Professional Journey

A timeline of engineering leadership, scalable research, and operational excellence.

2026 - Present

Focus: Green Hydrogen & Industrial Electrocatalysis

Leading the alkaline water electrolyzer project for green hydrogen production — commercial-scale OER/HER and AOR/HER electrocatalyst systems for industrial water electrolysis.
Contributing to an electrochemical H₂S valorization project, exploring sulfide-based anodic reactions as an alternative to conventional OER.
Developing retardant catalyst materials for a ceramic hydrogen burner as part of process safety and combustion-control research.

2024 - 2025

Focus: Science Education & Residential Teaching

Taught ICSE Chemistry (Grades 9 & 11) at Isha Home School and Science & Mathematics at Isha Samskriti, under a structured residential teaching program.
Conducted supplementary chess instruction at both institutions, building analytical thinking in students.
Skill Transfer: Deepened the classroom craft — curriculum pacing, mentorship, and communicating science to young minds — that anchors my professorial ambitions.

Apr 2023 - Jan 2024

Focus: Green Hydrogen & Electrocatalysis Efficiency

Innovation: Achieved a 10% efficiency improvement in Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) using chiral Ni-Au catalysts.
Collaboration: Coordinated with international teams to validate spin-selective catalysis protocols.
Safety: Maintained strict lab safety standards while handling high-pressure electrochemical systems.

July 2022 - Apr 2023

Focus: Process Scaling & Synthesis

Scaled up graphene production by 40% utilizing shear-induced exfoliation (mechanochemistry) for industrial viability.
Synthesized $La_2FeMnO_6$ double perovskites for magneto-electric effects on water electrolysis, advancing multiferroic catalysts for energy conversion.

Nov 2020 - Nov 2021

Focus: Logistics & Cost Optimization

Leadership: Spearheaded the "Mess Digitalization" project serving 2000+ students daily.
Impact: Reduced operational costs by 15% and waiting times by 25% through data-driven process optimization.
Stakeholder Management: Bridged the gap between student requirements, vendor capabilities, and administration policies.

July 2016 - July 2022

Focus: Materials Chemistry & Instrument Management

Methodology: Developed low-temperature hydrothermal routes to stabilize metastable Perovskite phases.
Asset Management: Responsible for the maintenance and operation of FEG-TEM systems (500+ hours logged).
Mentorship: Trained 4 junior researchers in safety protocols and experimental design.

June 2014 - July 2016

Focus: Computational Materials Science (DFT)

Thesis: "On the Origin of Chink in B4C Armor." Investigated the failure mechanisms of Boron Carbide using ab-initio DFT calculations.
Identified weak B-B bonds responsible for structural collapse under high-velocity impact, complementing experimental hypotheses.

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant, Electrochemistry (CH117L) — Department of Chemistry, IIT Bombay (2016–2018) · 30/30 lab sessions conducted
ICSE Chemistry (Grades 9 & 11) — Isha Home School, Coimbatore (2024)
Science & Mathematics (secondary level) — Isha Samskriti, Coimbatore (2024–2025)
Visiting Tutor in Chemistry — Dawn Breeze International School, Berhampur (2012–2013)

"Future of Chemistry: Exploration of the Possibilities" — Resource Person, Dept. of Chemistry, Khallikote Unitary University, Berhampur (Mar 2023)
"Insights into the Research Journey: from Pursuing a PhD to Expectations post-PhD" — Resource Person, Dept. of Chemistry, Khallikote Unitary University, Berhampur (Feb 2024)

Guided 1 Ph.D., 2 M.Sc., and 1 B.Sc. researcher at IIT Bombay (2018–2020), including an INSPIRE Summer Fellow.
Trained 3 Ph.D. students in FEG-TEM/SEM operation; managed instrument facilities (TEM, PXRD, FESEM-EDS) across 500+ logged hours.