Dr Sumati Bhatia

Senior Lecturer, Chemistry
Staff Office - 437
Third Floor
Grove Building
Singleton Campus
Available For Postgraduate Supervision

About

Dr Sumati Bhatia is a recently appointed Senior Lecturer specializing in Biomacromolecular Chemistry and Glycomaterials. Her expertise lies in engineering glycomaterials for combatting various pathogens. Notably, she has successfully developed glycomaterials targeting a spectrum of pathogens, including Influenza A viruses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, Herpes Simplex virus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Her publication record comprises over 40 research articles and 7 patent applications. Throughout her career, Sumati has collaborated closely with esteemed infection biologists, virologists, biophysicists, and microbiologists. Her pioneering work has earned her recognition in prominent scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed., Nano Letters, Biomaterials, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Advanced Material Interfaces, and numerous others. She actively engages in collaborative research with leading research groups across the globe, fostering partnerships in Germany, the UK, the USA, France, Spain, Mexico, and India. Sumati's primary research objective is the development of glyco-based synthetic tools to gain experimental insights into infection-related processes. She is open to interdisciplinary collaborations at the confluence of chemistry, biology, physics, and cutting-edge technologies such as AI and Machine Learning. Beyond her research endeavors, she is committed to advancing the representation of women in STEM fields. She is a member of the ProFiL association, which specializes in preparing women for careers in science and teaching.

Areas Of Expertise

  • Glycomaterials
  • Antimicrobials
  • Polymers
  • Drug Delivery
  • Sustainable Chemistry
  • Biomacromolecules

Career Highlights

Award Highlights

2024-2025  Research grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry

2024-2027 Research grant from Novo Nordisk Foundation for the development of pandemic anti-influenza drug candidate

2022 Research based teaching award from Berlin University Alliance

2022 Shortlisted for the Reimund Stadler Prize

2022-23 Grant from SupraFAB, Freie Universität Berlin

2021 Selected to join ProFiL programme–Professionalisation of Women in Research and Teaching

2021-24 Grant from German Science Foundation

2020-21 Grant on Corona Virus Pre-Exploration Project from Berlin University Alliance, Germany

2012-2018 Key team player and proposer in the Collaborative Research Centre on ‘Multivalency as a chemical organization and action principle: New architectures, functions, and applications’.