Yes, we can. We can, yes. Very good evening. First of all, we can begin this.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

So thank you so much for inviting me first of all. So my name is Doctor Ranjit Mohili. I have completed my masters from Mumbai University in Chemistry subject. Especially with specialization in chemical. Physical Chemistry. Later I joined as a Junior Research Fellow and then I got a PhD admission in Pandit Deendayal Energy University. For chemistry subject where I was working on. The PhD topic that is development of magazine based. Transition Metals. And then they are hybridization. For making. Electrodes which are capable of doing green. Green electrolysis, that is production of. Green hydrogen. So basically after that I had an opportunity to. To teach, uh the some of the. Chemistry graduate students where I was teaching students. Competitive exams. On different various. Topics in basically in chemistry and chemical engineering. Whether means I am very fluent in. Uh, teaching any topics that is related to whether any. Uh, stream or any?

Like. Specialization in the chemistry. And I have also thought for competitive exams.

So you mentioned you’ve covered a range of topics in chemistry and chemical engineering with graduate students.

Okay, so you’ve taught for competitive exams as well as specialized courses in chemistry. When you’re explaining a tough concept—like, say, molecular orbital theory—to students who are struggling, what’s your go-to approach to make it click for them?

OK, so first of all, molecular orbital theory is a very important and interesting topic in the. Physical chemistry, especially where we are dealing with the. Orbitals of the atom.

Because. Whenever atoms come together, they come. With the help of their orbitals means.

Alright, so you’re starting with the atom’s orbitals when you teach molecular orbital theory.

You’re explaining how atoms use their orbitals to come together. Mm-hm. Go on.

OK, so basically atoms are the raw materials. You can say that they are the raw materials means they. Tend to keep them stabilize themselves. They tend to stabilize themselves. Say, uh, we know that we, the the atoms want to become like noble elements. That is, they should have. 8 electrons in. In their automotive shell. They should follow the. 16 electron. 18 Electron rule. When we talk about transition metals, so every element wants to complete their update, so. To complete their update, they have to spend some of their currencies, which we consider electrons as currencies. So these electrons are nothing but the electron clouds that are surrounding. Around the. Nuclei of an atom. And these electrons which are present in the outermost shell of the. Electron or you can say in the outermost orbital. Of the outermost shell of the elephant. Of the atom. These electrons are. Participating in mixing of the atomic orbitals and then. This lead to the. Formation of. Molecular Orbitals. So this is nothing but the electron exchange that is happening between the. Atoms naturally.

It their opted and. For doing this they make. Ionic bond, Covalent bond, Coordinate bond. And different.

Alright, you used the analogy of electrons as currencies and talked about exchange leading to molecular orbitals—students usually respond well to that kind of metaphor. When you’re teaching this,

So you're connecting the drive for octet completion to different types of bonding—ionic, covalent, coordinate. When you introduce these bond types, how do you help students distinguish when a molecule would form one versus another?

OK. So miss, you're talking about whether a molecule will be forming ionic bond or covalent bond. So it is very simple to understand. C ionic bond is nothing but sharing of the electron. Means an atom. Can only share the electrons. Suppose an atom is very very rich, and it has lots of. Money so it will not bother giving away some of your. Some of its electrons so you can say it is transfer of electron.

So when you. When a total transferring your electrons on, you are not bothered about taking back their. That electrons you simply. Bond as ionic bond. OK. And when we share?

Dr., looking at your publication "Carbon-Encapsulated MXene-Transition Metal Phosphide Nanostructures as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Water Splitting," can you walk me through how you might simplify the core findings of that research for an advanced undergraduate chemistry class?

Alright, you were explaining the difference between sharing and transferring electrons, but let's circle back to that publication. When you break down complex research like the carbon-encapsulated MXene nanostructures for advanced undergrads, do you focus more on the synthesis methods, the electrochemical results, or the real-world significance—what's your strategy to keep them engaged without losing the science?

OK, so that is a very interesting task. Go to and I really love doing sach. So basically students wonder that what is happening and what is the chemistry behind this?

Alright, you said students wonder what's actually happening in this kind of research. When you explain the chemistry behind those bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting, do you focus more on the practical impact—like hydrogen production for clean energy—or do you emphasize the molecular mechanisms and experimental design?

So basically we know that the materials are known to store the charge. Yes. Yes, I emphasize on the electrochemistry part because without understanding the electrochemistry fundamentals, it is very difficult to work on my area. That is a hydrogen evolution reaction, or. Oxygen evolution reaction so. Whether you go for deposition in electrochemistry or you are generating hydrogen. Green hydrogen. Or you are working on let's say for super capacitance or. Storing of the. Fixing understanding of electrochemistry is needed that at what potential? Uh, the deposition will happen or, uh, what, uh, whether the evaluation will happen, why it is taking extra potential? Uh, something that is related to. Called as ionic. Transfer.

Right, you emphasized that understanding electrochemistry fundamentals is essential for students to grasp hydrogen evolution and related processes in your research. When you’re guiding undergraduates through hands-on lab work connected to these topics, how do you balance giving them room to experiment versus making sure they follow strict protocols for safety and accuracy?

Transfer of ions. So all these factors are that add to the increase in the energy and that's. Uh. Can you just repeat this last sentence what you asked? Just can you repeat it?

Of course, here’s what I asked just now: When you’re guiding undergraduates through hands-on lab work connected to these topics—like hydrogen evolution or electrochemistry—how do you balance giving them room to experiment versus making sure they follow strict protocols for safety and accuracy?

Yes, so. Yes, safety following the safety protocol and maintaining the safety in the laboratory is the very important thing in the lab and. Because students are very means they can be sometimes they can be very notorious or they may not follow the rules. So at such situations we have to be present there and we have to take the consideration. That they may not follow all the rules or instructions what we are saying to them. So basically we have to be present there and whatever reactions they are doing, especially the graduate students. The postgraduate students are little mature, so they. Can be trusted, but the graduate students, they cannot be trust. And while giving the instruction, we have to tell them that what is the danger of uh. Getting electrical shock?

Yes, so. Yes, safety following the safety protocol and maintaining the safety in the laboratory is the very important thing in the lab and. Because students are very means they can be sometimes they can be very notorious or they may not follow the rules. So at such situations we have to be present there and we have to take the consideration. That they may not follow all the rules or instructions what we are saying to them. So basically we have to be present there and whatever reactions they are doing, especially the graduate students. The postgraduate students are little mature, so they. Can be trusted, but the graduate students, they cannot be trust.

Okay, so you’re saying the graduate students need more supervision since they might not follow lab rules as strictly. Can you give me an example of a situation where you had to intervene or adjust your teaching style to handle a safety issue in the lab?

Okay, so you’ve had to supervise undergrads closely and warn them about risks like electrical shock. That’s a pretty hands-on approach.

Or suppose the hydrogen gas is flammable. Obviously, getting an industrial exposure for the students is very, very important. Because whatever they are studying. That should finally should reflect in their whatever. They want to pursue in the in their further academics. Or suppose they want to. Pursue anything, uh. They want to start any business or they want to start. A job in the industry, so getting an industrial exposure is important. So what what I focused in my work is that. I focused that whatever projects I get, I. Get the projects in such a way that I should have industrial. Contribution or industrial support as well so that I can take my research students or my classroom students. To the industries and give them the exposure. That whatever we are doing in the lab. Where it stands in the industry and where it is useful in the industry. That comparative? Study we can. Give them by taking them to the industries and also we can bring industries to the. Uh, industry. The classrooms to give invited talks. And. Try to connect the students. So that the students can also learn more. And their brain can expand. And they can learn more. And get deeper insights about. What is actually? There in the industry. How they can correlate whatever they are studying in the theory? What so? Because once they get practical knowledge, they will understand that. Yes, the theoretical knowledge is important and. Then again, they. They will, on their own, focus on the theoretical.

Dr., given your experience with hydrogen evolution and electrochemical materials, where do you see the most promising opportunities for securing external funding over the next few years? Are there specific grant agencies or industry partners you’d target first?

Yes. So, yes, so the topic in which I am working on basically I have a broad broader area where I am working on whether it is energy storage, energy conversion.

Alright, you mentioned working across energy storage and energy conversion, and trying to secure projects with industrial support.

Or suppose the recycling of the batteries I am also. Started uh. Working until. OK, so. When we. Whenever we write a project or whenever we try to do research, we try to see that what is the demand that is going on, what are the government policies that are being rolled out? And we're looking at that. The need of the people. The energy demand of the people. Looking at that, we. Try to make the devices. The devices that can. Fulfill the need of the. Energy demand and. That devices should be. Cheaper. Source. The sources should be cheaper.

And. So 2 first thing is we should gather the sources. Whether we have that sources, especially in our own country, we have, should we? Do we have that resources or sources, raw materials available? And do we have the industry specific industries that are working in? Getting those? Uh, materials in raw purified form.

Right, adapting your research direction to policy shifts and industry demand shows you’re keeping things relevant for both students and the field. Let’s pivot now—when you’re teaching a large undergraduate class,

Makes sense, bringing resource analysis into student projects helps them connect chemistry to real-world challenges. Accreditation cycles can be demanding — if you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, how would you approach fixing that?

OK. So that is a very, very interesting question.

You called out the importance of understanding resource availability and industry context, which ties directly to fixing inconsistent assessment data. But day-to-day, accreditation means keeping detailed records and aligning all courses with outcome standards. What’s your practical approach for getting faculty to reliably document and report student achievement, especially when some colleagues might resist or be overloaded?

Facing that situation in a department, uh. Is I think is a opportunity for. Yes. So that is basic means of how. Problem that can be, that can come, that we can come across. So if we if such a situation arises, we can. Consult with like the department meetings and we can consult with the higher. Officials are supposed the senior members of the department, so because they are much experienced and they can give better guidance because yes. Having a updated syllabus is very much important. But the experience what the senior professionals of the department have, that will also be very important. That will be very useful in. Uh, solving the problems like this? So definitely I will take the help of the. Published the senior members of the department and. Discuss about them and take their feedback on what? Can be done and whatever discussion or whatever decision or whatever. Suggestions they give to. That I will follow and try to. Find out a better solution.

To this to this. Is a problem. And see. That what? Uh. But it just it just we can do.

Okay, so your instinct is to consult department seniors and rely on collective experience when fixing assessment gaps. In practice, though,

Dr., imagine this scenario: a student files a formal complaint alleging your grading is biased, while at the same time your department head is urging you to improve pass rates for your course. How would you navigate this situation, balancing academic integrity with institutional pressure?

Yes. So again, very important. Critical situation I will say, because a student comes to a university or a department to solve his or her doubts. So if. The student is facing difficulty in. Uh, his or her academics? Or it is finding difficult for? To get the understanding of a topic. And it is not finding so we can.

Yes. So again, very important. Critical situation I will say, because a student comes to a university or a department to solve his or her doubts. So if. The student is facing difficulty in. Uh, his or her academics?

Alright, you started to say it’s a critical situation if a student feels their grading isn’t fair. How would you handle it if the department head disagreed with your approach and kept pushing for higher pass rates, even after you explained your reasoning?

Mm-hmm.

OK, so. Associate department, every department has has their own targets. I think what I have learned when I was doing Bhdman. That every department has their own uh. The tasks uh. Own targets. To achieve. And so if the. If the department is achieving the target and if. If the things can be solvable and it is. We are we are finding the good solutions of the. Problem then it is OK. But if the student is really struggling. And the student if the student says that he is not able to. Understand the topic. For a in a particular class, or for a particular professor or. We have to. Take the take it into consideration and we have can see. Whether it is happening with all the students or only with one particular student. If it is happening with all the students.

So you’re weighing whether the issue is with one student or the whole class, and if it’s widespread, you’d address it differently. That’s fair. Given all this, tell me—how do you maintain your own academic standards if institutional pressure keeps mounting, but you genuinely believe some students haven’t demonstrated the required mastery?

Then add. At a department level, we can take. Uh, we can have a discussion and we can. Try to attend. Yes. So there may be because different types of students are there in a class. Some are very quick learners, some are very moderate and some are. At doing research, but they are not quick learners. So there are different types of learners. So we can arrange extra classes for. Such students, we can give them some. Some small assignments related. To their own level so that they can find. And build some confidence in their self. Once they build the confidence, then we can go on teaching. Higher concepts and then they can. Go and reach. Uh, to a level? Where can they? Reach They can score a good mark. That we can do. Second thing we can give them some task.

Then add. At a department level, we can take. Uh, we can have a discussion and we can. Try to attend. Yes. So there may be because different types of students are there in a class. Some are very quick learners, some are very moderate and some are. At doing research, but they are not quick learners. So there are different types of learners. So we can arrange extra classes for. Such students, we can give them some. Some small assignments related. To their own level so that they can find. And build some confidence in their self. Once they build the confidence, then we can go on teaching. Higher concepts and then they can. Go and reach. Uh, to a level? Where can they? Reach They can score a good mark. That we can do. Second thing we can give them some task. Projects we can give them. We can give them some tasks. Prepare a topic. In the syllabus. Take a sailor.

Given your experience with energy storage and battery research, do you have any established industry connections—maybe past collaborations or consultancy work—that could help VIT University students find internships or real-world projects?

Alright, so you’d use differentiated assignments and project tasks to boost student confidence, with the idea that they’ll build up to the harder material and eventually score better. Earlier, I’d asked about industry connections—can you give a concrete example of a company, lab, or specific partnership where you’ve collaborated or could open doors for VIT Chemistry students?

Yes. So again I am happy to answer this question because currently I'm doing post doctoral research in. Suvsarayan National Institute of Technology, Nagpur.

Okay, so you’re currently doing your postdoctoral research at Suvsarayan National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. Can you name a specific industry partner, lab, or company you’ve worked with there—or through your previous research—that could offer real internship or collaborative opportunities for VIT students?

So in the. Today I I don't have industrial. Collaboration on industrial connections. But yes I have. Come to. Yes, definitely because the because I was means. Currently I am I have started working on recycling of batteries that is trying to extract molybdenum. And cobalt and nickel element from the waste electronic waste materials that is battery waste material. So. So when I do analysis I use extraction methods or anti position methods these. Methods. I am focused so I have to go for ICP analysis in the. Like in the nearby Nagpur city that is Jnr.

You’ve explained your battery recycling research and extraction techniques, which shows solid expertise in energy storage. Now, I’d like to verify a few core skills for this role, one at a time. Let’s start with your ability to teach both theory and laboratory courses—can you walk me through how you’d structure a lab session for undergraduate students working on electrochemical cell experiments?

DDC so. It is basically a government institute that is dedicated towards aluminium research. So there they give a very good exposure. To the instruments because. I got an opportunity to work. With the ICB analysis and there I could. Understand the. Amount of. Yes, in the lab we can teach students that. When we are supposed we are doing electrochemical experiments, suppose. Because in electrochemical experiments we use pH metric. We use the conductometry. Suppose we are doing experiment with the. Hydrogen generation. So basically we are applying a small voltage. Around .5 or. 1.0. And then we are trying to see whether we are trying. Whether we are getting? Hydrogen evolution at a. Which pH.

DDC so. It is basically a government institute that is dedicated towards aluminium research. So there they give a very good exposure. To the instruments because. I got an opportunity to work. With the ICB analysis and there I could. Understand the. Amount of. Yes, in the lab we can teach students that. When we are supposed we are doing electrochemical experiments, suppose. Because in electrochemical experiments we use pH metric. We use the conductometry. Suppose we are doing experiment with the. Hydrogen generation. So basically we are applying a small voltage. Around .5 or. 1.0.

You mentioned using pH and conductometry for hydrogen generation experiments, and working with ICP analysis at DDC. When teaching lab courses, how do you handle situations where equipment fails or students get inconsistent results—what's your approach to troubleshooting and making sure they still learn from the session?

We can change the concentration, we can change the pH. Or sometimes we can go.

So you’d expose students to real instruments like ICP analysis and walk them through applying voltage for hydrogen evolution, focusing on the role of pH and conductometry in the experiment. Let’s shift—what’s your process for student evaluation and handling exam duties, especially in large undergraduate classes?

Right, so you’d vary parameters like concentration and pH if students get inconsistent results, which is a good troubleshooting step. Shifting focus—when you’re assigned to evaluate students or set exam questions, how do you ensure those assessments are both fair and actually measure the learning outcomes you care about?

Yes.

Just saying "yes" doesn't really get at how you make sure your exams are fair and actually measure what students learned. Can you give me a concrete example of how you designed or graded an exam so the scores reflected real understanding—not just memorization?

So uh, yes, 2 means uh, we can draft, uh, electrochemical. Yes. So basically what we can give them, we can, we cannot give them like real materials for analysis purpose, but for practical purpose first we can teach them the theoretical part whether. Uh, what is happening at the cathode? What is happening at the anode electrode? What reaction is happening on the cathode? What reaction is happening on the electron? If some reaction is happening on the cathode, then what respective reaction is happening on the counter?

Alright, so you focus your theoretical teaching on electrode reactions during electrochemical experiments. How do you guide students who are working on independent research projects—let’s say a student wants to develop a novel battery material but keeps hitting dead ends with synthesis attempts, what’s your approach for mentoring them through that?

That was the theoretical knowledge we can give because after. Getting that knowledge then. A very.

You were saying, after giving them the theoretical knowledge—what do you do next when guiding a student who keeps running into dead ends in their battery material synthesis?

Yes.

See this is a. Normal thing that can happen during synthesis, uh. You may get.

Just saying "yes" doesn't tell me how you actually mentor students when they're stuck. Can you give me a real example of a time you helped a student who kept failing in the lab,

You may.

Okay, so you’re saying synthesis failures are pretty normal in the lab.

Mm-hm. Go on.

Yes.

Alright.

OK. So basically see synthesis methods. Can go wrong. So it is the important part because once you get the material you are focusing. Then only you can go for the analysis and. Then means suppose our student is facing that problem then I will ask the student that what what method you are following to produce this method.

Alright, so when a student’s synthesis keeps failing, you ask them to walk you through the exact method they’re using, which helps pinpoint where things might be going wrong.

So I will see whether it is he's following solvothermal method. Deposition method or. Yes.

Okay, so you'd check if they're using methods like solvothermal or deposition.

To make sure whether the students are gasping it we. Talking about my qualification, I'm currently a postdoctoral researcher and uh. Just in the Department of Material Science and Materials Engineering. Whether there I am focusing especially on recycling of? Metals from electronic waste. And I'm trying to devise methods. Whether solvent extraction or electrodeposition and trying to find out methods to focus. A particular element. Remove that particular element selectively. And I have also submitted 2 proposals. This that is elect. Is the recycling of metals and extraction. And. So working on the synthesis. This part whether when we do synthesis, which method is suitable for making a particular? Material. We are making electrode. Cathode. We are making a cathode. But now. In the I suppose, for example, if you talk about aluminum air batteries there. We require a cathode.

Electrode which is. Which is which also comes with a GDM. So I am focusing on making. A commercial.

Alright, so you’re a postdoc in Materials Science working on selective metal extraction and battery cathode materials, and you’ve even submitted proposals on that.

You’re focusing on developing a commercial-grade electrode with a gas diffusion membrane for aluminum-air batteries. Have you published any research from this work in peer-reviewed journals?

Yes, means I have. Means I have almost completed the work of. Means I not part in the anode part. I have already completed the work. We have developed the anode material using. Uh, LSI? Si 131 aluminum alloy, basically. Because it is considered to be a most stable anode material in. So that material we have utilized in the aluminum air battery and we have added additives like glycerol and. Uh, Sarah and. To suppress the hydrogen generation from. Aluminum anode. So by doing this we have improved the properties of the aluminum anode and that work the. Drafting of that paper is already done. Uh, just final few. Measurements are going on, so once the. The taffy slope measurements. And other measurements are going. Once that is done, then we. Submit that paper because I have just. This is a new topic for me as well, so I'm. Learning and trying to uh. Focus on the anode. Cathode part as well. So currently I am focusing on developing a commercial grade electrode.

Material so that we can directly. Device A Commercial. Or a commercial grade aluminum air battery and generate.

Alright, we're wrapping up. Is there anything you'd like to ask about the role or the team?

Right, so you’re aiming for a material that can be used directly in commercial-grade aluminum-air batteries. We’re at the end of our session—do you have any questions about the faculty, the role, or the team you’d be joining?

Uh, means about vit I would like. Ask that. Yes, sure I have. Yes, sure. I have gone through the website, the department, chemistry department of the Vit Vellore.

Center and. I have gone through the the publications and they are expert. Expertise areas I.

You mentioned you’ve checked out the chemistry department at VIT Vellore. Is there something specific you’d like to know about the institution or the department itself?

You’ve looked into the center’s publications and the expertise areas of the faculty. Is there anything in particular you’d like to know about the department’s research focus, collaborations, or facilities?

Yes, Sir, definitely. I will be happy to know if what is the contingency grant that are given to the. Suppose the assistant. And how much is the miscible? If there is any in-house project they give in the vit. Then what is the amount of a project they give? So accordingly I can means manage. That what type of and what level of project I should target and. Where I can? Uh means place my project or my proposal.