معرفی
Dr. Ajay Venugopal serves as Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. His research program focuses on main group chemistry with particular emphasis on low coordinate s- and p-block compounds, reactive cations and dications, and Lewis acid catalysis.
His educational journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore University (2002), followed by a Master of Science in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Pune (2004), and culminated with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Muenster, Germany (2008). His postdoctoral career included research positions at the University of Bielefeld (2008), SINTEF Materials and Chemistry in Oslo, Norway (2008), and a Humboldt Research Fellowship at RWTH Aachen University, Germany (2010).
Dr. Venugopal's research explores the synthesis and reactivity of unusual main group compounds, particularly those involving antimony, bismuth, and aluminum. His work bridges fundamental studies of unusual bonding situations to practical applications in catalysis, with special focus on CO2 reduction and carbonyl activation. His laboratory investigates how molecular design can manipulate Lewis acidity in main group elements to develop new catalytic transformations.
His publication record shows a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated main group chemistry, with recent work published in high-impact journals including Nature Synthesis (2025), Inorganic Chemistry, and Chemistry - A European Journal. The research demonstrates innovative approaches to main group element chemistry with applications spanning from sustainable chemistry to fundamental bonding studies.
Dr. Venugopal leads an active research group comprising postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kriti Pathak and PhD students Deepti Sharma, Sheetal Kathayat Bisht, Suban Kundu, Annabel Benny, and Jerin Joseph. His group also mentors undergraduate researchers such as Aqil Suhaib through the BSMS Major Project program.
At IISER Thiruvananthapuram, he teaches foundational and advanced chemistry courses including Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding (CHY 111), Basic Concepts in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry (CHY 121), Coordination Chemistry (CHY 311), Organometallic Chemistry (CHY 321), Main Group Chemistry (CHY 411), and Main Group Catalysis (CHY 4206), integrating his research expertise into classroom instruction.
