IIT ISM Dhanbad professor elected fellow of royal society of chemistry, UK

Prof Sumanta Kumar Padhi recognised for contributions to catalysis, green energy and sustainable chemical research

Prof Sumanta Kumar Padhi of IIT ISM Dhanbad has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), United Kingdom, in recognition of his contributions to chemical sciences and research excellence. He is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and also serves as Professor-in-Charge of the institute’s Central Library.

The prestigious recognition acknowledges his research contributions in homogeneous catalysis, small-molecule activation and sustainable energy-related chemical transformations. His work focuses on developing catalytic processes that can support clean energy technologies and environmentally sustainable chemical production.

Prof Padhi’s research group works on catalytic applications involving carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen. Its research areas include artificial photosynthesis, carbon dioxide reduction and hydrogenation, ammonia oxidation for green hydrogen production, formic acid dehydrogenation, proton reduction and water oxidation.

The group also investigates electrochemical transformations of organic compounds and develops novel ligands and transition-metal complexes for catalytic applications.

These research areas are relevant to the development of cleaner energy technologies, carbon utilisation and sustainable chemical processes. His work aims to advance scientific understanding of catalytic reactions and explore their potential applications in energy-related research.

Prof Padhi obtained his PhD in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in 2008. Following his doctoral studies, he pursued postdoctoral research in Japan as a MEXT Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Science.

He subsequently conducted research in South Korea under the World Class University (WCU) Programme at Ewha Womans University. In 2013, he also served as a Special Appointment Professor at the Bio-redox Research Center.

He joined IIT ISM Dhanbad in July 2013 and has since been associated with the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Alongside his academic and research responsibilities, he oversees the institute’s Central Library as its Professor-in-Charge.

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