ME

I currently work as a Scientist – Materials for Battery Applications at Enerzi Microwave Systems Pvt. Ltd., where I am incubated at the Dharti Foundation, IIT Dharwad. In this role, I am responsible for establishing and commissioning a dedicated research laboratory at IIT Dharwad to study and evaluate carbon nanomaterials manufactured by Enerzi Microwave Systems Pvt. Ltd. for a wide range of applications. My work primarily focuses on energy storage systems, including batteries and supercapacitors, while also extending to rubber, paints, polymers, and other industrial applications. My responsibilities include material characterization, application-oriented performance evaluation, and developing structure–property–performance correlations to enable commercial adoption of advanced carbon nanomaterials.

Previously, I served as Senior Research Scientist at GFCL EV Products Limited, Gujarat, where I was actively involved in raw material selection and development for the LFP battery project. My responsibilities included evaluating materials against product specifications and quality standards, analyzing material properties, costs, and supplier performance, and preparing detailed technical reports for senior management. I also worked extensively on electrolyte formulation and optimization, performing chemical analyses such as moisture measurement using a column meter, viscosity, density, and ionic conductivity measurements.

Before this, I worked as a Project Scientist-I in the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, under the guidance of Prof. Raju Kumar Gupta. My research activities included pouch cell fabrication and testing, cathode material preparation, and anode modification for sodium-ion and sodium–sulfur batteries. I also contributed to the development of solid-state electrolytes for lithium- and sodium-based solid-state batteries.

From April 2022 to February 2023, I was an Academic Research Professor at Sunchon National University, Republic of Korea, under the supervision of Prof. Myoungho Pyo. My research focused on the development of silicon-based anode materials aimed at achieving high initial Coulombic efficiency and high energy density in lithium-ion batteries, including the design and characterization of core–shell structured materials to enhance electrochemical performance.

My research journey began as a Doctoral Research Scholar at the Material Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Surathkal, Karnataka, under the mentorship of Dr. H. S. Nagaraja. My Ph.D. research involved the synthesis of nanostructured metal tungstates and hybrid metal oxides using chemical routes. I successfully synthesized graphene oxide and MWCNT-based hybrid metal oxides via wet chemical methods and performed extensive physicochemical characterization using XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, BET, XPS, and TGA. My work addressed applications in electrochemical energy storage (batteries and supercapacitors), sensor development, and electrocatalytic water splitting.

Academically, I hold an M.Sc. in Physics from Shree Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College, affiliated with Mangalore University, India, and a Ph.D. in Physics from NIT Surathkal, Karnataka. My doctoral research focused on the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical evaluation of zinc tungstate and its composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Outside of my professional activities, I enjoy traveling and trekking, reading crime novels, listening to melodious music, and playing cricket and kabaddi.