Ashis K. Patra

Ashis K. Patra is a full-time Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). After obtaining his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore in 2008, he carried out post-doctoral research at Harvard University and the University of Georgia before joining IIT Kanpur in 2012.

Education & Academic Training

• Ph.D. (2008), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
• M.Sc. (2002), The University of Burdwan

Research Interests

Professor Patra leads an interdisciplinary program that sits at the interface of inorganic chemistry, chemical biology, and medicinal chemistry. His work is organized into three principal thrusts:

1. Therapeutic Applications of Metal Complexes: Design and mechanistic evaluation of cytotoxic transition-metal complexes that target nucleic acids and proteins, aiming to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer.
2. Nitric Oxide Delivery from Transition Metal Nitrosyls: Development of photo- and redox-triggered metal nitrosyl complexes for controlled NO release to biological targets such as hemoglobin, myoglobin, and glutathione.
3. Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes: Synthesis and photophysical characterization of Eu(III) and Tb(III) complexes that serve as luminescent probes and theranostic agents.

Research Output & Impact

His group has published extensively in leading journals including Dalton Transactions, Inorganic Chemistry, Chemical Science, and Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. The collective work demonstrates a clear trajectory from fundamental coordination chemistry to translational applications in drug delivery and bioimaging, with recurring themes of redox control, light activation, and biological targeting.

Scientific Awards & Fellowships

• CSIR Junior & Senior Research Fellowships (2001, 2003)
• West Bengal SLET Qualification (2001)
• International Travel Grants from CSIR & INSA (2006)
• DST Fast-Track Fellowship for Young Scientists (2013)
• Erasmus Mundus NAMASTE Scholarship for Academic Staff (2014)
• JSPS Invitation Fellowship (2016)

Teaching & Mentoring

Professor Patra teaches core and advanced courses in inorganic chemistry, including Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Bioinorganic Chemistry, and Frontiers in Inorganic Chemistry. He actively mentors Ph.D. and master’s students (full list available on his lab website) and has established the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemical Biology in the Old Core Lab complex at IIT Kanpur.