Sankar Prasad Rath

Dr. Sankar Prasad Rath is a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He earned his PhD from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata in 1999 under Prof. Animesh Chakravorty, following an M.Sc. in Inorganic Chemistry (1994) and B.Sc. Honors in Chemistry (1992) from Calcutta University.

His research focuses on bio-inorganic systems with emphasis on:

• Multi-heme cytochrome structures and electron transfer mechanisms
• Di-heme cytochrome modeling and inter-macrocyclic interactions
• Molecular chirality studies using metallo-bisporphyrin hosts and Exciton Coupled Circular Dichroism
• Light-induced electron transfer in photosynthetic reaction centers

His recent publications demonstrate strong focus on porphyrin dimers, multi-metal systems, spin-state modulation, and supramolecular chirality, employing advanced spectroscopic techniques including X-ray diffraction, EPR, NMR, and Mössbauer spectroscopy alongside computational methods.

Awards & Honors:

• Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences (2020)
• C.N.R. Rao National Prize in Chemical Sciences (2018)
• J.N. Gupta and M. Gupta Chair Professor (2017-2020)
• Fellow of National Academy of Sciences (2017)
• Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2012)
• P.K. Kelkar Faculty Research Fellowship (2009-2012)
• Multiple teaching excellence commendations

He leads an active research group investigating heme protein mechanisms and maintains collaborations internationally. Professional affiliations include memberships in the American Chemical Society, Society for Biological Inorganic Chemistry, and Chemical Research Society of India.