Rajeev Sakhuja

Professor Rajeev Sakhuja

(Professor)

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Prof. Rajeev Sakhuja

Prof. Rajeev Sakhuja joined as a Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi on May 2025. 

Prior to joining University of Delhi, Prof. Sakhuja was leading an independent research group at Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani since March 2012, where his research area lies in the broad areas of Heterocyclic Chemistry, Peptide Chemistry, Material and Medicinal Chemistry.

He earned his B.Sc. (Chemistry Hon’s) & M.Sc. (with Organic Chemistry specialization) degrees from Department of Chemistry (Hans Raj College), University of Delhi during 1996-99 & 1999-2001, respectively. Thereafter, he obtained his M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi in the area of heterocyclic chemistry during 2001-2007. Following this, he pursued his postdoctoral research with Prof. Alan R. Katritzky at the Center of Heterocyclic Compounds, University of Florida, Gainesville, and thereafter with Prof. Raymond Booth at Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida from 2009-2012. In March 2012, he joined the Department of Chemistry, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus as an Assistant Professor, and was promoted to Associate Professor in July 2018, and as a full Professor in May 2023.

Overall, Prof. Sakhuja has eighteen years of post-Ph.D. research experience in the broad field of organic synthesis. His current area of research interests lies in the development of metal-catalyzed and metal-free strategies for the fusion and functionalization of heterocycles, bile acids, amino acids and short peptides via directed and non-directed C-H activation notion, along with the development of organic materials with sensing and gelation abilities. His effective contribution in these areas has fetched him eighty one research articles and four reviews in peer reviewed journals of international repute and three book chapters. He has successfully completely seven sponsored projects funded by government agencies (DST, SERB, UGC, CSIR), and private organization (BITS seed grant & additional research grant, Sun Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd.) in the past thirteen years. He is a very passionate teacher, and he has received several awards, including CRSI Bronze Medal-2025, Best Teacher Award-2022 in Chemical Sciences by Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists (ISCB) and Prof. S. S. Ranganathan Teaching Excellence Award-2023 by BITS Pilani.   

Selected Publications:

  1. Naharwal, S., Kharat, N. D., Panda, S. S., Bajaj, K., Chanda, A., Mandal, S. K., Sakhuja, R. S. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2025, 90, 8113-8123.
  2. Kharat, N. D., Naharwal, S., Panda, S, S., Bajaj, K, Sakhuja, R. Chemical Communications 2024, 60(59), 7622-7625.
  3. Naharwal, S., Kharat, N. D., Bajaj, K., Panda, S. S., Sakhuja, R. Chemistry–An Asian Journal 2024, 19(23), e202400711.
  4. Kumar, D., Nidhi, Khungar, B., Sakhuja, R. Suryakanta, D. Bajaj, K. Dyes and Pigments 2024, 231, 112365.
  5. Kharat, N. D., Naharwal, S., Tank, D., Panda, S. S., Bajaj, K., Sakhuja, R. Organic Letters 2023, 25(42), 7673–7677.
  6. Tank, D., Kharat, N. D., Panda, S. S., Bajaj, K., Sakhuja, R. Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry 2023, 12(12), e202300503.
  7. Borade S. A. Naharwal S., Bhambri H., Chitkara D., Sakhuja R. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry 2023, 21(33), 6719–6729.
  8. Naharwal S., Mahesha C. K., Kharat N. D., Bajaj K., Sakhuja R. Synthesis 2023, 55(21), 3515-3525.
  9. Mahesha, C. K.; Borade, S. A.; Tank, D.; Bajaj, K.; Bhambri, H.; mandal, S. K.; Sakhuja, R. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2023, 88, 1457-1468.
  10. Kharat, Narendra Dinkar; Mahesha, Chikkagundagal K.; Bajaj, Kiran; Sakhuja, R. Organic Letters 2022, 24, 6857-6862.
  11. Naharwal, S.; Karishma, P.; Mahesha, C. K.; Bajaj, K.; Mandal S. K.; Sakhuja, R., Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2022, 20, 4753-4764.
  12.  Mahesha, C. K.; Naharwal, S.; Dinkar, N. K.; Mandal, S. K.; Sakhuja, R. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2022, 7, 3701–3706.
  13. Bokhtia, R. M.; Girgis, A. S.; Ibrahim, T. S.; Rasslan, F.; Nossier, E. S.; Barghash R. F.; Sakhuja, R., Abdel-Aal, E. H.; Panda. S. S. Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15, 191-214.
  14. Karishma, P.; Mandal, S. K.; Sakhuja, R., Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry 2021, 10(10), 2580-2590.
  15. Karishma, P.; Mahesha, C. K.; Mandal, S. K.; Sakhuja, R., Journal of Organic Chemistry 2021, 86(3), 2734-2747.
  16. Karishma, P.; Gogia, A.; Mandal, S. K.; Sakhuja, R., Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis 2021, 363(3), 762-775.