Ajay Anilkumar

B.S. in Chemistry: Mahatma Ghandi University, 2023

M.S. in Chemistry: University of Hyderabad, 2025

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​Ajay is from the state of Kerala, India. He completed his Master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Hyderabad and his Bachelor’s degree at Mahatma Gandhi University. He was the recipient of the UGC Postgraduate Scholarship from the Government of India and gold medalist for achieving the highest academic rank in both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. His Master’s thesis, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Akhila Kumar Sahoo at the University of Hyderabad, focused on asymmetric C–H activation chemistry, and he completed two projects within this area: one on enantioselective [4+2]-annulations of phosphinamides and ynamides using cobalt-mediated C–H activation to achieve P-chirality, and another on the desymmetrization of sulfoximines using a palladium catalyst and chiral ligand through ortho C–H activation followed by arylation. He also worked at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) during his MSc. His primary research interests focus on Synthetic Organic Chemistry as well as Materials Chemistry. Ajay joined the Penn State community in August 2025, and the Elacqua group in early 2026 to gain further opportunities in synthetic chemistry as part of the group’s ROMP project. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, talking with friends and family, and watching web series and science fiction.

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