Ashwini Nangia obtained MSc (Chemistry) (1983) from IIT Kanpur. Thereafter, he joined Yale University for graduate research where he worked with Frederick E Ziegler on the total synthesis of sesquiterpene natural products via a stereoselective Claisen rearrangement route. He used 2D NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography for structure elucidation and stereochemistry assignment of Sporol and Neosporol carbon skeletons. After receiving PhD (1988), he worked in NOCIL Agrochemicals R&D Centre, Navi Mumbai for a year, and then joined as Lecturer, School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad (1989) where he is Professor (2002- ).

Academic and Research Achievements: While working in the School of Chemistry, Nangia established a research group on the synthesis of iridoid lactones, enzyme inhibitors and steroid analogues. He continued these studies till 1995-96. Realizing the importance and potential of the emerging supramolecular chemistry field in the nineties, he shifted his focus to crystal engineering problems in the second half of 1990s. He quickly established his research program on host-guest inclusion compounds, hydrogen bonding, polymorphism, and cocrystals. He demonstrated the significance of recurring halogen trimer synthon in the self-assembly of hexagonal host frameworks and postulated O-H..O hydrogen bond shortening in neutral arrays of polycarboxylic acids. Molecular conformer and crystal lattice energy balance in conformational polymorphs of organic molecules was analyzed. He also contributed to the new field of cocrystals and its applications to the pharmaceutical industry. He has over 150 research papers to his credit including many reviews. He has guided 15 PhD students also.

Other Contributions: Nangia was Member of the International Program Committee of International Union of Crystallography Congress (2007-08), and INSA National Committee on Crystallography (2008-11 ). He also served on the Editorial boards of CrystEngComm (2005-07) and Crystal Growth & Design (2007). He was Associate Editor of ACS journal Crystal Growth & Design (2008-11). He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of international journals CrystEngComm, Cryst Growth Des and Chem - An Asian J. He is member of INSA National Committee on Crystallography (2012-).  

Awards and Honours: Professor Nangia was Young Associate of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (1992-1995) and awarded the Raja Ramanna Fellowship by DST (2007-2010 ). He is a JC Bose national fellow (2010-). He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, and National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad, and AP Akademi of Sciences, Hyderabad.