Home Page of Prof. Ranjit Koodali

Dr. Ranjit T. Koodali
Assistant Professor & Graduate Program Director
Department of Chemistry
University of South Dakota
414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion SD 57069
Tel. 1-605-677-6189 (Office); Fax. 1-605-677-6397
http://www.usd.edu/~rkoodali or http://people.usd.edu/~rkoodali/

Dr. Koodali was born in India (Kerala) and obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T.) Madras. His admission to the Ph.D. program was based on a nationally conducted examination (NET) and he was among the top eleven candidates in the country in the subject of chemistry. After extensive Post-Doctoral experiences in the laboratories of Prof. Itamar Willner, Late Prof. Larry Kevan and Prof. Kenneth J. Klabunde, he joined USD in August 2005. His areas of research encompass a wide range of subjects from Aerogels to Xerogels. The areas that his research span are synthesis and characterization of microporous and mesoporous nanostructured materials, photochemical storage and conversion of solar energy, photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry, sol-gel chemistry, environmental chemistry and development of sensors. He has four patents in the area of photocatalysis and has published over fifty scholarly articles.

Dr. Koodali serves as a journal reviewer for Advanced Science Letters, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Catalysis Communications, Catalysis Today, Chemistry of Materials, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, Energy and Environmental Science, Journal of Catalysis, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Langmuir, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, & Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics and is a reviewer for the National Science Foundation (NSF). He finds mention in 57^th, 58^th, 60^th, 61^st, and 63rd editions of Who’s Who in America, 6th, and 7th editions of Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and 11^th edition of Who's Who Among American Teachers & Educators.

In addition to teaching and research activities, Dr. Koodali serves as the Graduate Program Director of the Chemistry Department, as one of the EEO representatives of the Chemistry Department, advisory member of the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of South Dakota Planning Committee member, and Secretary of the local section (Sioux Valley) of the American Chemical Society.

The Chemistry Department is a recipient of a prestigious National Science Foundation grant (NSF) for Undergraduate Research. The Chemistry Department has been awarded a grant by NSF to establish the Northern Plains Undergraduate Research Center (NPURC). Only five such undergraduate research centers in chemistry exist in United States.

The Chemistry Department received the second annual Award for Academic Excellence and Innovation given to Departments within USD in 2005. To quote the Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Prof. Royce Engstrom, "The work of the entire department is leading to remarkable accomplishments for students, faculty and the university". To view a picture of the award presentation to the Department of Chemistry, please visit www.usd.edu/urelations/images/ChemAward.jpg.

Chemistry Department Receives the Second Annual Award for Academic Excellence and Innovation in 2005.

1. National Science Foundation–Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI), “MRI: Acquisition of a Powder X-ray Diffractometer for Materials Chemistry Research and Education at the University of South Dakota", submitted Jan. 25 2007, Aug. 01 2007 – Jul. 31 2010, $163,000, PI.
2. Center for Nanoscale Materials – Argonne National Laboratory: Exploration of the mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in Ti and W containing mesoporous MCM-48 materials by EPR spectroscopy, submitted October 19, 2009, $0, PI.
3. National Science Foundation - IGERT: Nanostructured Solar Cells: Materials, Processes, and Devices, submitted October 20 2008, $2,997,849, Sep. 01, 2009 – Aug. 31 2014, co-PI.
4. Department of Energy-“Establishment of the South Dakota Catalysis Group at The University of South Dakota and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology - Addressing Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization”, Aug. 01 2008 – Jul. 31 2010, $2,098,650, co-PI.
5. National Science Foundation-Chemical Research and Instrumentation Facilities (NSF-CRIF)-Multi User (MU), “Purchase of a Transmission Electron Microscope: a Regional Cyber-User Facility for Materials Chemistry and the Northern Plains Undergraduate Research Center, submitted June 24 2008, $475,806, Feb. 01 2009 – Jan. 31 2012, co-PI.
6. National Science Foundation – EPSCoR – RII – “Beyond the 2010 Initiative: Partnerships for Competitiveness” submitted October 21, 2008, $20,000,000, Senior Personnel.
7. NSF-Undergraduate Research Collaborative Centers (URC), CHE-0532242, "The Northern Plains Undergraduate Research Center" (NPURC), Sep. 01 2005 – Aug. 31 2010, $3,011,149, Senior Personnel.

1. National Science Foundation–Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI), CHE-0619190, “Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer: Increasing Research Capability in the Area of Light Activated Materials”, Aug. 01 2006 – Jul. 31 2009, $177,800, PI.
2. South Dakota Board of Reagents (SD-BOR), Governor’s 2010 Individual Research Seed Grant, “Modified Titanium Dioxide Nanostructured Materials as Advanced Photocatalysts”, submitted Mar. 2005, Aug. 15 2005 to Aug. 14 2006, $18,056, PI.
3. Research Catalyst Program, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the University Research Council, University of South Dakota, "Catalyzing photocatalysis research at USD: Development of high surface area metal oxides and study of their catalytic activity by photon driven oxidation reactions", Dec. 01 2005 - Jun. 30 2006, $8,000, Co-PI.
4. His Essence, LLC, Vermillion, SD - Sponsors of Nov 05, “Commercialization Strategies for Light Activated Materials”, First Prize Winner of the Business School's Annual Extraordinary Idea Competition of the University of South Dakota Entrepreneurship-Team (E-Team), $1,000, Faculty Advisor.
5. National Science Foundation–Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU), CHE-0552687, “Photodynamics and Materials at the Nanoscale”, Apr. 15 2006 – Mar. 31 2010, $ 181,050, Senior Personnel.
6. National Science Foundation-Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF-EPSCoR), EPS-0554609, “The 2010 Initiative: Science-Based Leadership for South Dakota”, Apr. 01 2006 – Sep. 30 2009, $6,750,000, Senior Personnel.
7. State of SD, 2010 Research and Commercialization Council, "The Center for the Research and Development of Light-Activated Materials" (CRDLM), Jul. 1 2004 – Jun. 30 2009, $2,518,705, Senior Personnel.

Prospective graduate students who are interested in getting more details about the M.S. and Ph.D. program in the Chemistry Department at USD are encouraged to contact me via e-mail (Ranjit.Koodali@usd.edu).

Please note, all application materials will have to be mailed to the Graduate School, USD and not to me or to the Chemistry Department. Students can apply for admission to either the spring or fall semesters.

The priority date for submitting all the necessary documents for the fall semester is April 15 or rolling six to eight weeks before classes begin.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Undergraduate students who are majoring in Chemistry and are interested in pursuing research opportunities at the interface of nanosciences, photocatalysis, environmental chemistry, catalysis and sol-gel chemistry can contact me by e-mail (Ranjit.Koodali@usd.edu) or drop by my office in Churchill-Haines (UCL) 109.

Prospective graduate students who are interested in getting more details about the M.S. and Ph.D. program in the Chemistry Department at USD are encouraged to contact me via e-mail (Ranjit.Koodali@usd.edu).

1) US Patent US6365007 April 2, 2002, Ranjit, Koodali and Willner, Itamar. Also filed: International Patent WO9916548, April 8, 1999, Willner, Itamar & Ranjit, Koodali T., Australian Patent AU9365498 April 23, 1999, Willner, Itamar & Ranjit, Koodali T., and Israel Patent IL121877 September 13, 2001, Willner, Itamar & Ranjit, Koodali T.

1. 1. Nanostructured oxides for photocatalytic applications, Koodali T. Ranjit, Handbook of nanoceramics and their based nanodevices, Volume 3. Characterization and properties, Editor: Tseung-Yuen Tseng and H. S. Nalwa, American Scientific Publishers, Stevens Ranch, CA, 119-147, 2009.

2. Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclic ketones over iron containing mesoporous MCM-48 silica materials, H. Subramanian and Ranjit T. Koodali, React. Kinet. Catal. Lett. 95, 239-245, 2008.

3. Antibacterial Activity of ZnO Nanoparticle Suspensions on Broad Spectrum of Microorganisms, N. Jones, B. Ray, Koodali Ranjit, and A. Manna, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 71-76, 2008.

4. Rapid and Facile Synthesis of Siliceous MCM-48 Mesoporous Materials, Bret Boote,Hariharaputhiran Subramanianand Koodali T. Ranjit, Chem. Commun. 4543-4545, 2007.

5. Nanotechnology: Fundamental Principles and Applications, Koodali T. Ranjit and K. J. Klabunde in Riegel’s Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology, 11th Edition, Editor: James A. Kent, Springer, New York, U.S.A. 328-344, 2007.

For a complete list of lectures and conferences attended, please click the link: Conferences-Lectures

* Development of nanostructured materials for destruction of pathogenic microorganisms

* Development of nanostructured materials for photocatalytic splitting of water; HOLY GRAIL of CHEMISTRY

* Immobilization of biomolecules (proteins, enzymes, vitamins etc.) in nanoparticle functionalized mesoporous materials for sensor applications

* Immobilization of mesoporous materials onto substrates as thin films and preparation of hierarchically ordered, crystalline, crack-free mesoscopic thin films

* Interrelation between photocatalysis and photosynthesis in relation to Origin of Life

* Photochemical conversion and storage of solar energy using zeolites and composite mesoporous materials