Dr. Chitra Gurnani is currently an Professor at Department of Chemistry, École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad. Her research primarily focusses on designing materials for energy and sustainability. Dr. Gurnani undertook her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2009. Following her Ph.D., she she was awarded the Royal Society Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013) where she explored new methods for the deposition of important functional binary semiconductor materials towards important targets in energy and electronics at University of Southampton, UK. She then joined as Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore where she worked on the synthesis of novel low coordinate/low valent main group compounds (primarily Group 13 and Group 15), and further elucidated their underlying electronic structure and patterns of reactivity. She joined Mahindra Ecole Centrale as an Assistant Professor in October 2015.

• Ph.D. Chemistry, MDS University, India (2009)

• M.Sc. Chemistry, MDS University, Ajmer, India (2005)

• B.Sc. (Chemistry Hons), MDS University, Ajmer, India (2003)

• Sayali Shrishail Harke, Yogesh Jadhav, Vikas B. Patil and Chitra Gurnani (2025). Facile Solution-Processed Deposition of Bi₂S₃ Nanostructures for a Highly Sensitive and Selective Room-Temperature NO₂ Sensor. ACS Appl. Electron. Mater., 7(3), 1291–1304.

• Prajakta N. Gaikwad, Trishala R. Desai, Souradyuti Ghosh and Chitra Gurnani (2024). Flexible Nanostructured NiS-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for Simultaneous Detection of DNA Nucleobases. ACS Omega, 10(3), 2561–2574. (Selected as Front cover page)
• Trishala R. Desai, R. Sai Prasad Goud, Tukaram D. Dongale and Chitra Gurnani (2024). Evaluation of Nanostructured NiS₂ Thin Films from a Single-Source Precursor for Flexible Memristive Devices. ACS omega, 8(51), 48873-48883. (Selected as Front cover page)
• Trishala R. Desai, Aashi Gupta, Chitra Gurnani. 2024. Nanostructured NiS2 based Flexible Smart Sensors for Human Respiration Monitoring. Royal Society Philos. Trans. A, (Manuscript Accepted, DOI 10.1098/rsta.2023.0323).

• Sayali Shrishail Harke, Tongjun Zhang, Ruomeng Huang and Chitra Gurnani * “Solution-based in-situ deposition of Sb2S3 from a single source precursor for resistive random-access memory devices”, Materials Advances, 2023, DOI: 10.1039/D3MA00205. (Selected as the inside front cover for an issue of Materials Advances).
• T. R. Desai, S. S. Kundale, T. D. Dongale, C. Gurnani*, Evaluation of Cellulose-MXene Composite Hydrogel Based Bio-Resistive Random-Access Memory Material as Mimics for Biological Synapse. ACS. Appl. Bio Mat., 2023, 1, 1–34. (Selected as Front cover page).

• C. Gurnani, S. L. Hawken, A. L. Hector, R. Huang, M. Jura, W. Levason, J. Perkins, G. Reid, G. Stenning, Dalton Trans., 2018, 47, 2628-2637.
• S. L. Benjamin, C. H. de Groot, C. Gurnani, S. L. Hawken, A. L. Hector, R. Huang, M. Jura, W. Levason, E. Reid, G. Reid, S. P. Richards, G. Stenning, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2018, 29, 7734-7739.
• R. Huang, S. L. Benjamin, C. Gurnani, Yudong Wang, A. L. Hector, W. Levason, G. Reid, C. H. (Kees) De Groot,Nature-Sci. Rep. 6, 2016, 27593-27597.

• C. Gurnani, N. Đorđević, S. Muthaiah, D. Dimić, R. Ganguly, M. Petković, D. Vidović “Extending the chemistry of carbones: P–N bond cleavage via an SN2′-like mechanism” Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 10762-10764.
• Y. K. Loh, C. Gurnani, R. Ganguly, D. Vidović, “A Dicationic Iminophosphane.” Inorg. Chem., 2015, 54, 3087−3089.

• S. L Benjamin, Y. Chang, C. Gurnani, A. L. Hector, M. Huggon, W. Levason, G. Reid, “Niobium (V) and Tantalum (V) halide chacogenoether complexes towards single source CVD precursors for ME₂ thin Films.” Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 16640. Selected for themed collection HOT articles Dalton Transactions 2014.
• S. L Benjamin, C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , E. Koukharenko, W. Levason , G. Reid , “Controlling the nanostructures of bismuth telluride by selective chemical vapour deposition from a single source precursor.” J. Mat. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 4865-4869.

• R. Huang, P. N. Bartlett, S. L. Benjamin, C. Gurnani, A. L. Hector, A. Jolleys, G. P. Kissling, W. Levason, S. J. Pearce, G. Reid, C. H. (Kees) de Groot, “Selective Deposition of Phase Change Materials by Chemical Vapor Deposition and Electrodeposition.” European\Phase Change and Ovonics Symposium (E\PCOS), 2013, 11-14.
• K. George, C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , M. Jura , W. Levason , G. Reid , “Telluroether and Selenoether Complexes as Single Source Reagents for Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of Crystalline Ga₂Te₃ and Ga₂Se₃ Thin Films.” Chem. Mater., 2013, 25, 1829−1836.
• C. Gurnani, A. L. Hector, E. Jager, D. C. Pugh, W. Levason, G. Reid, “Tin(II) fluoride vs. tin(II) chloride – a comparison of their coordination chemistry with neutral ligands.” Dalton Trans., 2013, 42, 8364-8374.
• K. George, C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , M. Jura , W. Levason , G. Reid , “Low pressure chemical vapour deposition of crystalline Ga ₂Te₃ and Ga₂Se₃ thin films from single source precursors using telluroether and selenoether complexes.” Physics Procedia., 2013, 142-148. (Special Issue EUROCVD19 Nineteenth European Conference on Chemical Vapor Deposition).
• C. Gurnani , C. H. (Kees) de Groot , S. L Benjamin, A. L. Hector , R. Huang , K. Ignatyev, W. Levason , F. Thomas, G. Reid , “Area Selective Low Pressure CVD Growth of Titanium Diselenide Thin Films into Micro patterned Substrates.” Chem. Mater., 2013, 25, 4719-4724.
• C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , M. Jura , W. Levason , G. Reid , “Highly Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition of Tin Diselenide Thin Films onto Patterned Substrates via Single Source Diselenoether Precursors.” Chem. Mater., 2012, 24, 4442–4449.

• C. Gurnani, M. Jura, W. Levason, R. Ratnani, G. Reid, M. Webster, “Preparation and structures of tellurium (IV) halide complexes with thioether coordination.” Dalton Trans. , 2009, 4122-4128.
• C. Gurnani, M. Jura, W. Levason, R. Ratnani, G. Reid, M. Webster, “Synthesis, characterisation and structures of thio-, seleno- and telluro-ether complexes of indium (III) halides.” Dalton Trans., 2009, 1611-1619.

• C. Gurnani, W. Levason, R. Ratnani, G. Reid, M. Webster, “Synthesis, characterisation and structures of thio-, seleno- and telluro-ether complexes of gallium (III).” Dalton Trans., 2008, 6274-6282.
• J. Drake, C. Gurnani, S. Maheshwari, R. Ratnani, “Crystal structure of Bis[O,O’-di(p-tolyl)thiophosphoryl]disulphide,[(p-MeC₆H₄O)₂PS₂] _2.” Anal. Sci., 2008, 24(9), x197-x198.
• J. Drake, C. Gurnani, M. Hursthouse, M. Light, M. Nirwan, R. Ratnani, “Synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of dimethyl/di(n-butyl)tin(IV)bisO,O’-ditolyldithiophosphate) complexes. Crystal Structures of Me₂Sn[S₂P(OC₆H₄Me-o)₂]₂ and n-Bu₂Sn[S₂P(OC₆H₄Me-o)₂]₂.” Appl. Organometal. Chem., 2007, 21, 539 – 544.
• A. Bingham, J. Drake, C. Gurnani, M. Hursthouse, M. Light, M. Nirwan, R. Ratnani, “Triethyl ammonium salt of O,O’-bis(p -tolyl) dithiophosphate, [Et₃NH]⁺[4-MeC₆H₄O]₂PS₂]₂. ^”J. Chem. Cryst., 2006, 36(10), 627-630.

BOOK CHAPTERS:

• C. Gurnani, W. Levason and Reid G. (2013) Macrocyclic Thio-, Seleno-, and Telluroether Ligands. In: Reedijk, J. (Ed.) Elsevier Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. Waltham, MA: Elsevier. 11-Sep-2013 doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.00979-3.
• C. Gurnani , W. Levason and G. Reid. (2013) Acyclic Thio-, Seleno-, and Telluroether Ligands. In: Reedijk, J. (Ed.) Elsevier Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. Waltham, MA: Elsevier. 11-Sep-2013 doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.00887-8.

Patents

• Suprabha S. Dixit, Sayali Shrishail Harke, and Chitra Gurnani, “Metal sulfides-based device for on-site detection of heavy metal ions in water and method therefor”, India Patent application IN202441030989, April 2024.
• Sayali Shrishail Harke and Chitra Gurnani, “Method of preparation of M2S3 (M=Sb, Bi) films at low temperature”, India Patent application IN202341027475, April 2023.
• C. Gurnani , Sai Madhavan and Sai Tati Teja, “Portable Modular Interlocking and Low-Cost Redox Flow Cell Stack Unit” India Patent application, 202041048937, Dec 2021.

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:

• Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nanoscale Arrays of Sb₂Te_3, C. Gurnani, W. Levason, G. Reid, 28^thAnnual General Meeting of Material Research Society of India (MRSI-2017) IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India, (2017).
• Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nanoscale Arrays of Main group chalcogenides, C. Gurnani, W. Levason, G. Reid, UK-India Symposium on Functional Materials, University of Edinburgh, UK, (2016).
• Comparison of reactivity of carbodiphosphorane with different phosphines, C. Gurnani, D. Vidovic, 8th International Chemistry Conference, Singapore, (2014).

• Chemical vapour deposition of main group chalcogenides: From precursor synthesis to phase change memory materials C. Gurnani, R. Huang , C. H. (Kees) de Groot , A. L. Hector , W. Levason , G. Reid , Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Dalton Division Conference, Warwick, UK, (2012).
• Seelctive Chemical vapour deposition of main group chalcogenides, C. Gurnani , R. Huang , C. H. (Kees) de Groot , A. L. Hector , W. Levason , G. Reid , RSC- Challenges in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (ISACS8), Toronto, ( 2012).

Workshops

• Participated in Workshop on “ Advanced Material Characterisation techniques” organised by IIT-Hyderabad Aug 2019.

Invited Talks:

• “Molecular Precursors for Selective Growth of Metal Chalcogenides for Sustainable Energy Harvesting Applications”, Chitra Gurnani, Commonwealth Science Congress 2021 (2021)
• “New Reagents for selective growth of thermoelectric metal chalcogenides for energy harvesting” Chitra Gurnani, National Webinar conducted by Government Victoria College Palakkad, Kerala (2021).
• Selective Chemical Vapor deposition of Chalcogenides for Thermoelectric Applications Chitra Gurnani, Resource Person for Faculty Development Program jointly organized by Commissionerate College Education Rajasthan and Department of Chemistry, SPC Government College Ajmer (2021)
• Selective Chemical Vapour Deposition of Main Group Chalcogenides” Chitra Gurnani Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, UK, Feb 2016, UK

• Chalcogenide Alloys: From Single Source Precursors to Phase Change and Thermoelectric Application, Chitra Gurnani STFC, Harwell Innovation Campus, Oxford (2015).
• Invited talk at the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)-India Deccan Local Section to deliver a lecture addressing UG and PG students Women in Science at St Ann’s College for Women, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad on (2015).

• Professor, Department of Chemistry, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, 2025
• Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, 2018 – 2025

• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, 2018- 2015

• Research Fellow, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2013-2015

• Royal Society Newton International Fellow, University of Southampton, UK, 2011-2013

• Assistant Professor, Central University of Rajasthan, 2010

• Lecturer,Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Ajmer

My research area focusses on finding solutions to technologically and scientifically stimulating societal concerns, with a special emphasis on materials for energy and sustainability.

• Design and engineering of next-generation flow-battery technologies
• Chemical Vapour Deposition of Chalcogenide alloys for Energy Harvesting applications
• Novel Routes to Clean Energy Technologies: Hydrogen generation by Photocatalytic Water Splitting
• Two dimensional materials for high performance electrode materials for Lithium ion battery
• Bioinspired Catalysis: New Nitrogenase mimics as materials for dinitrogen reduction

Research Grants:

• “Novel Routes to Clean energy Technologies, PI: Chitra Gurnani, Co-PI A. Gomathi Amount-6 Lakh, Funding Agency: Internal Research Call Mahindra University, Aug 2021.
• Newton Alumni Funding (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021)PI: Chitra Gurnani, Amount awarded: ₤6000/year. Funding Agency: Royal Society, UK.
• Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013); PI: Chitra Gurnani; Amount awarded ₤104,000

Research Positions: Visiting Academic, Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, UK

PhD Students Under Supervision

• Sayali Shrishail Harke
• Trishala Rajendra Desai

UG students (project completed)

• Bharath Reddy (2021):Synthesis and Characterization of metal dithiophosphate complexes
• Sai Madhavan, Sai Tati Teja (2020)– Redox Flow Battery
• Shiva Bhisne, Sri Chandana (2017)— Interlocking Plastic Brick
• Shaik Shahul (2016)-Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials

Professional Memberships

• American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
• Material Research Society, (MRS),USA,
• Material Research Society of India (MRSI)

Awards

• Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013) – awarded by The Royal Society, UK.
• Commonwealth Split-Site Doctoral Scholarship (2007–2008) – awarded by the Foreign Commonwealth Office and Association of commonwealth universities, UK
• Young Scientist Award (2006) – Prof A.K. Dey Memorial Award at 43rdAnnual Convention of Chemists of Indian Chemical Society, Aurangabad, India.
• Young Scientist Award (2006)– M.L Bhasin Memorial Award at 42nd Annual Convention of Chemists of Indian Chemical Society, Kolkata, India
• Best Student Award (2005) – M.Sc. Chemistry, MDS University Ajmer, India

Others

PhD students (under supervision)

• Sayali Shrishail Harke (Aug 2020)
• Trishala Rajendra Desai (Jan 2021)
• Suprabha Dixit (Aug 2022)
• Prajakta Gaikwad (Aug 2022)

UG students : Group News:

PhD student Sayali Shrishail Harke has been awarded for poster presentation at International Conference on Emerging Materials for Sustainable Development (EMSD-2022) organized by IEEE at CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh from 9th Oct -11th Oct 2022. Sayali received second prize in the category of Materials for Clean Energy. She presented her work on “Elucidation of performance of a portable, modular vanadium redox flow cell unit”.