Mangaluru : Two professors from Mangalore University, Balakrishna Kalluraya and Manjunatha Pattabi, have been recognised as Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London. They have also been recognised with Chartered Chemist Status (Cchem).
Mr. Kalluraya, professor and chairman, postgraduate branch in chemistry, has guided seven M.Phil and 29 Ph.D students, published 356 papers in national and international journals, and handled major research projects worth ₹1.42 crore. His research interests include synthetic and medicinal chemistry, 1,3-dipolar addition reactions, green techniques, identification of new reagents, and total synthesis of natural products.
Mr. Pattabi, professor and chairman of department of material sciences, has worked on silver nano-particulate films and softened polymer substrates. He has demonstrated the importance of polymer-metal interaction in determining the morphology of silver particulate structures.
He has also worked on hydrogen energy, particularly on catalysts for PEM cells and hydrogen production, through electrochemical techniques. In 2004, he was recognised by the State government with the Sir C.V. Raman Young Scientist Award.