About

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

Founded in 1947, our Chemistry Department quickly established itself as a pioneer within Pune University when it launched the novel M.Sc. Biochemistry program in 1965 under the visionary leadership of Prof. John Barnabas, a celebrated Bhatnagar awardee. This innovative course, the first of its kind at the university, was complemented by a robust research initiative involving both M.Sc. and Ph.D. students. The introduction of the M.Sc. Organic Chemistry program in 1970 marked a strategic expansion designed to meet the burgeoning needs of the chemical industry. Over the decades, our department has consistently produced distinguished biochemists and organic chemists, contributing significantly to both academia and industry. In recognition of our exemplary research and academic contributions, the University Grants Commission (UGC) awarded us the COSIST program in 1984, enabling us to develop a center of excellence in Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry. This accolade also facilitated our transition to an autonomous center under the UGC and University of Pune’s Academic Flexibility Program. Here, we enjoy the autonomy to design our syllabi, conduct examinations, and award degrees, which ensures that our programs remain at the cutting edge of scientific advancements.

In a tribute to our founding head, the department was renamed as the Dr. John Barnabas Post Graduate School for Biological Studies. Continuing our tradition of innovation, we launched the M.Sc. Drug Chemistry Program in 1996, a pioneering curriculum tailored to meet the specific demands of Pharma R&D in Drug Discovery. This program was the first of its kind in India and has successfully supplied top-tier chemists to the pharmaceutical industry. Today, our department is a thriving hub of research activity, home to seven Research Guides and twenty one PhD scholars who are deeply engaged in cutting-edge projects. Our faculty includes twenty three highly qualified professionals, Eleven of whom hold Ph.D.s, with the rest having achieved NET/SET qualifications. Funding from entities like BCUD, DST, and UGC supports both minor and major research projects, further enhancing our research capabilities. Our graduates find prestigious placements in chemical and pharmaceutical industries, reflecting the high caliber of our training and research. Additionally, our department boasts a notable number of SET/NET-CSIR qualified graduates, highlighting our commitment to fostering future leaders in science. The department possesses several sophisticated instruments to do frontier research in a broad range of disciplines. These include HPLC, Lyophilizer, UV-VIS Spectrophotometer, FT-IR , PCR, AAS and a host of other high technology instruments.

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DEPARTMENT REPORT:

Departmental report 2022-23 Prof. R.D. Tak has taken charge as head of the department of Chemistry from 01/06/2022. The Department of Chemistry has organized  a massive campus placement, 46 students have been placed in various pharmaceutical companies. The detailed placement is as follows: 14 students GVK Bioscience, 10 students in Vegen Therapeutics,  8 students Aurigene pharmaceutical and 14 students were placed in Syngene international. The Department of Chemistry organized a farewell function of T.Y.B.Sc. students on 25 march 2022 The Department of Chemistry has also organized a farewell function for Dr. A.V. Nagawade on 28 may 2022Dr. P. J. Chhabda has been appointed as NSS Program Officer from 01/07/2022. She has also been elected as the member of the College Development Committee of Ahmednagar College to represent teaching faculty for a term of 5 years from 06.10.2022. Dr. S. D Rupwate delivered a talk on "Tools of Lipidomics and Statistics" at CSIR-CFTRI, funded by DST SERB. Dr. Sushil Kumar Bahekar (Director GVK bioscience) from Aurangabad has delivered  a guest lecture for M.Sc. students on 18/01/23. Department has organized a guest lecture of Dr. Indrajeet  Ghodke on 13/02/23 titled DNA Repair, Genomic Instability and Cancer. Dr. S. R. Deshmukh has been elected as a Director of B.P.Hivale Education Employees Co-op Credit Society Ltd. Ahmednagar College Ahmednagar. Dr. S.R.Deshmukh, Dr. V.A. Kawade and Dr. A.K. Kulkarni was awarded Ph.D. guideship from SPPU Pune. Dr. S. B. Kasar has been awarded a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from SPPU Pune. Dr. R. K. Dongare Awarded Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Dr. BAMU Aurangabad