Dr Praveen Kumar is working as an Associate Professor at Plaksha. Prior to joining Plaksha, he worked as an Associate Professor at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata. Dr Kumar also holds collaborative positions with multiple prestigious institutions globally. His research portfolio centers on advanced materials, encompassing III-V semiconductors, oxides, two-dimensional (2D) materials, and MXenes, with a primary focus on their applications in energy harvesting and conversion technologies.
Dr Kumar pursued postdoctoral research as a Marie Curie Fellow at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, and as a postdoctoral fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, India. He holds a PhD in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and an MSc in Physics from the University of Rajasthan, where he received a Gold Medal for academic excellence.
Dr Kumar's distinguished career includes prestigious recognitions: New Generation Ideation Award 2024 (HPCL), Fulbright-Nehru Professional Excellence Fellowship 2023, Materials Research Society of India Medal 2021, Marie Curie Alumni Association Societal Impact Award 2019, Department of Atomic Energy Young Achiever Award 2019, BRICS Young Scientist Award 2017, INSPIRE Faculty Award 2014, and Marie Curie Fellowship 2012.
Dr Kumar is leading pioneering efforts in the National Quantum Mission, concentrating on the development of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). His research focuses on advancing single photon emitters (SPE) and single photon avalanche detectors (SPAD) for operation in the visible spectrum at room temperature. Dr Kumar has made significant contributions to the scientific community, evidenced by his authorship of 102 peer-reviewed publications, four patents, and contributions to 11 books or book chapters. His global impact is further demonstrated through delivering over 85 invited talks worldwide. He holds memberships in the Global Young Academy (GYA), the National Academy of Sciences India (NASI), and the Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS). Additionally, he serves on the editorial boards of Materials Letters (Elsevier), Materials Letters X (Elsevier), and Nanotechnology (IOP Publishing), while led the Career Development Working Group and the Indian Chapter of the Marie Curie Alumni Association.
