Benjaram M Reddy
Senior Professor Emeritus
Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani
India
Prof. Benjaram Mahipal Reddy earned his PhD in Catalysis from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, in 1986. He began his career as a junior scientist in 1984 and retired in 2017 as Chief Scientist and Head of the Inorganic & Physical Chemistry Department. Post-retirement, he served as a CSIR Emeritus Scientist for a brief period and held the Raja Ramanna Distinguished Fellowship until December 2020. In 2021, he was a visiting research scientist at West Virginia University, and since January 2022, he has been a Senior Professor Emeritus at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus.
Throughout his extensive academic career at CSIR-IICT, he has earned various international fellowships, including those from JSPS (Japan), DAAD (Germany), CNRS (France), Brain Pool (South Korea), and NSF (USA), allowing him to work in multiple countries. He has published over 350 research articles, 2 edited books, 5 monographs, 13 book chapters, and 16 reviews, and holds 8 patents. His h-index on Google Scholar is 84 with over 21,500 citations. Since 2019, he has ranked among the top 2% of scientists in chemical sciences, according to Stanford University report. He has supervised 40 PhD theses and more than 35 BTech/MTech/MSc dissertations. He also serves on the editorial board or as a guest editor for various journals, including the Journal of CO2 Utilization, Applied Petrochemical Research, Emission Control Science and Technology, Current Catalysis, Catalysis Today, Discover Catalysis, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, and Frontiers in Chemistry, among others. A special issue of Molecular Catalysis was published in his honour for his 60th birthday.
Among the specialized awards and honours he has received are CSIR Young Scientist Award, CSI Young Scientist Award, Associate Fellowship of the Third World Academy of Sciences, Sir C.V. Raman Fellowship from CSIR, Gold Medal from the Society for Material Chemistry (SMC), Gold Medal from the Association of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (ABAP), and Bronze Medal from the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI). Additionally, he has been recognised with the AICTE-INAE Distinguished Professorship, the NASI-Senior Scientist Platinum Jubilee Fellowship, the CSI Professor SK Bhattacharya Eminent Scientist Award, the AICTE-Distinguished Professional, and many more.
Prof. Reddy’s contributions have been widely recognized through several prestigious fellowships, including those from the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), the National Academy of Sciences India (NASI), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the Indian Chemical Society (ICS), the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, and the Telangana Academy of Sciences. He has held significant positions, including Council Member of the International Association of Catalysis Societies (IACS), Council Member of the Asia-Pacific Association of Catalysis Societies (APACS), Honorary Secretary of the Chemical Society of India (CSI), and Honorary Treasurer of the Telangana Academy of Sciences.
His notable contributions include innovative catalyst designs for applications such as auto-exhaust purification, organic syntheses, CO2 capture and utilization, and the production of value-added chemicals from bioglycerol. His areas of expertise include heterogeneous catalysis, nanomaterials, green chemistry, and green processes.