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X'Tal Engineering Laboratory

Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir

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Professor Profile

ajaz

Dr. Aijaz Ahmad Dar

Alumnus IIT Bombay, JRF-NET, AMRSC

Sr. Assistant Professor,
Department of Chemistry,
University of Kashmir,
Hazratbal, Srinagar. 190001

: (+91) 9596034885: aijazku2015@gmail.com: daraijaz@uok.edu.in: @aijazpapers: Google Scholar: Linkedin

Research Metrics

h-Index: 18

Papers: 38

Cumulative IF: ~280

Average IF: ~4.5

Citations: 650

Reviewed: ~100

Expertise:

Academic:

With a teaching experience of more than 9 years, I have realized without strong motivation students don't connect to the subjects/courses. Therefore, I teach with conviction providing students with context and prospects of the course. I encourage interactions and ensure participation of students through frequent assignments, thoughts for home, etc. Besides teaching courses I connect to students through other activities like I am sports coordinator and seminar presentation in-charge of Masters students as well as Research Scholars of the Department.

Research:

I am trained in the hard-core areas of inorganic chemistry including synthesis, design, structural characterization and applications. As an independent researcher I shifted to more interdisciplinary research area of crystal engineering with more focus on designing organic materials with broad range of applications, alternate to inorganic materials. Currently we majorly focus on pharmaceutical co-crystals and applied optical materials.

Outreach:

I had always been enthusiastic about outreach as our education system has not evolved well over the period of time. My major focus is to reach out to the under privileged school children of rural and boarder areas through motivational and awareness lectures as well as chemistry camps.

Academics and Expertise

  • M. Sc. Specialization in Inorganic Chemistry
    Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir. Batch 2006-07
  • B. Ed.
    Department of distance Education, University of Kashmir Year 2008.
  • Ph. D. [JRF+SRF]
    Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay Year 2009-2015
  • Research Associate [MHRD-Fellowship]
    Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Jan-2015 to June-2015
  • Lecturer, F.I.P
    Islamia College of Science and Commerce, Srinagar Sept-2015 to Dec-2015
  • Assistant Professor
    Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir Dec-2015 to till date

Projects Completed:

  1. UGC-FRPS Seed Grant Project. (PI) (2017-2019)
    Title: Co-crystal or Molecular Salt! Can the Dividing Line between Two Conjugate Supramolecular Building Entities be Drawn?
  2. Early career research Award-SERB-DST-New Delhi (PI) (2017-2020)
    Title: Crystal Engineering of Pharmaceuticals: Approach to Address the Solubility Limitation of Drugs
  3. SERB-DST NPDF New Delhi (Mentor) (Dec-2022 to May-2023)
    Title: Luminescent Boranil Chromophore Adducts: A modified combination approach using crystal engineering and micellar chemistry (PostDoc Fellow: Arif Ahmad Dar)
  4. Women Scientist-A DST-New Delhi (Mentor) (2020-2023)
    Title: Towards understanding packing in Molecular Solids: An approach to establish relationship between packing & properties. (PI: Shaista Hassan Lone)

Projects Going On:

  1. Core Research Grant SERB-DST-New Delhi (Co-PI) (2022-2025)
    Title: Determination of Nucleation and growth kinetics of cocrystals in solution co-crystallization. (38 L)
    (PI: Dr. Jose V. Prambil, IIT Patna)
  2. Core Research Grant SERB-DST-New Delhi (PI) (2022-2025)
    Title: Crystal Engineering approach for the development of multi-stimuli responsive luminescent crystalline organic materials. (38 L)
  3. J & K Science and Technology and Innovation council Grant, J&K, India (PI) (2024-2025)
    Title: Crystal Engineering approach to improve bioavailability via solubility and stability of nutraceuticals. (10 L)
  4. Core Research Grant SERB-DST-New Delhi (Co-PI) (2024-2027)
    Title: Pharmaceutical co-crystals/salts of azole antifungals. Development and investigation of their physicochemical and anti-fungal properties and cytotoxicity studies (32 L)
    (PI: Dr. Haseeb Shah, University of Kashmir)

Achievements/Fellowships/Recognitions

  1. School topper (2000)
  2. N.E.T. (2008)
  3. UGC-JRF (2009-2011)
  4. UGC-SRF (2011-2014)
  5. MHRD-Research Associate (2014-2015)
  6. Alumni IIT Bombay
  7. UGC-Startup Grant-Faculty Research Promotion Scheme (2016)
  8. DST-SERB-Early Career Research Award (2017)
  9. INSA-Visiting Fellow-IISc Bangalore (2018-19)
  10. Emerging Investigator-Crystal Growth & Design (ACS)-2020
  11. INSA-Visiting Fellow-IISER Kolkata (2021-22)
  12. Outstanding Reviewer-CrystEnggComm (RSC)-2021
  13. Emerging Investigator-Crystal Growth & Design (ACS)-2022
  14. Emerging Investigator-Journal of Physical Chemistry C-2023
  15. New Talent-Crystal Engineering & Communications-2023
  16. Member, Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS), New Delhi (2024-2029)
  17. Emerging Investigator-Crystal Growth & Design (ACS)-2025

Conferences / Workshops / Talks

Conferences / Workshops organised:

  1. One-day Science workshop in collaboration International Union of Crystallography-IUCr at Govt. Degree college Boys, Sopore. 2018 (Coordinator)
  2. International webinar lecture series of 7 talks by eminent scientists-2021 (Co-coordinator)
  3. 3rd International Conference on Crystal Engineering: From Molecule to Crystal. Sept-Oct. 2022, at Pahalgam Kashmir (Coordinator)
  4. 3-Day residential RSC-Yusuf Hamied Chemistry Camp for Govt. School children. 12-14 Sept, 2023, at University of Kashmir (Coordinator)
  5. 2-Day Science outreach activities for the Government School children of Machil Sector of District Kupwara, under the banner Connecting the Dots: Outreach Activities for Rural areas, supported by INYAS, New Delhi, May-June 2024 (Coordinator)
  6. 1-day Science outreach activity for the Government School Children of District Pulwama, supported by INYAS, New Delhi, 29 Aug 2024 (Coordinator)

Talks:

  1. “Crystal Engineering of Organic Molecules” by iDreams at NIT Srinagar, Nov 2020 (Invited)
  2. “Solfonate-Pyridinium supramolecular synthon- A novel Robust Synthon” at 2nd International Conference on Crystal Engineering: From Molecule to Crystal, Virtual, 19–20 June 2020
  3. “Crystal Engineering of Pharmaceuticals” at 1-Day Workshop, Department of Fish Genetics and Biotechnology, SKUAST Srinagar, 9 Mar 2022 (Invited)
  4. “Single crystal X-ray diffraction” at 7-Day DST Stuti workshop, NIT Srinagar & Punjab University Chandigarh, 2022 (Invited)
  5. “Non covalent interactions with special focus on H bonding” at JK SCERT Srinagar, 15 Feb 2023 (Invited)
  6. Invited talk at Yusuf Hamied Chemistry Camp for school children at Ladakh University (Kargil campus), 18 Sept 2023
  7. “Crystal engineering of the organic solid-state emitters” at ICSPT, IIT Patna, 7-8 Dec 2023 (Invited)
  8. “Sulfonate-pyridinium synthon: An important intermolecular interaction to design Pharmaceutical cocrystals” at 3rd NPA 2023, IIT Hyderabad, 17-18 Dec 2023 (Invited)
  9. Research Highlights at Crystal Engineering Laboratory, University of Kashmir, at 10th General Body meeting of INYAS, New Delhi, Feb 2024
  10. “Delving further into the role of π-stacking interactions in the solid-state emission of organic crystals!” at SagamoreXX Conference, Shiv Nadar University, 10–15 Nov 2024 (Invited)

Conferences Proceedings:

Fusion, Folding and Misfolding Involving S4R Molecular Zinc Phosphates: Do We Understand the Formation of Larger Zeolite SBUs from Smaller SBUs? Alok C. Kalita, Aijaz A. Dar, Sandeep K. Gupta and R. Murugavel. Proceedings of DAE-BRNS, 5th Interdisciplinary Symposium on Materials Chemistry, Dec 9-13, 2014, BARC, India

Poster Presentations: National/International Conferences

  1. “Rational Design and Synthesis of Molecular and Extended Zinc Phosphates: Insights into Mechanism of their Formation”, 17th CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry, NCL Pune, 6-8 Feb 2015
  2. “Linking of Discrete D4R Zeolitic SBUs by ditopic ligand, 4,4'-bipyridyl-N-oxide into 2-dimensional supramolecular assemblies: Application in fluoride Ion Encapsulation and Molecular Recognition”, 16th CRSI National Symposium, IIT Bombay, Feb 2014
  3. “Structure Modulations in Octameric Zinc Phosphates Dictated by the Reaction Medium and Ancillary Ligands”, Chemical Frontiers (CF), Goa, Aug 2014
  4. “Hierarchical Assembly of Discrete D4R Zeolitic SBUs by Novel Bipyridyl-oxide’s into 2-Dimensional Supramolecular Assemblies”, 14th CRSI National Symposium, NIIST Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2012
  5. “Fluoride Sensing by Metal Organic Framework”, Chemistry of Functional Materials (CFM), Goa, Aug 2011
  6. “Recent developments of work in our laboratory”, In-house Symposium, Chemistry Dept, IIT Bombay, Sept 2011
  7. “Unprecedented Structure Modulations in Octameric Zinc Phosphates and the Role of Hydroxypyridine Co-Ligands”, 41st International Conference on Coordination Compounds, Singapore, July 2014