Priyank Vijaya Kumar

Dr. Priyank Vijaya Kumar is a Scientia Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney. His research focuses on computational materials design, plasmonic hot-carrier processes, and 2D materials for energy applications. Prior to joining UNSW in 2019, he completed a Marie-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at ETH Zurich (2015–2019) and earned his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT (2010–2015). He holds a B.Tech. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from IIT Madras (2006–2010).

Research Interests: Dr. Kumar’s work integrates ab initio methods (DFT, TDDFT) to study plasmonic energy transfer, nanomaterial synthesis, and catalytic systems for photocatalysis, CO₂ reduction, and renewable energy. His group emphasizes computational–experimental collaborations to design novel materials for clean energy and environmental applications.

Key Contributions: Over 150 peer-reviewed publications since 2011, including high-impact journals like Nature Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, and Angewandte Chemie. Notable achievements include pioneering studies on plasmon-induced hot-carrier dynamics and liquid-metal-based nanomaterial synthesis. His work on stable Zn anodes and CO₂ electroreduction catalysts has advanced sustainable energy storage and conversion technologies.

Awards & Grants: Marie-Curie Fellowship (2015–2017), Shell-TATA MIT Energy Fellowship (2013–2015), MRS Silver Award (2015). Active in securing grants for projects on photocatalytic ammonia synthesis and plasmon-driven reactions.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Computational Materials Design Group at UNSW, collaborating with experimentalists globally to bridge theory and application in nanomaterials. His team focuses on AI-driven material discovery and scalable synthesis methods.