The women involved were primarily of Asian descent and potentially victims of sex trafficking, The Journal said, adding that their identities remain undisclosed.

Illustrated Career

The scandal has enveloped one of the most celebrated and promising achievers. The following is the trajectory of Bajpayee’s illustrated career:

His academic journey led him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned three degrees: a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. His doctoral research at MIT focused on developing innovative water treatment technologies, particularly methods to separate contaminants from water using thermodynamic principles. This research would later form the foundation for some of Gradiant’s core technologies.

In 2013, Bajpayee co-founded Gradiant alongside his MIT colleague Prakash Govindan. The company emerged from their doctoral research at MIT’s Mechanical Engineering department. Their vision was to address global water scarcity challenges through sustainable and energy-efficient water treatment solutions.

Gradiant (the name refers to the concentration gradient often leveraged in their separation technologies) was established to commercialize their innovative approach to industrial wastewater treatment. The company initially focused on desalination and brine concentration technologies that could operate more efficiently than conventional methods.

Under Bajpayee’s leadership as CEO, Gradiant has grown from a small MIT spin-off to a global water technology company with operations across multiple continents. The company has expanded its presence in North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, serving industrial clients in various sectors, including oil and gas, mining, power generation, and manufacturing.

Bajpayee has led Gradiant through multiple funding rounds, securing investment to fuel the company’s research, development, and global expansion. His strategic vision has guided the company’s evolution from offering specific water treatment technologies to providing comprehensive solutions for industrial water challenges.

The Innovator

As a scientist-entrepreneur, Bajpayee has continued to drive technological innovation at Gradiant. Under his leadership, the company has developed and commercialized several proprietary water treatment technologies:

1. Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE) – An energy-efficient thermal desalination process that mimics natural rain formation
2. Counter Flow Reverse Osmosis (CFRO) – An advanced membrane process that enables higher recovery rates than conventional reverse osmosis
3. Selective Chemical Extraction (SCE) – A process for removing specific contaminants from industrial wastewater

These technologies address critical challenges in water treatment, such as energy consumption, brine management, and the removal of difficult contaminants.

Among his accolades, Bajpayee has been recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the Energy category for his work in developing sustainable water treatment technologies.