Professional Experience:
 

• Assistant Professor: Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, India (12/2020 – Present) 

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Tel Aviv University, Israel with Prof. Ehud Gazit (10/2016 – 11/2020)

• Research Associate: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), India with Prof. T. Govindaraju (04/2016 – 10/2016)

Educational Background:
 

• Ph.D.:  New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), India with Prof. T. Govindaraju (2016)

• M.S.: Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), India (2011)

• B.Sc.: Bhavan's New Science College, Osmania University, Telangana, India (2007)

Total Citations: 2372, h-index: 25, i₁₀-index: 30
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=XQ3YCEsAAAAJ&hl=en

• Makam, P.*; Yamijala, S. S. R. K. C.; Bhadram, V. S.; Shimon, L. J. W.; Wong, B. M.*; Gazit, E.* Single Amino Acid Bionanozyme for Environmental Remediation. Nat. Commun. 2022, 13, 1505. (Impact Factor: 17.69)

• Ji, W.; Tang, Y.; Makam, P.; Yao, Y.; Jiao, R.; Cai, K.; Wei, G.; Gazit, E. Expanding the Structural Diversity and Functional Scope of Diphenylalanine-Based Peptide Architectures by Hierarchical Coassembly. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 17633-17645. (Impact Factor: 16.38)

• Chen, Y.; Yang, Y.; Orr, A. A.; Makam, P.; Redko, B.; Haimov, E.; Wang, Y.; Shimon, L. J. W.; Rencus‐Lazar, S.; Ju, M.; et al. Self‐Assembled Peptide Nano‐Superstructure towards Enzyme Mimicking Hydrolysis. Angew. Chemie Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 17164-17170 (Impact Factor: 16.82)

• Tao, K.; Orr, A. A.; Hu, W.; Makam, P.; Zhang, J.; Geng, Q.; Li, B.; Jakubowski, J. M.; Wang, Y.; Tamamis, P.; et al. EDTA-Mimicking Amino Acid–Metal Ion Coordination for Multifunctional Packings. J. Mater. Chem. A 2021, 9, 20385-20394 (Impact Factor: 14.51)

• Arnon, Z. A.; Kreiser, T.; Yakimov, B.; Brown, N.; Aizen, R.; Shaham-Niv, S.; Makam, P.; Qaisrani, M. N.; Poli, E.; Ruggiero, A.; et al. On-off Transition and Ultrafast Decay of Amino Acid Luminescence Driven by Modulation of Supramolecular Packing. iScience 2021, 24 (7), 102695 (Impact Factor: 5.74) 

• Kavitha, B. S.; Sridevi, S.; Makam, P.; Ghosh, D; Govindraju, T.; Asokan, S.; and Sood, A. K.; Highly Sensitive and Rapid Detection of Mercury in water Using Functionalized Etched Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2021, 333, 129550. (Impact Factor: 9.22).

• Mondal, A. K.; Brown, N.; Mishra, S.; Makam, P.; Wing, D.; Gilead, S.; Wiesenfeld, Y.; Leitus, G.; Shimon, L. J. W.; Carmieli, R.; et al. Long-Range Spin-Selective Transport in Chiral Metal–Organic Crystals with Temperature-Activated Magnetization. ACS Nano 2020, 14 (12), 16624–16633 (Impact Factor: 15.88).

• Ji, W.; Yuan, C.; Chakraborty, P.; Makam, P.; Bera, S.; Rencus-Lazar, S.; Li, J.; Yan, X.; Gazit, E. Coassembly-Induced Transformation of Dipeptide Amyloid-Like Structures into Stimuli-Responsive Supramolecular Materials. ACS Nano 2020, 14, 7181–7190 (Impact Factor: 18.02).

• Tao, K.; Chen, Y.; Orr, A. A.; Tian, Z.; Makam, P.; Gilead, S.; Si, M.; Rencus‐Lazar, S.; Qu, S.; Zhang, M.; et al. Enhanced Fluorescence for Bioassembly by Environment‐Switching Doping of Metal Ions. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 30 (10), 1909614 (Impact Factor: 19.92).

• Zaguri, D.; Shaham-Niv, S.; Chakraborty, P.; Arnon, Z.; Makam, P.; Bera, S.; Rencus-Lazar, S.; Stoddart, P. R.; Gazit, E.; Reynolds, N. P. Nanomechanical Properties and Phase Behavior of Phenylalanine Amyloid Ribbon Assemblies and Amorphous Self-Healing Hydrogels. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12, 21992–22001 (Impact Factor: 10.38).

• Donnell, J. O.; Guerin, S.; Makam, P.; Cazade, P. A.; Haq, E. U.; Tao, K.; Gazit, E.; Silien, C; Soulimane, T.; Thompson, D; Tofail, S. A.; Atomistic-Benchmarking Towards a Protocol Development for Rapid Quantitative Metrology of Piezoelectric Biomolecular Materials. Appl. Mater. Today 2020, 21, 100818 (Impact Factor: 8.66).

• Chen, Y.; Tao, K.; Ji, W.; Makam, P.; Rencus-Lazar, S.; Gazit, E. Self-Assembly of Cyclic Dipeptides: Platforms for Functional Materials. Protein Pept. Lett. 2020, 27. 688-697 (Impact Factor: 1.87)

• Makam, P.; Yamijala, S. S. R. K. C., Tao, K.;   Shimon, L. J.W.; Eisenberg, D. S.; Sawaya, M. R.; Wong, B. M.; Gazit, E. Nonproteinaceous Hydrolase Comprised of Phenylalanine Metallo-Supramolecular Amyloid-like Structure. Nat. Catal. 2019, 2, 977-985. (Impact Factor: 40.71).

 This article has been highlighted by Nature Catalysis News and Views as Nat Catal. 2019, 2, 949–950 and recommended by F1000Prime as being of special significance

• Tao, K.; Xue, B.; Li, Q.; Hu, W.; Shimon, L. J. W.; Makam, P.; Si, M.; Yan, X.; Zhang, M.; Cao, Y.; et al. Stable and Optoelectronic Dipeptide Assemblies for Power Harvesting. Mater. Today 2019, 30, 10-16 (Impact Factor: 26.94).

• Makam, P.; Gazit, E. Minimalistic Peptide Supramolecular Co-Assembly: Expanding the Conformational Space for Nanotechnology. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2018, 47 (10), 3406–3420 (Impact Factor: 60.61).

• Tao, K.; Fan, Z.; Sun, L.; Makam, P.; Tian, Z.; Ruegsegger, M.; Shaham-Niv, S.; Hansford, D.; Aizen, R.; Pan, Z.; et al. Quantum Confined Peptide Assemblies with Tunable Visible to Near-Infrared Spectral Range. Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 3217 (Impact Factor: 17.69).

• Makam, P.; Shilpa, R.; Kandjani, A. E.; Periasamy, S. R.; Sabri, Y. M.; Madhu, C.; Bhargava, S. K.; Govindaraju, T. SERS and Fluorescence-Based Ultrasensitive Detection of Mercury in Water. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2018, 100, 556–564 (Impact Factor: 12.54).

• Madhu, C.^¶; Roy, B.^¶; Makam, P.^¶; Govindaraju, T. Bicomponent β-Sheet Assembly of Dipeptide Fluorophores of Opposite Polarity and Sensitive Detection of Nitro-Explosives. Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 2280–2283 (Impact Factor: 6.06).

• Ramesh, M.^¶; Makam, P.^¶; Voshavar, C.^¶; Khare, H.; Rajasekhar, K.; Ramakumar, S.; Govindaraju, T. L-Dopa and Dopamine Conjugated Naphthalenediimides Modulate Amyloid β Toxicity. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2018, 16, 7682–7692 (Impact Factor: 3.89).

• Tao, K.; Makam, P.; Aizen, R.; Gazit, E. Self-Assembling Peptide Semiconductors. Science 2017, 358 (6365), eaam9756 (Impact Factor: 63.71).

• Makam, P.; Senanayak, S. P.; Narayan, K. S.; Govindaraju, T. Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Charge-Transfer Hydrogel for Room-Temperature Organic Ferroelectric Thin-Film Devices. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 8259–8268. (Impact Factor: 16.38).

• Makam, P.; Senanayak, S. P.; Govindaraju, T. Nanoarchitectonics of Small Molecule and DNA for Ultrasensitive Detection of Mercury. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2016, 8 (44), 30362–30371 (Impact Factor: 10.38).

• Makam, P.; Govindaraju, T. Engineering Molecular Self-Assembly of Perylene Diimide through PH-Responsive Chiroptical Switching. Mol. Syst. Des. Eng. 2016, 1, 202–207 (Impact Factor: 4.92).

• Makam, P.; Khare, H.; Ramakumar, S.; Govindaraju, T. Crystallographic Insight-Guided Nanoarchitectonics and Conductivity Modulation of an n-Type Organic Semiconductor through Peptide Conjugation. Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 8315–8318. (Impact Factor: 6.06).

• Makam, P.; Govindaraju, T. Bioinspired Nanoarchitectonics of Naphthalene Diimide to Access 2D Sheets of Tunable Size, Shape, and Optoelectronic Properties. J. Inorg. Organomet. Polym. Mater. 2015, 25, 293–300 (Impact Factor: 3.52).

• Dwivedi, A. K.^¶; Makam, P.^¶; Govindaraju, T. Assembly Modulation of PDI Derivative as a Supramolecular Fluorescence Switching Probe for Detection of Cationic Surfactant and Metal Ions in Aqueous Media. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2014, 6, 21369–21379 (Impact Factor: 10.38).

• Makam, P.; Khare, H.; Ramakumar, S.; Govindaraju, T. Biomimetic Molecular Organization of Naphthalene Diimide in the Solid State: Tunable (Chiro-) Optical, Viscoelastic and Nanoscale Properties. RSC Adv. 2014, 4, 20154–20163 (Impact Factor: 4.04).

• Makam, P.; Govindaraju, T. Green-Fluorescent Naphthalene Diimide: Conducting Layered Hierarchical 2D Nanosheets and Reversible Probe for Detection of Aromatic Solvents. RSC Adv. 2013, 3, 11459 (Impact Factor: 4.04).

• Makam, P.; Avinash, M. B.; Govindaraju, T. Chiral Transcription and Retentive Helical Memory: Probing Peptide Auxiliaries Appended with Naphthalenediimides for Their One-Dimensional Molecular Organization. Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, 4818–4822 (Impact Factor: 5.02). This work is highlighted as Inside Cover Picture.

• Maitra, U.; Makam, P.; Govindaraju, T. Covalent Crosslinking of Carbon Nanostructures. J. Chem. Sci. 2012, 124 (Impact Factor: 2.15).

• Govindaraju, T.; Makam, P.; Jayaramulu, K.; Jaipuria, G.; Atreya, H. S. Spontaneous Self-Assembly of Designed Cyclic Dipeptide (Phg-Phg) into Two-Dimensional Nano- and Mesosheets. Supramol. Chem. 2011, 23, 487–492 (Impact Factor: 2.23).

^* Corresponding author
^¶ Equal contribution

Bio-Materials Chemistry Laboratory

Our research program is focused on the creation and development of biomimetic nanomaterials that bridge the fields of chemistry, biology, and materials science. We draw inspiration from the complex functionalities found in nature to design innovative, environmentally friendly bionanomaterials that possess diverse capabilities. Our materials address critical scientific challenges in areas such as electronic and energy generation, environmental cleanup, and healthcare.

Our approach leverages the power of organic synthesis to meticulously construct these innovative bio-inspired nanomaterials. We then employ cutting-edge spectroscopic and microscopic techniques for comprehensive characterization, enabling a nuanced understanding of their structure-property relationships.

Students within this research program gain significant expertise in:

• Organic Synthesis: Mastering the fundamental techniques for the controlled synthesis of complex molecules.
• Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization: Utilizing advanced instrumentation to analyze the structural and functional properties of nanomaterials.

This interdisciplinary research fosters the development of sustainable solutions that contribute to a healthier planet and improved human well-being.

Ph.D. Students

1) Subrat Vishwakarma 

• Qualified: CSIR JRF (NET), GATE 
• M.Sc.: Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi
• Email.: subratvishwakarma.rs.chy21@iitbhu.ac.in

2) Ruchi Shukla 

• Qualified: DST-INSPIRE-JRF
• M.Sc.: D.D.U., Gorakhpur University, UP
• Email: ruchishukla.rs.chy22@iitbhu.ac.in
• Hobby: reading books, playing chess, listening to music.

3) Vijay Kumar Patel 

• Qualified: CSIR-UGC JRF, GATE
• M.Sc.: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
• Email: vijaykumarpatel.rs.chy22@iitbhu.ac.in
• Hobby: Reading Books

 4)  Rajneesh Kuldeep

• Qualified: Institute Research Fellow (GATE), (SLET/SET)
• M.Sc.: University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
• Email: rajneeshkuldeep.rs.chy23@iitbhu.ac.in

M.Sc. Students

IDD Students

PhD Positions:

We are seeking enthusiastic and innovative students with a strong background in organic, biological, or materials chemistry to join our research group. We encourage applicants with a passion for original thinking and a desire to contribute to cutting-edge research. We highly encourage you to apply if you hold a valid JRF/UGC/DST-Inspire Fellowship. Please contact at pandeeswar.chy@itbhu.ac.in for more information.

Postdoctoral Positions:

We invite applications from recent PhD graduates (or submitted) with expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, peptide nanoscience, catalysis, or supramolecular chemistry. Ideal candidates will be proactive in seeking external funding opportunities. Please contact at pandeeswar.chy@itbhu.ac.in for more information.

Internships and Short-Term Projects:

Our group welcomes applications for internship and short-term research projects. While students with existing fellowships are preferred, motivated individuals from outside IIT (BHU) may be considered based on hostel availability. Please contact at pandeeswar.chy@itbhu.ac.in for more information.