Dr. V. Madhu

Dr. V. Madhu, Associate Professor, is a faculty member in the Division of Physical Sciences at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Hyderabad, an M.Sc. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Madras, and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Government Arts College, Krishnagiri. He joined Karunya in 2012 after serving as a faculty member at Jayam College of Engineering and Technology, Dharmapuri, and completing postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.

His research interests include organic and inorganic materials for optoelectronic applications, near-infrared absorbing and emitting materials, multi-responsive multifunctional smart materials, sustainable catalysis, crystallography and supramolecular chemistry, coordination chemistry, materials for sustainable development, forensic chemistry, forensic toxicology, and latent fingerprint development. His work spans functional materials, fluorescence sensing, molecular recognition, sustainable catalysis, coordination compounds, and structure–property relationships. He also provides consultancy services in UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy, NIR-emitting materials, catalysis, crystallography, and coordination chemistry.

Dr. Madhu has published research articles in journals associated with the American Chemical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Wiley, Springer, and ScienceDirect. His publication record includes studies on luminescent materials, fluorescence sensing, NIR-absorbing materials, supramolecular chemistry, transition-metal complexes, sustainable catalysis, crystallography, and multifunctional materials. He has also authored the book Forensic Science: A Multidisciplinary Textbook and a book chapter on catalysts in sustainable development. His funded research includes projects supported by DST-SERB, UGC, UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, and other agencies.

He has guided six Ph.D. scholars and 30 postgraduate students, with seven research scholars currently pursuing Ph.D. studies under his supervision. His recognitions include the C. V. Raman International Fellowship for African Researchers in 2023 and 2024, Karunya University Achiever Awards, IUCr Bursary Award, UGC Research Award, DST Fast Track for Young Scientist recognition, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Weizmann Institute of Science. He is a member of professional bodies including the American Chemical Society, Israel Chemical Society, National Environmental Science Academy, Materials Research Society of India, Luminescence Society of India, and Chemical Research Society of India.