About
PD Dr. Naresh Kumar is a Privatdozent and Lecturer in Optical Nanospectroscopy and Nanoimaging at ETH Zurich's Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences. He specializes in developing AFM/STM-based plasmon-enhanced optical techniques like TERS for nanoscale chemical imaging of materials ranging from catalytic systems to 2D materials like graphene.
Education: B.Tech in Engineering Physics from IIT Delhi, M.Res. in Physics from King's College London, and PhD from Utrecht University under Prof. Bert Weckhuysen. Previously held a Visiting Professorship at Hangzhou Dianzi University (2020-2023).
Research focuses on applying TERS to study catalytic materials, biomaterials, photovoltaic interfaces, and surface chemistry at solid-liquid interfaces. Key contributions include pioneering nanoscale analysis of amyloid plaques and developing open-access microbiological Raman databases.
Awarded prestigious honors including the Masao Horiba Award (2023), Rayleigh Early Career Award (2016), and Chartered Physicist designation (2017). Active in professional societies like the American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry.
