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Kumar Biradha

Professor Kumar Biradha is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. His research focuses on designing multifunctional supramolecular materials using innovative crystal engineering strategies. Specifically, his work explores cocrystals, gels, organic polymers, coordination polymers, metal-organic frameworks, and covalent organic frameworks, with potential applications in electrocatalysis, molecular sensing, solid-state [2+2] photo-dimerizations and polymerizations, gas adsorption, inclusion materials, semi conductivity, luminescence, and proton conductivity. Prof. Biradha earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Hyderabad, India, in 1997. He completed postdoctoral research at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada (1997–1998), and at Nagoya University in Japan (1998–2002). He has held several editorial and advisory roles throughout his career. He also worked as Associate Editor of Crystal Growth & Design, an ACS publication. With an H-index of 58, Prof. Biradha has published over 240 research articles in reputed international journals.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship, Prof. Biradha is primarily looking to develop methods to reduce carbon dioxide into valuable small molecules. He is specifically working with MOFs that incorporate electron-rich aromatic struts and redox-active metal centers.

Gangadhar J. Sanjayan

Prof. Gangadhar J. Sanjayan is a Chief Scientist and Professor of Chemistry at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. He received his PhD from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, UK. His research interests are in the area of molecular self-assembly, nature-inspired materials, smart/functional polymers and medicinal chemistry. Over the years, his group developed diverse classes of self-assembling systems with intriguing structural features and application scopes in polymer/material sciences. Sanjayan has published several seminal papers in prestigious journals such as the Journal of American Chemical Society, ChemComm and others and has several patents to his credit. He is a recipient of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, among several other coveted awards.

In the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence project, Prof. Sanjayan is focusing on developing supramolecular polymers and bio-inspired materials carrying de novo designed self-assembling bifacial G-C nucleobase building blocks and investigating their structural features and properties. Supramolecular polymers as a class of structurally intricate macromolecules are growing in prominence, owing primarily to their immense potential in applied research and practical utility in everyday life.

Arin Bhakat

Dr. Arin Bhakat is currently a project staff member (SRF-Direct) at the Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam. He earned his BSc in 2016 from Haldia Government College under Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, and completed his MSc in 2018 at Presidency University, Kolkata. In July 2024, he was awarded a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Assam.

Dr. Bhakat’s research interests are primarily in the field of crystal engineering, especially 2D crystals and moiré superlattice, design, synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly of nanomaterials (QDs, metal NPs, NCs & Janus structure) and organic-inorganic molecular microcrystals for optoelectronic devices and sensors, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. He has published many research papers in various internationally reputed journals and has an Indian technology transfer patent. As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Stanford University, Dr. Bhakat is working with Prof. Zare and focusing on water micro-droplet assisted catalytic synthesis of nitric acid directly from nitrogen/air in the ambient conditions. He aims to explore sustainable water micro-droplet catalysis, scaling up the synthesis, and investigating reaction pathways.

Chinmaya Panda

Mr. Chinmaya Panda is a PhD candidate and a Prime Minister’s Research Fellow at the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam. His doctoral research focuses on using surfactants, surfactant-derived small peptides, and plant extracts as bioexcipients to reduce insulin aggregation. He utilizes various biophysical and biochemical techniques, alongside in silico simulations and in vitro cell culture assays, to assess the bioexcipient-mediated insulin aggregation inhibition.

Chinmaya holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the National Institute of Technology Patna and a master’s degree in biological engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat. During his master’s, he was awarded a DAAD fellowship to investigate the impact of Alzheimer’s tau-PHF6 peptide aggregates on inflammasome and autophagy assembly at RWTH Aachen, Germany.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at Iowa State University, Chinmaya is exploring the use of natural lipopeptide-derived peptide moieties to reduce the physicochemical parameters-induced aggregation propensity of insulin. His research employs solid-phase peptide synthesis together with other characterization techniques, emphasizing the development of novel bioderived excipients to enhance the stability and effectiveness of insulin formulation, with the goal of benefiting the pharmaceutical industry and the millions of diabetes patients worldwide. Chinmay enjoys trekking and cycling along trails that delve into the dialectology, heritage, culture, and local cuisine of different regions.

Deboshree Mukherjee

Dr. Deboshree Mukherjee is Dr. D. S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Chemistry, University of Burdwan, West Bengal. Earlier, she worked as Research Associate atthe Center of Excellence in Advance Materials, NIT Durgapur, West Bengal. She completed her Ph.D. from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad in 2019. Her doctoral research was in the area of heterogeneous catalysis.

Dr. Mukherjee’s research interest lies in the design and development of novel nanomaterials for catalytic oxidation-reduction processes for environmental remediation, biodiesel and other fine chemicals production, photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes, and nanozyme applications. She has published several research articles in high impact international journals, review articles, popular journal articles, and book chapters during her Ph.D. and post-doctoral work. She was awarded the junior research fellowship (JRF) by the Government of India after she qualified the CSIR-UGC NET examination and the prestigious Dr. D. S. Kothari Post-Doctoral research fellowship by the UGC, Government of India.

During her Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Dr. Mukherjee is focusing on the design and development of metal organic framework supported single atom catalyst (SAC) for preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide in hydrogen rich stream for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell application. In SAC, all catalytically active metal centers are atomically dispersed on a stable support. The SACs are superior to metal or metal oxide nanocatalysts in terms of high metal atom utilization efficiency, unique electronic properties and special size quantum effects, resulting in improved catalytic performance.

Nutanben Himmatlal Bhingaradiya

Dr. Nutanben Himmatlal Bhingaradiya is JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Postdoctoral Fellow at the Graduate school of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University, Okayama, where she is mentored by Prof. Takuya Matsumoto. Dr. Bhingaradiya earned her master’s degree in pharmaceutics in 2015. In 2021, she received her Ph.D. in chemical sciences from the CSIR Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Her doctoral thesis was supported by a CSIR GATE JRF fellowship and explored the topic of “Synthesis of Biodegradable Amphiphilic Copolymers and Conetworks by Sequential Nucleophilic Substitution”.. After her Ph.D., she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai under the supervision of Prof. Rohit Srivastava and late Prof. Rinti Banerjee.

During her Ph.D., Dr. Bhingaradiya published several research articles, book chapters, reviews, and patents, garnering 292 citations and an h-index of seven. She has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the FY2022 JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan (Standard); Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowships from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai; CSIR Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) – GATE, HRDG-CSIR, Government of India; CSIR Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) – GATE, HRDG-CSIR, Govternment of India;, AICTE Post Graduate (PG- GATE/GPAT) Scholarship, AICTE India.

During her Fulbright_Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Dr. Bhingaradiya is undertaking an interdisciplinary project that employs a number of novel and innovative techniques, which are anticipated to advance both the practical and the theoretical applications of biomolecule chemistry, material science, and imaging. The purpose of her project is to create a library of compounds with enhanced therapeutic activity using a reliable synthesis method.

Sandeep Bose

Dr. Sandeep Bose is a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University, Montreal. He obtained his B.Sc. from Gangadhar Meher University, Sambalpur, Odisha in 2011 and his master’s from the School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad in 2014. He then received his Ph.D. in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. T. Pradeep at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Dr. Bose’s research work focuses on the synthesis of functional nanomaterials using electrospray deposition technique and their various applications. Dr. Bose has published several research articles in reputed international journals and has been granted one patent in the field of sustainable nanomaterials. He has qualified the CSIR-UGC NET and GATE examinations. His other scientific recognitions include the Best Poster Award at the 21st National Symposium in Chemistry conducted by the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI), Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad in 2017. He also received an International Travel Support Award at IIT Madras from the Government of India to attend the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Clusters and Nanostructures, Les Diablerets, Switzerland in 2019.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is a common form of skin cancer that develops in the squamous cells that make up the middle and outer layers of the skin. Untreated, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin can grow large or spread to other parts of the body, causing serious complications. However, it can be treated successfully if detected early. During his Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Dr. Bose is addressing this issue by developing early detection strategies for squamous cell carcinoma by using a combination of photography, mass spectrometry and machine learning.

Amal Vijay

Mr. Amal Vijay is pursuing his Ph.D. from the Computational Chemistry and Biophysics group, Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune. His current area of research focuses on studying the mechanism of various biomolecular recognition processes, specifically protein-drug and protein-protein interactions and secondary interactions in nucleotides using advanced molecular dynamics simulation techniques.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the Loyola College, Chennai, India, and his master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. He is a recipient of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He is honored by the Rashtrapati Scout award, an award presented by the President of India for his achievement in scouting.

As a Fulbright-Nehru fellow, Vijay is interested in understanding the scope of “RNA breathing” in RNA – protein recognition process using molecular dynamics simulation methods aided by enhanced sampling techniques in computational chemistry. The proposed study project can provide a significant impact on the role of RNA-based drug design for the cure of various diseases.

Vaishali Thakkur

Ms. Vaishali Thakkur is a Ph.D. scholar at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), Uttar Pradesh. Her research focuses on modelling enzymatic reactions using density functional based on the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) technique. As a part of her doctoral thesis, she works with the QM/MM method, along with various enhanced sampling techniques, to study the underlying mechanism for antibiotic resistance. She is also interested in identifying and addressing the bottleneck in these calculations to make them more efficient. Apart from science, she enjoys spending her time learning new languages and playing with her color palette.

Prior to joining IITK as a research scholar, she completed her bachelor’s and master’s in Chemistry from Delhi University and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), respectively. She has been a recipient of the merit cum means scholarship for her performance at IITD. She also has a year-long experience of working as an online educator and content reviewer at Chegg India Pvt. Ltd.

During her Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship, she will work with experts to understand and implement a new electrostatic embedding scheme in the existing QM/MM framework. The aim is to develop a model that is accurate and affordable at the same time. The introduction of such a method would be beneficial for people modelling reactions in complex biological systems, where the computation of these electrostatic interactions proves to be time consuming.

Manjusha V. Shelke

Dr. Manjusha Shelke is working as Principal Scientist in the Physical and Materials Chemistry division of CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Dr. Shelke is also an Associate Professor at AcSIR. She has completed her Ph.D. in chemistry from CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute, Bhopal in 2006. She has worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Institut d’électronique de Microélectronique et de anotechnologie, CNRS, Lille, France during 2007-08 sponsored by Embassy of France in India. She has been awarded a visiting scholarship in chemical sciences by Indo-US Science and Technology Forum and worked at Rice University, Houston, TX, USA during 2013-14. She has been elected as Kavli Fellow by National Academy of Sciences, USA in 2015 and as a Fellow of Maharashtra Academy of Sciences in 2018. In 2021 Science and Engineering Research Board of Govt. of India awarded her with SERB-POWER Fellowship. She has been invited as a Visiting Faculty at Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) academy since 2020 and on the research advisory board of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Bhopal in 2022. She is a materials’ chemist and her research interests are in the development of high energy electrode materials for storage devices like rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors. She has published 70 journal articles, eight book chapters, six patents granted and 10 invention disclosures filed. 11 of her students graduated with PhD. In 2021, she has founded a spin-off company “Rechargion Energy Pvt. Ltd.” to take research from her lab to the market.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence research fellow, Dr. Shelke aims to understand the failure mechanisms in Lithium-Sulphur rechargeable battery cells, address them with interfacial engineering strategies and develop a working prototype with reasonable cycle life and high specific energy.