Bramhaiah Kommula | Materials Science | Best Researcher Award

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Assist Prof Dr. Bramhaiah Kommula | Materials Science | Best Researcher Award

Assist Prof Dr. Bramhaiah Kommula | St. Joseph’s University Bangalore | India

Dr. Bramhaiah Kommula is an accomplished researcher and academic currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru. His research embodies a multidisciplinary approach at the intersection of nanomaterials, photochemistry, and sustainable energy, with a focus on developing advanced functional luminescent nanomaterials for energy conversion, storage, and environmental remediation. Dr. Kommula earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Mangalore University in 2018 under the supervision of Dr. Neena S. John at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, where he investigated the “Synthesis and Properties of Graphene-Based Hybrid Materials Employing Chemical Routes.” Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Kommula pursued postdoctoral research at prestigious institutes including IISER Berhampur (2019–2022) with Dr. Santanu Bhattacharyya and IISER Mohali (2022–2024) with Prof. Ujjal K. Gautam. His postdoctoral work focused on the design and engineering of carbon-based nanostructures and their photocatalytic applications in solar fuel generation, hydrogen evolution, and selective organic transformations. He also contributed to the development of metal-free, waste-derived carbon dots and explored their photophysical properties for green hydrogen production, CO₂ reduction, and photoinduced organic catalysis. Dr. Kommula’s current research at St. Joseph’s University integrates nanomaterial synthesis, photophysical studies, and energy applications, emphasizing sustainable approaches to convert plastic waste into high-value carbon dots (CDs) and utilize them as efficient metal-free photocatalysts. Dr. Kommula has also authored several book chapters published by Springer Nature and holds a provisional Indian patent on graphitic carbon dots. Dr. Kommula’s research excellence has been acknowledged through several prestigious fellowships, including Institute Postdoctoral Fellowships from IISER Mohali and IISER Berhampur, and DST Senior and Junior Research Fellowships. His scientific leadership is evident in his ongoing supervision of three Ph.D. students and his submission of major national funding proposals under ANRF and DST schemes aimed at developing sustainable photocatalytic systems for hydrogen and value-added chemical production. Overall, Dr. Bramhaiah Kommula’s research exemplifies innovation-driven science that bridges materials chemistry and renewable energy technologies. His long-term goal is to pioneer eco-friendly nanomaterials that transform environmental waste into useful resources, contributing significantly toward achieving sustainable energy solutions and carbon-neutral technologies for the future.

Profiles: Orcid | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Kommula, B., & Sriramadasu, V. K. (2025). Room temperature red phosphorescence enabled by alkali treatment in niobium carbide-derived carbon dots. Journal of Luminescence, 274, 121591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2025.121591

Roy, R. S., Sil, S., Mishra, S., Banoo, M., Swarnkar, A., Kommula, B., De, A. K., & Gautam, U. K. (2025). Layer width engineering in carbon nitride for enhanced exciton dissociation and solar fuel generation. ACS Materials Letters, 7(4), 1385–1393.

Mandal, R., Biswal, J. R., Kommula, B., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2025). 2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2‴‐Quaterthiophene nanoparticles and single-walled CNT composite: An organic nanohybrid for solar H₂ production and simultaneous photoreformation of plastic wastes. ChemCatChem, 17(3), e202500307.

Kommula, B., & Gautam, U. K. (2025). A two-step strategy for residue-free chemical conversion of plastic waste to carbon dots: Upscaling and solvent recycling prospects. Carbon, 234, 119960.

Dutta, B., Kommula, B., Kanwar, K., Gautam, U. K., & Sarma, D. (2025). Oxygen-harvesting carbon dot photocatalysts for ambient tandem oxidative synthesis of quinazolin-4(3H)-ones. Green Chemistry, 27(1), Article D5GC00962F.

Kommula, B., Kanwar, K., & Gautam, U. K. (2024). Waste polyethylene-derived carbon dots: Administration of metal-free oxidizing agents for tunable properties and photocatalytic hyperactivity. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 16(31), 39470–39481.

Wanting Zhu | Materials Science | Best Researcher Award | 13543

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Prof. Wanting Zhu | Materials Science | Best Researcher Award 

Prof. Wanting Zhu, Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), China

Prof. Wanting Zhu is a distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), where she conducts advanced research at the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing. Her expertise lies in thermoelectric materials and device engineering, with a particular focus on artificially tilted-structure transverse thermoelectric devices. She has pioneered high-throughput screening methods and established key design principles for these systems across various application scenarios. With over ten SCI-indexed publications, including recent works in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and Journal of Power Sources, Prof. Zhu is a recognized leader in optimizing thermoelectric performance and device stability.

Author Profile

Scopus

Education

Prof. Wanting Zhu’s academic journey in materials science began with a strong inclination towards fundamental research and practical engineering applications. From the outset of her education, she demonstrated a profound interest in energy materials, particularly those that contribute to sustainable and efficient thermal-to-electric energy conversion. Her early academic training equipped her with a solid foundation in thermodynamics, solid-state physics, and electronic materials, laying the groundwork for what would become a career at the intersection of cutting-edge materials research and real-world technological applications. Her curiosity and drive for innovation during her formative academic years eventually led her to explore thermoelectric materials—an area both scientifically rich and highly relevant to global energy challenges.

Experience

Currently serving as a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), Prof. Zhu is affiliated with the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing. In this role, she actively leads high-impact research focused on the design, fabrication, and optimization of thermoelectric devices, especially those with artificially tilted multilayer structures. She has emerged as a leading figure in her field, bridging theoretical insight and experimental prowess.

Her lab not only conducts fundamental research but also engages in the development of functional materials for real-world applications in electronics, energy harvesting, and thermal management systems. Prof. Zhu also plays a vital role in mentoring graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, fostering a collaborative and innovation-driven research environment. Her commitment to scientific advancement is evident in her hands-on leadership, guiding both applied research and long-term academic training.

Research Focus

She has made pioneering contributions in developing artificially tilted multilayer thermoelectric systems, which exhibit transverse thermoelectric effects. Her research elucidates both the structural design principles and manufacturing techniques necessary for tailoring these devices to specific energy and thermal environments. Prof. Zhu developed an innovative high-throughput screening method for optimizing the performance of thermoelectric devices, significantly accelerating materials discovery and device fabrication. This method enables rapid identification of effective material combinations and geometric configurations, increasing the efficiency of research and reducing production costs. She has also extended her research into materials with broadband infrared radiation capabilities, such as spinel ferrites, for thermal regulation in electronics—demonstrating the versatility and interdisciplinary reach of her work.

Her publications, appearing in Journal of Power Sources, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and Ceramics International, are a testament to her deep expertise and forward-thinking approach.

Award and Recognition

Prof. Zhu has authored more than 10 SCI-indexed publications as a first or corresponding author, and her research has been widely cited in the fields of thermoelectricity and materials engineering. Her scientific contributions have positioned her as a thought leader in thermoelectric device design in China and internationally.

Her work has gained attention not just for its academic rigor but also for its potential applications in next-generation wearable electronics, energy harvesters, and electronic cooling systems. She is frequently invited to collaborate and review for leading journals, reflecting her growing influence and professional standing in the global research community.

Publications

📘Enhancing electrical properties of flexible BiSbTe/epoxy composite films via liquid-phase extrusion – Journal of power resources(2024).

📘Optimizing Room‐Temperature Thermoelectric and Magnetocaloric Performance via Constructing Multi‐Scale Interfacial Phases in LaFeSi/BiSbTe Thermo‐Electro‐Magnetic Refrigeration Materials – Advanced functional materials(2024).

📘Excellent thermoelectric performance of Fe2NbAl alloy induced by strong crystal anharmonicity and high band degeneracy – Quantum Materials(2024).