Profile
Amit Vernekar
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About Me:
I am working as a scientist in CSIR-CLRI, India. My expertise and research interests are in bioinorganic and biomimetic chemistry, nanomaterials, nanozymes, and hydrogen energy.
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Dr. Amit A. Vernekar was born and brought up in Goa, India. After his graduation and post-graduation from Goa University (2009), he joined the premiere research institution, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, for Ph.D. studies (2010-2015) under the supervision of Prof. G. Mugesh. After this Ph.D. stint, he was selected for the prestigious post-doctoral associateship (2015-2018) by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, to work with a renowned bioinorganic chemist, Prof. Stephen J. Lippard, who is also considered as one of the founding fathers of bioinorganic chemistry. Currently, he is working as a Scientist at CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is also a faculty member of the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi.
Dr. Vernekar has authored several high-impact research papers, the majority of which are in reputed journals, a book chapter, and filed a patent. His research interests span over a broad area, which includes synthesis and characterization of functional nanomaterials and their biological evaluation, bioinorganic and biomimetic chemistry, catalysis, hydrogen storage and generation. He has significantly contributed towards the development of nanozyme technology for which he has received several prestigious National and International awards, notably, Gandhian Young Technological Award (GYTI)-2015, ASDF Best Scientific Researcher-2016 (Michigan, USA), Prof. Soundararajan Medal-best Ph.D. thesis award by IISc-Bangalore. He was also selected as a finalist in the top 45 young scientists worldwide for the prestigious Reaxys Ph.D. prize-2015, Hong-Kong. Very recently, he was awarded the prestigious CSIR-Young Scientist Award-2021 in chemical sciences. He is serving as a reviewer for several publishers, Nature publishing group, ACS, RSC, and Elsevier.
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Please refer to my website for further reading
https://sites.google.com/view/av-laboratory/home
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My Typical Day:
I get to work at 9.00 am. I provide guidance to my research and M.Sc students on daily basis. I go around the lab many times to know what’s going on and what’s the new finding. There would be daily discussions on experiments. I have lunch at 1.00 pm and then I read literature to keep myself up-to-date. I go home at 7.00 pm.
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Read more
I get to work at 9.00 am. I provide guidance to my research and M.Sc students on daily basis. I go around the lab many times to know what’s going on and what’s the new finding. There would be daily discussions on experiments. I have lunch at 1.00 pm and then I read literature to keep myself up-to-date. I go home at 7.00 pm.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would buy stationary items and books for the needy and deserving students.
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Education:
Matriculation: St. John of the Cross High School, Sanquelim Goa, India.
Higher Secondary: Shri Bhumika Higher Secondary School, Parye, Goa, India
B.Sc: Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Sanquelim Goa, India
M.Sc: Goa University, Goa, India
Ph.D: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India
Post-doctoral studies: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
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Qualifications:
Matriculation: St. John of the Cross High School, Sanquelim Goa, India.
Higher Secondary: Shri Bhumika Higher Secondary School, Parye, Goa, India
B.Sc: Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Sanquelim Goa, India
M.Sc: Goa University, Goa, India
Ph.D: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India
Post-doctoral studies: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
Additional Qualification: Type writing, journalism, office management
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Work History:
Post-doctoral studies (2015-2018): Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
Assistant professor (2018-2019): BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, India
Scientist and Assistant professor (AcSIR) (from 2019): CSIR-CLRI, Chennai, India
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Current Job:
Scientist and Assistant professor
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Passionate, singer, researcher
What did you want to be after you left school?
Play
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Lata Mangeshkar
What's your favourite food?
Food from Konkan, India
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Good person, happy person and honesty
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