Members

Dr. Animesh Samanta is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University (Jan 2024 – present). He previously served as an Assistant Professor at the same institution from May 2019 to Dec 2023. He was a Ramanujan Fellow at CSIR–NIIST (Dec 2016 – May 2019). Prior to that, he held two Research Fellow positions in Singapore: at the National University of Singapore (NUS) (Aug 2015 – Sep 2016) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC), A*STAR (Mar 2012 – Aug 2015). He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the National University of Singapore (2008–2012) under the guidance of Prof. Young Tae Chang, after completing his M.Sc. in Chemistry at IIT Madras (2005–2007). He has published 67 research articles, three book chapters, and holds two patents. He has supervised four PhD students to completion, with three currently ongoing, and has received four research grants.

Anal Jana received his PhD in 2022 from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, India, under the supervision of Dr. Animesh Samanta, after completing his M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the Gurudas College, University of Calcutta, West Bengal. Since March 2022, he has been a postdoctoral research fellow at University of California, Riverside, USA. His research interest mainly lies in the conjunction of chemistry and biology and focuses on monitoring the fate of the cellular microenvironment by the action of various xenobiotic species. 

Subrata Munan received his PhD in 2024 from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, India, under the supervision of Dr. Animesh Samanta, after completing his M.Sc. from Vidyasagar University. Since January 15, he has been a postdoctoral research fellow at Scintillon Institute, Scripps Research, San Diego, USA. During his undergraduate and master's studies, he was awarded the prestigious INSPIRE Scholarship by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. His research focuses on designing and synthesizing multicolor fluorescent probes for bio-imaging to study cellular mechanisms. He is passionate about reading scientific literature and engaging in discussions for learning and teaching. 

Mousumi Baruah received his PhD in 2024 from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, India, under the supervision of Dr. Animesh Samanta, after completing her M.Sc. from North Eastern Hill University. Since February, she has been a postdoctoral research fellow at Augusta University, USA. During his undergraduate and master's studies, he was awarded the prestigious INSPIRE Scholarship by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. Her research focuses on multicolor fluorescent imaging to study cellular mechanisms. She is passionate about reading scientific literature and making friendship.. 

Rashmi Yadav received his PhD in 2025 from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, India, under the supervision of Dr. Animesh Samanta, after completing her M.Sc. from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Very recently, she has received a postdoctoral research fellow position at POSTECH, South Korea. During her PhD, she was awarded the DST-SERB (file no. : ITS/2024/001647) grant to attend the conference “Bioanalytical Sensors 2024,” organized by the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) in Boston. Her research focuses on the synthesis of fluorescent probes for cellular imaging and their applications. She has a keen interest in exploring scientific literature and building meaningful academic connections.

Niharika Pareek obtained her M.Sc. from Panjab University, India and currently she is a 4th  year of Ph.D. student. Her doctoral thesis focuses on cellular microenvironment analysis during cell deaths using small molecular fluorophores.

Rafique Sanu khan obtained his M.Sc  from Pune University, India, and he is currently in his 2nd year of Ph.D. His doctoral thesis focuses on "The synthesis of multicolor small molecular probes for reactive biomolecular analysis." He is currently working on developing a new class of fluorophores, which specifically bears high optical properties for different applications.

Diksha Varshney obtained her M.Sc from J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA, Faridabad, and she is currently in her 1st year of Ph.D. Her doctoral thesis focuses on "Illuminating Disease Biomarkers: Fluorescence Imaging in Cellular Systems". She is currently working on specifically designing fluorophores by tuning their optical properties through modification of donor-acceptor moieties, aiming to achieve a full range of UV-visible regions for various bioapplications.

Gaurav Sharma is a first year PhD Scholar. He obtained his graduation (B.Tech. in Biotechnology) from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India. With a strong foundation in biological sciences, he has previously worked on Drosophila melanogaster models to study oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, and the protective potential of plant-derived antioxidants. By bridging chemistry and biology, his work aims to design and employ fluorescent molecular tools to visualize and explore its biological and therapeutic implications.

Aakanksha Nama obtained her M.Sc. in Chemistry from Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, and is currently in her 1st year of Ph.D. She has a background in chemistry and Bioscience and has worked on curcumin-ferrocene hybrid compounds in the past as a natural product option with better pharmacokinetic and bioactivity profiles and has studied Antimicrobial Drug Resistance, targeting enzyme beta-lactamase. She has an interest in biology and the development of chemical probes that allow for the accurate observation of reactive species in living cells. 

Monika Sharma obtained her B.Sc. from G.L.A University, Mathura. She is currently in her 1st  year of M.Sc. She is currently developing OPD-based fluorophore derivatives for the detection of Reactive Carbonyl Species (RCS). Her primary objective is to synthesize subcellular-targeting probes for the selective detection of RCS, enabling a deeper understanding of their role in various biological processes.

Sukriti Chhabra is currently doing her B.Sc Research in Chemistry with a specialization in Chemical Biology. Her 4th year B.Sc research project focuses on designing Coumarin–Pyrylium Hybrids: Expanding the Fluorescent Toolbox for Bioimaging and Sensing.

Tahrim Khan, a 2nd year student is currently doing my B.Sc Research on chemistry with a specialization in Chemical Biology. My second-year B.Sc. research project focuses on the effect of heavier atoms on fluorophores and their cellular imaging.

Jay Shivani is currently pursuing her second year of B.Sc. Research in Biotechnology and plans to take a minor in Chemistry. Her ongoing OUR research project focuses on developing a mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe for real-time cellular imaging.