Rate My Professor Prashant Kamat

Prashant Kamat, Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Radiation Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, has been a pivotal figure in chemistry research since joining the institution in 1983 as a Professional Specialist, promoted to Professor in 2006. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Bombay University in 1979, M.S. in Chemistry from Bombay University in 1974, and B.S. in Chemistry from Karnatak University in 1972. His early career included postdoctoral positions at Boston University (1979-1981) and the University of Texas at Austin (1981-1983), as well as a role as Scientist at Hindustan Lever Research Center in Bombay (1977-1979). Currently, he also serves as Concurrent Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Kamat's academic interests center on nanotechnology and materials chemistry, including metal and semiconductor nanostructures, carbon nanotubes, and graphene-based systems; solar energy conversion via inorganic-organic nanoassemblies and quantum dot photovoltaics; chemical processes in heterogeneous media; and solar fuels through semiconductor-metal composites for photocatalytic hydrogen production and CO2 reduction. His work elucidates mechanistic and kinetic details of charge transfer in nanostructured assemblies to improve energy conversion efficiencies. With over 500 publications, Kamat boasts more than 123,000 citations and an h-index surpassing 146, ranking him among the top chemists globally. Key publications include "Hole Trapping in Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystal-Viologen Hybrids" (ACS Nano, 2025) and "Steering Energy Transfer Pathways through Mn-Doping in Perovskite Nanocrystals" (JACS, 2025). He has received prestigious awards such as the 2024 Henry H. Storch Award in Energy Chemistry (ACS), 2024 James A. Burns Award (Notre Dame), 2022 Porter Medal, 2022 Richard E. Smalley Research Award (ECS), and fellowships from AAAS, ACS, ECS, and MRS. Kamat has delivered notable lectures, including the 2024 Otto Wolfbeis Lecturer and 2013 Langmuir Lectureship. As Editor-in-Chief of ACS Energy Letters, he influences the field profoundly.