Principal Investigator
Sayan Kar
Assistant Professor · Dept. of Sustainable Energy Engineering
sayank@iitk.ac.inAssistant Professor at IIT Kanpur. PhD in chemistry from USC (Prakash/Olah group, Methanol Economy); postdocs at the Weizmann Institute (David Milstein group, sustainable catalysis) and University of Cambridge (Erwin Reisner group, solar air-to-fuel). Leads SWACHH Lab's work on carbon capture, methanol economy, power-to-fuel and clean water technologies.
Skillset
CatalysisOrganometallic ChemistryReactor Design
Postdoctoral Researcher
Raina Sharma
Institute PDF · PhD: INST Mohali, Chemistry
Nanostructured materials for carbon capture and clean energy applications
rainas@iitk.ac.inRaina joined SWACHH Lab in January 2026 as an Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, after completing her PhD at INST, Mohali. Her research focuses on nanostructured materials for carbon capture and clean energy applications, bringing a materials-science perspective to the group's decarbonisation goals.
Skillset
ChemBET TPR/TPDTGA-DSC1D/2D NMRGC-MS
Senior Project Scientist
Kuldip Singh
PhD: IIT Delhi, Textile and Fibre Engineering
Flexible porous adsorbents for CO2 capture and gas storage
kuldipsingh@iitk.ac.inKuldip joined SWACHH Lab in August 2026 as a Senior Project Scientist, after a PhD and a Senior Research Fellowship at IIT Delhi. A textile engineer by training, he develops flexible porous adsorbents for CO2 capture and gas storage, bringing fibre, nonwoven and electrospinning expertise to the group's sorbent work.
Skillset
ElectrospinningCarbonization and ActivationSEMFTIREMI ShieldingThermal Imaging
Graduate Student
Bikash Bindu Mohanty
MSc: IIEST Shibpur, Chemistry · 3rd year (co-supervised by Prof Anand Singh)
Light-responsive molecular materials for carbon capture applications
bikashb24@iitk.ac.inBikash joined SWACHH Lab in November 2025 as a PhD student, co-supervised with Prof Anand Singh, after completing his Master's at IIEST Shibpur. His research explores light-responsive molecular materials for carbon capture applications, bridging fundamental photochemistry with practical decarbonisation.
Skillset
Organic SynthesisTLCColumn ChromatographyUV-VisNMR
Graduate Student
Swetalina Das
MSc: NISER Bhubaneswar, Chemistry · 2nd year
Catalysis for waste-to-wealth conversion
swetalina25@iitk.ac.inSwetalina joined the group in September 2025 after her Master's at NISER Bhubaneswar. She works on catalysis for waste-to-wealth conversion, developing routes to turn waste streams into useful products.
Skillset
Schlenk TechniquesGlovebox SynthesisNMRUV-VisChromatography
Graduate Student
Saddam Hussain
MSc: AMU Aligarh, High Energy Physics · 2nd year (co-supervised by Dr Srinivas K. Yadavalli)
Powdered semiconductor materials for energy applications
saddamh25@iitk.ac.inSaddam joined SWACHH Lab in October 2025, co-supervised with Dr Srinivas K. Yadavalli, following his Master's at Aligarh Muslim University. His work focuses on powdered semiconductor materials for energy applications.
Skillset
P-XRDUV-DRSPL
Graduate Student
Kumar Shashwat
MSc: IIT Roorkee, Chemistry · 1st year
To be determined
kumars26@iitk.ac.inShashwat joined SWACHH Lab in August 2026 as a PhD student, after a Master's in Chemistry at IIT Roorkee where he used density functional theory to study small-molecule activation on boron clusters. His PhD research topic is yet to be finalised.
Skillset
DFTORCAGaussian 16Molecular ModellingNMRUV-Vis
Predoctoral Researcher
Sudipta Nayak
Project Assistant · MSc: MAKAUT Kolkata, Applied Chemistry
Solar-driven carbon capture and electrochemistry
sudiptan@iitk.ac.inSudipta joined the group in September 2025 after completing his Master's at MAKAUT, Kolkata. He works on solar-driven carbon capture technologies and electrochemistry, aiming to cut the energy cost of pulling CO2 from air and flue gas.
Predoctoral Researcher
Divyansh Mishra
Project Associate · MSc: NIT Warangal, Chemistry (Analytical)
Next-generation catalytic process development
divyanshm@iitk.ac.inDivyansh joined SWACHH Lab in June 2026 after his Master's at NIT Warangal. He works on next-generation catalytic process development for decarbonisation technologies.
Skillset
XRDHPLCGC-MSTGA/DTAGC-TCD-FID
Predoctoral Researcher
Sayan Das
Project Assistant · MSc: NIT Warangal, Chemistry
Power-to-fuel conversion for waste management
sayand@iitk.ac.inSayan joined the group in June 2026 after completing his Master's at NIT Warangal. His research focuses on power-to-fuel conversion for waste management, turning waste streams into usable fuels.
Skillset
SEM-EDXCVLSVEISNMR
Master's Student
Devansh
BTech: AKGEC Ghaziabad, Computer Science Engineering
AI/ML applications in optimising direct air capture
devansh25@iitk.ac.inDevansh joined SWACHH Lab in December 2025 as a Master's student. He works on AI/ML applications in optimising direct air capture, applying his computational background to real-world decarbonisation problems.
Skillset
PythonMachine LearningData Analysis
Master's Student
Shivam Jaiswal
BTech: MMMUT, Chemical Engineering
Process modelling and techno-economic assessment
sjaiswal25@iitk.ac.inShivam joined the group in March 2026 as a Master's student. His work focuses on process modelling and techno-economic assessment of carbon capture technologies.
Skillset
Process SimulationTechno-Economic AnalysisData Analysis
Alumni
Former members of the lab, now off doing great things elsewhere.
Sachin Verma
Summer Intern · 2026
2nd Year B.Voc, INRE
“My experience with the group was truly enriching and memorable, thanks to the excellent guidance of my mentor, Dr. Sayan Kar, and co-mentor, Dr. Raina Sharma, and a friendly, collaborative team around them. This internship gave me valuable hands-on experience in carbon capture research, laboratory techniques, and scientific thinking.”
Ashwani Soni
Summer Intern · 2026
2nd Year BTech, RGIPT
“Beyond the incredible research experience, Sayan's kindness and generosity, whether in mentoring us or simply treating us with warmth, made this an unforgettable summer. I feel fortunate to have been part of this group and will always cherish the lessons and encouragement I received.”