Samar K Das obtained B.Sc. (Chemistry honours) from University of Burwan (Bankura Sammilani College) in 1985 and M.Sc. (Inorganic chemistry spl.) from the University of Kalyani (1987). He was awarded PhD (1995) in the area of bio-inorganic chemistry (IIT Kanpur). He worked as a research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering (IIT Kanpur) for one year (right after submission of his PhD thesis). He moved to the Ohio State University (USA) in 1996 and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the area of zeolite-based inorganic chemistry. In 1998, he went to University of Bielefeld (Germany) and worked with Professor Dr. Achim Mueller in the area of giant polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry. On return to India, he joined School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad as a Lecturer in the month of November 2000. In 2004, he was promoted to Reader and he became full Professor in 2009. In the month of January, 2023, he became one of the Senior Professors of School of Chemistry (University of Hyderabad).

Academic and Research Achievements:

Prof. S. K. Das  research group is mostly  interested in functional inorganic materials that are vital to create innovative science and technology and thereby to address the issues of sustainable energy, healthcare and a clean environment. Functional inorganic materials, the group deal with, are mainly based on polyoxometalates (POMs), basic metal carboxylates (trinuclear metal oxo clusters), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), metal-dithiolene coordination complexes and donor acceptor chromophores for photophysics and photochemistry. In recent time, the research group has been exploiting the functional materials as electrocatalysts as well as photocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the context of sustainable energy. S. K. Das group is also interested to develop inexpensive metal-oxide based proton conducting materials that can be used as nanofillers to fabricate proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for fuel cell applications in line with renewable energy.

                     In a nutshell, the Das group works on water splitting project to develop inexpensive metal-oxide based materials that not only work as catalysts for water splitting but also exhibit proton conductivity and oxygen reduction for the fuel cells (sustainable energy issue); the group has also developed  materials that can sense toxic substances, e.g., azide anion and methanol (health care issue) and can capture aerial CO₂ (environment issue).

Academic Distinctions & Honors:

1. Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation Fellowship in Germany, 2004 (in the  research group of Professor Achim Mueller, University of Bielefeld)
2. Awarded: Bronze Medal - 2010 by Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI)
3. Mid-career award 2019 (UGC, BSR)

Membership/Fellowship of Scientific and learned Academies/Societies:

1. Fellowship of the Indian Academy of Science (FASc. 2010)
2. Fellowship of National Academy of Science (FNASc. 2018)
3. AP academy fellowship 2013
4. Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) member, Inorganic Chemistry (ACS) from January 2021
5. Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) member, Journal of Chemical Sciences from January 2019 to December 2022.
6. Associated Editor, Journal of Chemical Sciences (from January 2023 onwards)
7. American Chemical Society (ACS) member
8. Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) member