Professional Experience

2020 - Current: Senior Principal Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India & Professor, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune
2015 - 2020: Principal Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India & Associate Professor, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune
2011 - 2015: Senior Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India & Assistant Professor, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune
2010 - 2011 Alexander von Humboldt Post Doctoral Research Fellow with Prof. Lutz Ackermann, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
2007 - 2010 NSF-CENTC Post Doctoral Research Fellow (with Prof. Alan S. Goldman, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Jersey, USA.
2007 Ph.D. with Prof. M. S. Balakrishna, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, India.

Selected Publication

1. Shabade, A. B.; Sharma, D. M.; Bajpai, P.; Gonnade, R. G.; Vanka K.; Punji, B.; “Room Temperature Chemoselective Hydrogenation of C=C, C=O and C=N Bonds by Using a Well-Defined Mixed Donor Mn(I) Pincer Catalyst” Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 13764–13773.

2. Sudhakaran, S.; Shinde, P. G.; Aratikatla, E. K.; Kaulage, S. H.; Rana, P.; Parit, R. S.; Kavale, D. S.; Senthilkumar, B.; Punji, B.; “Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation for the Synthesis of Key Sitagliptin Intermediate”, Chem. Asian J., 2022, 17, e202101208.

3. Sharma, D. M.; Gouda, C.; Gonnade, R. G.; Punji, B.; “Room Temperature Z-Selective Hydrogenation of Alkynes by Hemilabile and Non-innocent (NNN)Co(II) Catalyst” Catal. Sci. Technol. 2022, 12, 1843-1849.

4. Verma, S. K.; Punji, B.; “Manganese-Catalyzed C(sp²)-H Alkylation of Indolines and (2-Pyridinyl)Arenes with Unactivated Alkyl Bromides” Chem. Asian J. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/asia.202200103.

5. Jagtap, R. A.; Pradhan, C.; Gonnade, R. G.; Punji, B.; “An Efficient Route to 3,3'-Biindolinylidene-diones by Iron-Catalyzed Dimerization of Isatins” Chem. Asian J. 2022, DOI:10.1002/asia.202200414.

6. Pradhan, C.; Punji, B.; “Advances in the Iron-Catalyzed Direct Functionalizations of Heterocycles” Synlett., 2022, DOI:10.1055/a-1890-8503

7. Ankade, S. B.; Samal, P. P.; Soni, V.; Gonnade, R. G.; Krishnamurty S.; Punji, B.; “Ni(II)-Catalyzed Intramolecular C–H/C–H Oxidative Coupling: An Efficient Route to Functionalized Cycloindolones and Indenoindolones”, ACS Catal., 2021, 11, 12384- 12393.

8. Ankade, S. B.; Shabade, A. B.; Soni, V.; Punji, B.; “Unactivated Alkyl Halides in Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C–H Bond Alkylation” ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 3268-3292.

9. Rogge, T.; Kaplaneris, N.; Chatani, N.; Kim, J.; Chang, S.; Punji, B.; Schafer, L. L.; Musaev, D. G.; Wencel-Delord, J.; Roberts, C. A.; Sarpong, R.; Wilson, Z. E.; Brimble, M. A.; Johansson, M. J.; Ackermann, L.; “C-H Activation” Nature. Rev. Methods Primers, 2021, 1, 43. DOI:10.1038/s43586-021-00041-2.

10. Jagtap, R. A.; Punji, B.; “Nickel-Catalyzed C-H Bond Functionalization of Azoles and Indoles” Chem. Rec. 2021, 21, 3573-3588.

11. Bansal, S.; Shabade, A. B.; Punji, B.; “Advances in C(sp²)-H/C(sp²)-H Oxidative Coupling of (Hetero)arenes Using 3d Transition Metal Catalysts” Adv. Synth. Catal. 2021, 363, 1998-2022.

12. Jagtap, R. A.; Ankade, S. B.; Gonnade, R. G.; Punji, B.; “Achiral and Chiral NNN-Pincer Nickel Complexes with Oxazolinyl Backbones: Application in Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones.” New J. Chem., 2021, 45, 11927-11936.

13. Vijaykumar, M.; Punji, B.; “Pd(II)-Catalyzed Chemoselective Acetoxylation of C(sp²)-H and C(sp³)-H Bonds in Tertiary Amides” J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 8172-8181.

14. Jagtap, R. A.; Samal, P. P.; Vinod, C. P. Krishnamurty, S.; Punji, B.; “Iron-Catalyzed C(sp²)-H Alkylation of Indolines and Benzo[h]quinoline with Unactivated Alkyl Chlorides through Chelation-Assistance” ACS Catal. 2020, 10, 3712-3721. IF: 13.10

15. Jagtap, R. A.; Verma, S. K.; Punji, B.; “MnBr₂-Catalyzed Direct and Site-Selective Alkylation of Indoles and Benzo[h]quinoline” Org. Lett. 2020, 22, 4643-4647.

16. Pandey, D. K.; Shabade, A. B.; Punji, B.; “Copper-Catalyzed Direct Arylation of Indoles and Related (Hetero)arenes: A Ligandless and Solvent-free Approach” Adv. Synth. Catal, 2020, 362, 2534-2540.