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.       Verma, S. K; Samal, P. P.; Pradhan, C.; Pandey, D. K.; Krishnamurty, S.; and Punji, B. “Hybrid Pincer (PNN)Ni(II) Complex        Catalyzed Selective C–H Alkylation of Pyridones Using Unactivated Alkyl Chlorides” ACS Catal., 2025, 15, 2987-2999.

2.       Pradhan, C. and Punji, B. “Atroposelective Construction of Biaryls Enabled by a Ni(II)-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation Strategy” ACS Cent. Sci., 2025, 11, 187-189.

3.       Pradhan, C.; Khandelwal, D.; Punji, B. “Regioselective Difluoroalkylation of 2-Pyridones with Fluoroalkyl Bromides Enabled by a Nickel(II) Catalyst” Chem. Asian. J., 2025, 20, e202401870.

4.       Vijaykumar, M.; Gonnade, R. G.; and Punji, B. “Palladium-Catalyzed Regioselective C(4)−H Fluoroalkoxylation of Indoles via Weak Chelation Assistance” ChemCatChem, 2024, 16, e202401188.

5.       Vijaykumar, M.; Pradhan, C.; Gonnade, R. G.; and Punji, B. “Chelation-Assisted and Steric-Controlled Selectivity in the Pd-Catalyzed C−H/C−H Oxidative Coupling of Indoles” Chem. Commun. 2024, 60, 13028-13031.

6.       Shabade, A. B.; Singh, R. K.; Gonnade, R. G.; and Punji, B. “Manganese-Catalyzed Chemoselective Direct Hydrogenation of α,β-Epoxy Ketones and α-Ketoamides at Room Temperature” Adv. Synth. Catal. 2024, 366, 3338-3345.

7.       Ankade, S. B.; Pradhan, C.; Samal, P. P.; Gonnade, R. G.; Krishnamurty, S. and Punji, B. “Iron-Catalyzed C–C and C–N Bond-Forming Tandem Amidation Offering Access to 3-Amino-3-Aminomethyl-2-Oxindole Frameworks” Adv. Synth. Catal., 2024, 366, 2801-2810.

8.       Pradhan, C.; Punji, B. “Advancement in the C–H Bond Alkylation of (Hetero)arenes Catalyzed by the Most Abundant Transition Metal – Iron” Org. Chem. Front., 2024, 11, 2397-2417.

9.       Bansal, S.; Punji, B. “Chemodivergent Dehydrogenative Coupling of Alcohols by 3d Metal Catalysts” ChemCatChem., 2024, 16, e202301558.

10.    Verma, S. K; Punji, B. “Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Alkylation of Phenol Derivatives with Unactivated Alkyl Chlorides: Manifesting a Cu(I)/Cu(III) Pathway” J. Catal., 2024, 430, 115351.

11.    Bansal, S.; Punji, B. “Nickel-Catalyzed Chemodivergent Coupling of Alcohols: Efficient Routes to Access α,α-Disubstituted Ketones and α-Substituted Chalcones” Chem. Eur. J., 2024, 30, e202304082.

12.    Pradhan, C.; Jagtap, R. A.; Samal, P. P.; Krishnamurty, S.; Punji, B. “Iron-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Alkylation of Indoles: An Additive-free Approach in Renewable Solvent” Green Chem., 2023, 25, 9733-9743.

13.    Sharma, D. M.; Shabade, A. B.; Gonnade, R. G.; Punji, B.; “Manganese(I)-Catalyzed Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation of the C=C Bond in Conjugated Ketones at Room Temperature” Chem. Eur. J., 2023, 29, e202301174.

14.    Vijaykumar, M.; Pradhan C.; Gonnade, R. G.; Punji, B.; “Palladium-Catalyzed Chemoselective Oxygenation of C(sp2)-H and C(sp3)-H Bonds in Isatins” Org. Lett. 2023, 25, 1862-1867.

15.    Bansal, S.; Gonnade, R. G.; Punji, B.; “Chemodivergent Coupling of Azoarenes with Benzyl Alcohols via Borrowing Hydrogen Strategy Using a Well-Defined Nickel Catalyst” Catal. Sci. Technol. 2023, 13, 2705-2713. 

16.    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.

17.    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.

18.    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.

19.    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. 

 20.    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” Nat. Rev. Methods Primers, 2021, 1, 43.