Dr Narayanapillai Manoj joined CUSAT as a Reader in 2006. He is currently the Controller of Examinations at Cochin University of Science and Technology, a Professor at the Department of Applied Chemistry, and the University Coordinator of the RUSA scheme of MHRD at CUSAT.
He also serves as the professor-in-charge and Director of CUSATECH FOUNDATION, a company formed under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 with a mandate to promote entrepreneurship, research, and innovation among students, alumni, and teachers of CUSAT.
He obtained his PhD degree in chemistry from NIIST – CSIR, Trivandrum, in 1999. He was a post–doctoral at Politechnic University of València, Spain, and at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany during 2000-2006. He was a also visiting fellow at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Hokkaido University, Japan.
His research interests include Photophysics and Photochemistry, Steady-state and time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy, Electron Transfer Reactions, Solar energy Harvesting and Organic Synthesis. Under his guidance, 4 candidates obtained a PhD and 12 obtained an MPhil degree. He has published over 50 articles in international journals and was a Principal Investigator of research projects funded by UGC, ICMR, and DST.
He currently serves as a member of the Board of Studies in Applied Chemistry, a member of the Faculty of Science, Academic Council, and was an elected member of the University Senate. He is also a member of the board of studies at Calicut University, Mahatma Gandhi University, and a few Autonomous Colleges.
He is a life member of the Chemical Research Society of India and the Association of Chemistry Teachers. He has served as a member of the board of evaluators in the selection of candidates from India for the International Chemistry Olympiad for two terms and was a member of the Indian delegation to the 51st International Chemistry Olympiad held during July 21 – 31, 2019, Paris, France, and 55th International Chemistry Olympiad held during July 16 – 25, Zurich, Switzerland.