Profile

About

Dr. Vivek is from Parner-Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra, India. He earned his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Chemistry from New Arts, Commerce, and Science College, Parner (June 2008 – May 2011), followed by a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Organic Chemistry from the Dr. John Barnabas Post Graduate School for Biological Studies, B.P.H.E. Society's Ahmednagar College, affiliated with Pune University (June 2011 – May 2013). Between 2013 and 2015, he worked as a project assistant in Dr. C. V. Ramana’s research group at the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune. In 2021, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Chemical Science from CSIR-NCL under the supervision of Dr. Sukumaran Santhosh Babu. His doctoral research focused on the development of processable two-dimensional (2D) polymers using solvent-free organic liquids. From 2021 to 2023, Dr. Vivek pursued postdoctoral research in the Bonifazi group at the University of Vienna, Austria, contributing to the DECOCHROM project and working on boron–nitrogen (BN)-doped materials. In 2024, he joined the Delius Group at Ulm University as a postdoctoral researcher, contributing to the QuE-MRI and the Cluster of Excellence POLiS (Post-Lithium Storage) projects, while also focusing on the design and synthesis of multispin systems. He is currently an Assistant Professor at IIT Jodhpur, pursuing research on functional organic materials for OLEDs, energy storage, and quantum spin-based technologies, alongside teaching and mentoring in organic chemistry.

Academic Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): July 2015 – December 2020

CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune, India.

Thesis: “A transition from non-processable to processable 2D polymers using solvent-free organic liquids.” 

Adviser: Prof. Dr. Santhosh Babu Sukumaran | Date conferred: 08/04/2021.

Research Lab: SaBa Lab (https://sbsukumaran.wixsite.com/ncl-csir).

• Master of Science (M.Sc.) - Organic Chemistry: June 2011 – May 2013 

Dr. John Barnabas Post Graduate School for Biological Studies, B.P.H.E. Society's Ahmednagar College, Pune University, Pune (India).

Distinction (73.85%).

• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Chemistry: June 2008 – May 2011 

New Arts, Commerce, and Science College, Parner, Pune University, Pune (India).

Distinction (81.42%).

Professional Experiences

• Postdoctorate Research Fellow: Jan 2024 –  Dec 2025

Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.

Research topic: Functional Organic Material (Molecular Qubits) and 2D-Polymer for Post-Lithium Battery Materials

 Research Lab: Delius Lab (https://deliuslab.com/).

• Postdoctorate Research Fellow: Jan 2021 – Dec 2023

Vienna University, Vienna, Austria.

Research topic: BN-doped Functional Organic Material and Electrochromic Polymer 

Research Lab: Bonifazi Group (https://bonifazi-group.univie.ac.at/).

• Project Fellow: Aug 2013 – Jun 2015

CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune, India.

Research topic: Metal-free Multicomponent Reaction

Research Lab: Ramana Group (https://academic.ncl.res.in/vr.chepuri).

Achievements 

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Cluster of Excellence POLiS - Post-Lithium Storage (Apr 2025 - Dec 2025).

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - QuE-MRI - Revolutionising cancer imaging through quantum technologies (Jan 2024 - Mar 2025).

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - University Assistant (Jul 2022 - Dec 2023).

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - DecoChrom - Decorative Applications for Self-Organized Molecular Electrochromic Systems (Jan 2021 - June 2022).

• Seal of Excellence for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions call H2020-MSCA-IF-2020 of 9 September 2020.

• Best Poster award in National Science Day-2019 held at National Chemical Laboratory Pune, India, during February 25-28, 2019.

• Joint CSIR-UGC Senior Research Fellowship, July 2017.

• Joint CSIR-UGC Junior Research Fellowship, December 2014 (All India Rank - 46).

• Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2015. 

Invited Talks/Presentations

1. Oral presentation in POLiS Conclave Meeting 2025, held during June 23-24, 2025, at Karlsruher Institut for Technologie, Germany.

2. Presented a poster in 4th European Conference on Molecular Spintronics (ECMolS 2025), held during June 2-4, 2025, at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

3. Presented a poster in SupraChem 2024, held during February 25-27, 2024, at Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.

4. Presented a poster in Wilhelm Exner Lecture 2023, held during May 23-24, 2023, at Vienna, Austria.

5. Presented a poster in Joint Workshop on the Organic Chemistry of Sulfur (JWOCS)-23, held during February 27-28, 2023, at the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

6. Oral presentation in 4th OC SYMPOSIUM for Students, a conference for students held during November 03, 2022, at the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

7. Oral presentation in 19th Blue Danube Symposium on Heterocyclic Chemistry 2022, held during August 22-24, 2022, at Bratislava, Slovakia.

8. Oral presentation in XV J-NOST 2019, a conference for research scholars held during October 18-21, 2019, at the Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, India. 

9. Presented a poster in National Science Day-2019, held during February 26-27, 2019, at CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.

10. Presented a poster in the 8th East Asia Symposium on Functional Dyes and Advanced Materials (EAS8-2017), held during September 20-22, 2017, at CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Trivandrum, India.

11. Presented a poster in National Science Day-2017, held during February 23-24, 2017, at CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory Pune, India.

12. Oral presentation in Prof. M. S. Wadia Lecture Competition, 2013, at New Arts, Commerce and Science College, Parner, Ahmednagar, India.

13. Oral presentation in Medicinal Chemistry Seminar’s, 2013, at Ahmednagar College, Ahmednagar, India.

National/International Conferences 

1. Participated in Thieme Cheminar- Emerging Trends in Organic Materials, held on May 07, 2025.

2. Participated in Thieme Cheminar- Soluble Graphene Nanoarchitectures, held on September 03, 2024.

3. Participated in NCL-RF Annual Students conference 2019, held during November 28-29, 2019, at CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.

4. Organised and participated in the 15th International Conference on Polymer Science and Technology (SPSI MACRO-2018), held during December 19-22, 2018, at Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Pune and CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.

5. Organised and participated in NCL-RF Annual Students conference 2018, held during November 29-30, 2018, at CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.

6. Participated in 17th CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry, held during February 06-08, 2015, at CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.

7. Participated in Young Innovators Choice Competition 2011, held during January 09-12, 2011, at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. 

Other Professional Activities

1. In an outreach program for guiding college and university students, I delivered a talk entitled “Research and Career Opportunities in Chemistry” in India at NACS College, Parner, Pune University (2023: attendees 200).

2. Coorganized “Kinderuni Wien Colourful Chemistry” at the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. The program aims to develop an interest in school children in science.

3. Life member (2474) of the Society for Materials Chemistry (SMC), India.

4. Working as a manuscript reviewer for Chemical Communications, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, etc.

5. Collaborated with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on the development of an explosive sensing kit.

6. Active member of several major international research initiatives, including the €7.33 million EU-funded DECOCHROM project (involving 15 partners, including 6 industrial partners); Germany's €17.8 million Federal Ministry of Research-funded QuE-MRI project (with 9 partners, including 2 industries), and currently, the €47 million Cluster of Excellence POLiS—Post-Lithium Storage project, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Mentorship 

Erasmus bachelor student:

1. Yağmur Ünal (July 2022 to Sept 2022).

Master of science students:

2. Mr. Abhishek Murali (Jan 2016 to May 2016).

3. Miss. Kalyani Mahale (Jun 2016 to Jul 2016).

4. Miss. Asiya Beegam (Feb 2017 to Jul 2017).

5. Miss. Lekshmi V. Pillai (Dec 2017 to May 2018).

6. Miss. Syno Paul (Apr 2019 to Sept 2019).

7. Mr. Akhil Chackochan (Dec 2019 to Mar 2020).