Suresh K. Bhargava

Suresh Bhargava is an Indian-Australian academic and multidisciplinary scientist specializing in chemical engineering. He is a distinguished professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), the founding director of the Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), and the current Dean of Research & Innovation (India) in the STEM College at RMIT University, Melbourne. Prof. Bhargava is a fellow of ten academies worldwide, including the European Academy of Sciences (FEurAsc), the National Academy of Inventors (FNAI), the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (FTSE), the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI), the National Academy of Sciences, India (FNASI), and The World Academy of Sciences (FTWAS-UNESCO). In 2021, he joined The World Academy of Sciences-UNESCO, and in 2022, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

Early life and education Bhargava was born and raised in Meerut, India. In 1972, he completed his master's degree and began his academic career as a chemistry lecturer at his alma mater, IP College Bulandshahr, Meerut University College. In 1979, he was the sole chemistry scholar selected from India for the Commonwealth Academic Scholarship, which enabled him to pursue his PhD under the guidance of E.W. Abel at the University of Exeter.

Career

Bhargava conferred his PhD in 1982. By the end of 1990, he joined RMIT University as a Senior Lecturer. This partnership led to a joint cotutelle PhD degree from RMIT and IICT. After the success of the IICT- RMIT University collaboration, in 2017, Bhargava initiated a unique award-winning joint PhD degree program between RMIT and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research of India (AcSIR) connecting RMIT with 39 leading national laboratories across India. In 2022, aiming to complement the existing joint research program with AcSIR and CSIR-IICT, Bhargava founded a tripod model of global collaboration, joining RMIT University and CSIRO with the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, called RMIT-CSIRO-BCSIR. Release of the book 'Additive Manufacturing for Chemical Sciences and Engineering' at the celebration of CAMIC day, 2022. Prof. Bhargava has authored over 600 articles, and 21 book chapters, 2 books, and has 9 patents awarded. He works in the fields of material science, Gold chemistry, Chemical sensing, and Industrial chemistry. Prof. Bhargava is the recipient of competitive and collaborative research grants at RMIT University (>$30 million over the last 20 years) from various sources including the ARC, AISRF, industry and CRC-P.

Legacy - Scientific and Technological Contribution

In 2010, Bhargava established a multidisciplinary research centre known as the Centre for Advance Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC) at RMIT University.

As a multidisciplinary research scientist, some of his landmark discoveries explore the properties of gold at the molecular level and nanoscale for sensing, catalysis, and biomedical applications. Scientific breakthroughs include the electrosynthesis of gold nano spikes, where he pioneered the chemical templating effect of lead ions for the synthesis of gold in conical morphology with selective exposure of crystal facets, and the mercury sensing exploring the amalgamation of mercury with gold forms the basis for his quartz crystal microbalance and surface acoustic wave-based mercury sensors. He has also pioneered unique solutions for mercury abatement from industrial exhausts and wastewater such as ceria-zirconia modified MnOx catalysts for mercury adsorption and oxidation and the use of waste oil for mercury removal, and innovated a 3-in-1 reusable mercury sensor which can remove mercury, detect it and allows the reuse of the sensor after regeneration.

Bhargava's research into gold science extends into molecular engineering. He created a library of important metal-organic compounds whose properties can be controlled at the atomic level. Researching different gold oxidation states in one complex, he explored their biological activities and identified potential for their use in anti-cancer applications, showing selective in-vitro activities as high as 200 times those of commercially available platinum drugs against prostate and cervical cancer cell lines.

Bhargava has also significantly contributed to environmental catalysis, such as catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) in strong alkaline solutions. Having successfully identified the mechanisms at work under these conditions, he was able to translate these fundamental findings into a new CWO technology to treat Bayer liquor for Alcoa’s refineries, addressing a more than $400 million loss in productivity per year. He published two patents and several seminal publications resulting from this work, including an invited refereed review. He has innovated a novel and highly efficient method for the green synthesis of soluble graphene from aqueous polyphenol extracts of eucalyptus bark in collaboration with Indian research partners and demonstrated its application in high-performance supercapacitors.

Awards and Recognitions