Durga Prasad Hari
Graphical Abstract
“My first experiment was the synthesis of paracetamol. I still remember that we dried the paracetamol on the rooftop… The most rewarding part of my job is watching my students generate their own research ideas and execute them with minimal input from me…”
Find out more about Durga Prasad Hari in his Introducing… Profile.
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Position, Location: | Assistant professor, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (India) |
| Homepage: | https://theharigroup.in/ | |
| ORCID: | orcid.org/0000–0002–0734–8427 | |
| Education: | 2008–2010, MSc in chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (India) 2010–2014, PhD in organic chemistry with Prof. Burkhard Koenig, University of Regensburg (Germany) 2014–2018, postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Jerome Waser, EPFL, Lausanne (Switzerland) 2019–2021, Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Varinder Aggarwal, University of Bristol (UK) |
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| Research: | Strain-driven chemistry, photocatalysis, and electro-organic synthesis | |
| Hobbies: | Swimming and running |
Chemistry/science is fun because it is rational, intriguing, and impactful, and there is still so much left to discover.
My favorite example of chemistry/science in everyday life is the use of sunscreen lotion, which involves a chemical process that protects against harmful UV rays from the sun.
My first experiment was the synthesis of paracetamol. I still remember that we dried the paracetamol on the rooftop.
The most exciting thing about my research is discovering the potential of unexpected results and understanding them through mechanistic experiments and computational studies.
The most rewarding part of my job is watching my students generate their own research ideas and execute them with minimal input from me.
My favorite activity at research conferences is engaging with experts and asking questions as I believe this is one of the most effective ways to learn from those in the field.
I am most proud of my research group when they point out issues in my research proposals and when they solve the mysterious NMR spectra before I do.
If I were not a scientist, I would probably be a farmer as I grew up on a farm and was educated there throughout my childhood.
I celebrate success by recognizing and appreciating the efforts of my coworkers and family and treating them to a cake to commemorate the occasion.
My motto is: “Do your best and accept the things you cannot change”.
My favorite time of day at work is morning; that is the time I talk to my students, hear their exciting research findings, and plan for the rest of the day.
My favorite way to spend a holiday is watching movies with my wife and daughter.
My favorite musician is Stephen Marley.
My favorite saying/quote is: “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles” - Charlie Chaplin.
Behind the Science
Our work began during an investigation of the Dowd–Beckwith reaction, driven by our curiosity to interrupt its classical ring-expansion pathway for the deconstructive functionalization of cyclic ketones. We were pleasantly surprised to find that electrochemistry could surpass ring expansion, enabling a clean ring-opening process through the oxidative radical-polar crossover. A significant challenge we encountered was the limited compatibility of nucleophiles. However, the success of this strategy not only broadened the synthetic toolbox for C–C bond cleavage but also provided access to acyclic frameworks from complex natural products that were previously difficult to obtain using conventional methods.
The author presented on this page has published his first article as a submitting corresponding author in Angewandte Chemie:
“Deconstructive Functionalization of Cyclic Ketones via Electrochemical Interrupted Dowd-Beckwith Reaction”: T. Singha, J. V. N. Kasu, D. P. Hari, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202505155.
International edition: DOI: 10.1002/anie.202512389
German edition: DOI: 10.1002/ange.202512389
