Dr. Santosh K. Pagire
2025: ARC-Funded Research Fellow (Australia)
2021: Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (UK)
2018: Walter Benjamin (DFG) Postdoctoral Fellowship (Japan)
2016: GDCh Conference Fellowship
(Germany, the USA, and Japan)
2016: iPUR Conference Fellowship
to attend the ACS meeting in Philadelphia, USA
2013: DAAD PhD Fellowship (Germany)
2012: CSIR Fellowship (India)
2011: NRF Fellowship (South Africa)
2011: Consolation prize in the Professor M. S. Wadia Lecture competition.
(NACS College, Parner, India)
2009 & 2010: Eklavya Fellowship
(India)
2009 & 2010: Kawathekar Fellowship (India)
Career Summary
2026-: Assistant Professor (Grade-I)
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-BHU), Varanasi, India
2025-2026: Research Fellow
University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
(Host and Collaborator: Prof. Alex C. Bissember)
2025-2026: Assistant Professor (Affiliated Position)
Chanakya University, Bengaluru, India
2024-2025: Senior Research Investigator (Team Lead)
Syngene, Hyderabad, India
2023-2024: Senior Researcher and ERC Aspirant
University of Göttingen, Germany
(Host: Prof. Lutz Ackermann)
2021-2023: Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
(Advisor: Prof. Varinder K. Aggarwal FRS & Dr. Adam Noble)
2018-2021: DFG Postdoctoral Fellow
BIKAKEN, Tokyo, Japan
(Advisors: Prof. Masakatsu Shibasaki & Prof. Naoya Kumagai)
2013-2017: PhD-DAAD Fellow
University of Regensburg, Germany
(Advisor: Prof. Oliver Reiser)
2012-2013: Junior Research Fellow
National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
(Advisor: Dr. Subhash P. Chavan)
2011-2012: Research Scholar
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
(Advisors: Prof. Pher G. Andersson & Prof. Thavi Govender)
2010-2011: Project Assistant
University of Pune, India
(Advisor: Prof. Suresh B. Waghmode)
Biography
Dr. Santosh K. Pagire is an assistant professor of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, India (2026–present). Born and raised in the small village of Pimpri Pathar, Maharashtra, India, he obtained his B.Sc. (2006–2009) and M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry (2009–2011) with outstanding grades from Savitribai Phule Pune University, India. He qualified both the CSIR-NET examination (AIR 22) and the MH-SET examination on his first attempt. Following research training with Dr. Subhash P. Chavan at CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory, India (2012–2013), he completed his DAAD-funded Ph.D. (2013–2017) at the University of Regensburg (Germany) under Prof. Oliver Reiser. He subsequently held the prestigious DFG Walter Benjamin Fellowship (2018–2021) at the Institute of Microbial Chemistry, Japan (affiliated with the University of Tokyo, Japan), under Prof. Masakatsu Shibasaki and Prof. Naoya Kumagai, followed by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (2021–2023) at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, under Prof. Varinder K. Aggarwal FRS. He later worked with Prof. Lutz Ackermann at the University of Göttingen, Germany (2023–2024); served as Senior Research Investigator (Team Lead) at Syngene International Ltd., India (2024–2025); was Assistant Professor at Chanakya University, India (2025–2026); and concurrently served as a Research Fellow with Prof. Alex C. Bissember at the University of Tasmania, Australia (2025–2026). His research focuses on photocatalysis, radical chemistry, and sustainable organic synthesis, and he has authored several peer-reviewed publications, accumulating >3,300 citations for his contributions to synthetic organic chemistry.
2026-present: Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU),
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
2025-2026: ARC-Funded Research Fellow in Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis
School of Natural Sciences—Chemistry
University of Tasmania, Australia
Funding: Through Australian Research Council (ARC)
Host and Collaborator: Prof. Dr. Alex C. Bissember
2025-2026: Assistant Professor of Chemistry
School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Chanakya University, Bangalore, India.
2024-2025: Senior Research Investigator/Team Leader
Discovery Chemistry, Syngene International Ltd., India.
in collaboration with Kestrel Therapeutics Ltd., USA.
2023-2024: Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
Institut für Organische und Biomolekulare Chemie
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany.
ERC and Emmy Noether (DFG) funding applicant
Host and Advisor: Prof. Dr. Lutz Ackermann
2021-2023: Postdoctoral Researcher (Marie Curie Fellow)
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Advisor(s): Prof. Dr. Varinder K. Aggarwal FRS and Dr. Adam Noble
Postdoctoral Funding: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (MSCA)
Project: Photocatalytic Phosphonylations
2018-2021: Postdoctoral Researcher (DFG/Walter Benjamin Fellow)
Institute of Microbial Chemistry (BIKAKEN),
Microbial Chemistry Research Foundation, Tokyo, Japan.
Advisor(s): Prof. Dr. Masakatsu Shibasaki and Prof. Dr. Naoya Kumagai
Postdoctoral Funding: Walter-Benjamin (DFG) Postdoctoral Fellowship
Project: Enantioselective Photocatalysis
2012-2013: CSIR-Junior Research Fellow:
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Subhash P. Chavan
Project: Total Synthesis of Quinagolide analog
2011-2012: Visiting Research Fellow:
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Durban, South Africa.
Research Advisor(s): Prof. Dr. Pher G. Andersson & Prof. Dr. Thavi Govender
Funding: National Research Foundation (NRF)
Research Project: Asymmetric Metal Catalysis
2013-2017: Doctor of Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat./Ph.D.): DAAD Fellow
Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Germany.
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Oliver Reiser
PhD Funding: DAAD Fellowship
Thesis title: Surprises and Discoveries in Visible-Light Photocatalysis
Thesis grade: summa-cum-laude (Translation: with highest distinction)
2009-2011: M.Sc. (Organic Chemistry): Eklavya Fellow
75.55%; First Class with Distinction ("O"—outstanding grade),
Department of Chemistry, University of Pune, India.
Academic Advisor: Prof. Dilip D. Dhavale, FASc
Project: Asymmetric Catalysis
2006-2009: B.Sc. (Chemistry): 90.33%; First Class with Distinction (5th Rank, University of Pune, India).
New Arts, Commerce, and Science College, Parner, Dist. Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, India. PIN-414302 (Affiliated to University of Pune, India).
Advisor(s): Prof. Dr. Dilip R. Thube and Prof. Dr. Tukaram S. Thopate.
2013: German Language Course (A2):
Goethe Institute, Chennai, India.
interDaF, University of Leipzig, Germany.
2010: CSIR-NET: Chemical Sciences
Qualified in the first attempt (22nd Rank, all-India rank),
CSIR-HRDG, New Delhi, India.
2010: MH-SET: Chemical Sciences
Qualified in the first attempt.
University of Pune, India.
Scientific Affiliations
2025–2026: Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), Australia.
2023–2024: Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (MRSC No. 740225).
2016–2017: Member of the American Chemical Society, USA (ACS).
2018–2021: Member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (PSJ).
2016–2021: Member of the German Chemical Society, Germany (GDCh).
2013–2018: Doctoral researcher within the GRK 1626 ("A Center of Excellence in Photocatalysis”)
at the University of Regensburg, Germany.