Research Overview

We continue to synthesize micron-nanomaterials to address chemical engineering aspects of energy, environmental, and health problems. In particular, our research themes center on the development of carbon-based materials, especially carbon nanofibers and carbon nanoparticles in the adsorption and catalytic reaction applications including microbial fuel cells, chemical sensors, and photocatalytic reactors. The recent focus is on the advanced catalytic oxidation processes. On the theoretical side, a number of mathematical models based on computational fluid dynamics including lattice Boltzmann methods have been developed for packed bed adsorbers and reactors.

Awards

• Chevron Corporation Chair, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2022-)
• Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2018-2019)
• Raj and Neera Singh Chair, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2015-18)
• Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (2015)
• Raj and Neera Singh Chair, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2011-14)
• Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (2004)
• AICTE career award for the young teacher (1998)
• S. K. Nandi Memorial merit Scholarship, IIT Kharagpur (1985-86)

Work Experience

• Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, 2007-present
• Head, Chemical Engineering Department, IIT Kanpur, 2011-2014
• Coordinator, Center for Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Kanpur, 2011-2014
• Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, 2003-2007
• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, 1998-2003
• Development Engineer, BOC Gases, New Jersey, USA, 1995-1997
• Project Engineer, BOC India Ltd., Calcutta, 1986-1991

Courses developed

ChE CRE Lecture Note Series (Homogeneous Chemical Reaction Engineering)
  Audio lectures can be downloaded from the following link (click) → Audio lectures

ChE - Triad e-Lecture Series (Transport Phenomena - Numerical Methods - Heterogeneous Chem Rexn Engg)
  Audio lectures can be downloaded from the following link (click) → Audio lectures

Mass Transfer for Chemical Engineers (https://nptel.ac.in/courses/103104046/)

Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers (https://nptel.ac.in/courses/103104043/)

Books

• ChE CRE (Homogeneous Chemical Reaction Engineering) authored by Nishith Verma. (2024) Ane Books Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, ISBN 9788197888694.
• ChE - Triad Lecture Series, authored by Nishith Verma. (2024) Ane Books Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, ISBN 9788119662920.
• Aqueous Phase Adsorption: Theory, Simulations and Experiments, edited by Jayant K. Singh and Nishith Verma. (2018) Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

Books Chapters

• "Exploring Carbon Surface Using Electron Microscopy: Applications to Energy, Environment, and Health", edited by Krishanu Biswas, Sri Sivakumar, Nilesh Gurao in "Electron Microscopy in Science and Engineering" Springer, UK.
• "Novel Carbon-based Nano-adsorbents for Water Purification", by Nishith Verma and Ashutosh Sharma in "Aquananotechnology: Global Prospects", edited by David Reisner and T. Pradeep. (2014) Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.
• "Lattice-Boltzmann Modeling of Adsorption Breakthrough in Packed Beds" by Nishith Verma in "Aqueous Phase Adsorption: Theory, Simulations and Experiments", edited by Jayant K. Singh and Nishith Verma. (2018) Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.
• "3D Graphene-Based Scaffolds with High Conductivity and Biocompatibility for Applications in Microbial Fuel Cells" by Ashish Yadav and Nishith Verma in "Graphene-Based 3D Macrostructures for Clean Energy and Environmental Applications", edited by Rajasekhar Bala and Shamik Chowdhury. (2020) Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Recent Innovative Technologies/Products developed (patents filed/granted)

• "Process for the treatment of wastewater" (US patent 11,851,354, granted (2024); Inventors: Ashish Yadav, Nishith Verma (IIT Kanpur), Kaushik Basak and Arin Von Mourik (Shell International Research Maatschappiz BV, The Netherlands))
• "A packed bed chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) system and methods for fabricating electrodes" (Indian patent No. 429748; granted (2023); Inventors: Komal Pandey, Priyanka Gupta Nishith Verma, Shiv Singh)
• "A process for fabrication of a chemiresistive sensor and product thereof" (Indian patent No. 413302; granted (2022); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Haider Ali, Dhananjay Gupta)
• "Electrode substrate for electrochemical sensing of biomolecules" (Indian patent No: 391276; granted (2022); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Haider Ali)
• "Process for the treatment of wastewater" (US Patent 11,168,011; granted (2021); Nishith Verma (IIT Kanpur), Kaushik Basak and Arin Von Mourik (Shell International Research Maatschappiz BV, The Netherlands))
• "Process for preparing a catalyst and use thereof" (US Patent 11,014,084; granted (2021); Inventors: Nishith Verma (IIT Kanpur), Kaushik Basak and Arin Von Mourik (Shell International Research Maatschappiz BV, The Netherlands))
• "A multi-analyte electrochemical sensor (MAES) for simultaneous detection of glucose, creatinine and cholesterol" (Indian patent no. 392734; granted (2020); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Pallab Bairagi, Surabhi Shrivastava)
• "Use of carbon fibers for removing soil toxic metals and increasing micronutrient supply to plants" (Indian patent No: 389453; granted (2020); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Arun Kumar)
• "Preparation of graphitic carbon micro-nanofiber-based electrodes, asymmetrically dispersed with bimetal nanoparticles, and applications thereof in energy devices" (Indian patent No. 340306 (granted) 2020; Inventors: Nishith Verma, Shiv Singh)