Dr. B. Vidhya

Dr. B. Vidhya, Assistant Professor, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Sciences at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore. She holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Solid State Electronics from CINVESTAV, Mexico, an M.Sc. in Materials Science from Anna University, Coimbatore, and a B.Sc. in Applied Sciences from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. With 15 years of teaching and research experience, her research expertise includes nanomaterials and thin films, top-down and bottom-up synthesis and characterization, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photovoltaics, dielectric and electroadhesive materials, and semiconductor thin films and nanocomposites for energy and environmental applications.

Her research activities encompass photocatalytic and electrocatalytic materials, hydrogen evolution, photovoltaic materials, semiconductor devices, nanofibers, nanocomposites and advanced materials characterization. She has contributed to funded research projects supported by NMICPS–IIT Mandi, DISHA 2.0–IIT Indore, IIT Tirupati Navavishkar i-Hub and DST-SERB, covering exoskeleton development, AI-integrated hyperspectral imaging for cervical cancer diagnosis, hyperspectral remote sensing and antibacterial materials. She has 87 publications and has contributed to research in hydrogen generation, pollutant degradation, electroadhesive materials, photovoltaic applications and environmental technologies. Her work has also resulted in 11 granted patents and additional published patent applications covering electroadhesive materials, dye removal, lithium trivanadate thin films, nanofabric materials, electrolyte membranes, nanocomposites, bio-organic fertilizers, carbon nanotube–graphene structures, topical gels and nanosensors.

Dr. Vidhya has supervised eight Ph.D. scholars and three M.Phil. scholars, with research spanning photocatalytic dye degradation, electrochemical hydrogen evolution, chalcogenide and kesterite thin films, BiVO₄-based photocatalysts, ZnO heterostructures, graphene oxide and hexagonal boron nitride nanocomposites, and electroadhesive applications. Her teaching experience includes Engineering Physics, Materials Science, Nanomaterials, Thin Films, Photovoltaics, Solid State Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Properties of Matter, General Physics, advanced physics and thin-film laboratories, materials characterization and synthesis of nanomaterials. She has also contributed to interdisciplinary teaching in Physics for Biotechnology, Forensic Physics, Optometric Instrumentation, Entrepreneurship and Digital System Design.

She has received several recognitions, including the Faculty Excellence Award 2024 for Excellence in Research and Publication, Karunya Achiever Awards for granted patents, the Young Achiever Award 2022, Best Women Faculty Award 2021–2022, a Research Award for innovative research, and Best Oral Presentation awards at international materials conferences in India and Mexico. Her international academic exposure includes doctoral research and advanced characterization training at CINVESTAV, Mexico, a Nanotechnology short course at Arizona State University, USA, and research presentations at international conferences in Boston, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Vietnam. She has also contributed as a resource person, reviewer and academic coordinator and has been involved in IQAC, consultancy, LMS coordination, accreditation, ranking, innovation and curriculum-related activities. Her recent research interests extend toward clean energy, hydrogen generation, environmental sustainability, advanced sensing, AI-enabled analytical technologies and quantum computing.