I joined the Organic Electronics group at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) as a postdoctoral researcher in February 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Denis Andrienko. My work revolves around exploring interfacial charge recombination mechanisms in metal halide perovskite solar cells.
Before joining at MPI-P, I completed a three-year postdoctoral tenure at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), India, under the supervision of Prof. G. Rajaraman from January 2022 to January 2025. Here, my research focused on understanding how Brønsted and Lewis acids influence the rate of C-H and O-H activation by high-valent non-heme metal-oxo/hydroxo/peroxo biomimetic complexes. Additionally, I collaborated with Applied Materials Inc. Ltd. (AMAT) to develop computational methods for studying (ultra)thin rapid atomic layer deposition (ALD) of various metal and metal-free precursors on High-k/IL stacks (such as HfO₂/SiO₂/Si layers) and for understanding interaction between ALD precursors and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using periodic-DFT calculations. We have also successfully provided insights and guidance for experimental chemists in AMAT to achieve selective deposition of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs).
I earned my Bachelor's (2014), Master's (2016), and Doctorate (2022) degrees in Chemistry from Loyola College, Chennai, India, affiliated with the University of Madras. My PhD research, conducted under the guidance of Dr. M. Jaccob, focused on unraveling the mechanism of homogeneous formic acid dehydrogenation and developing novel, efficient, and cost-effective transition-metal-based catalysts using advanced computational techniques. Additionally, I have worked on designing cost-effective organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells and investigating the excited-state dynamics of proton and charge transfer in organic materials.