Current Position
Research Fellow — Physics Institute (PHI) & Institute of Quantum Materials and Technologies (IQMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany — since Aug 2025
Research Focus

Instrumentation & methodology for molecular electronics

Development of advanced experimental methodologies to investigate charge transport across metal (or carbon) │ molecule (or SAM) │ metal (or carbon) junctions under applied electrical bias and temperature gradients. Research focuses on understanding how charge transport through single molecules and hybrid molecular assemblies is influenced by external stimuli, including light, magnetic fields, and chemical gating. Current research at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) centers on the development of advanced instrumentation for a liquid-helium-temperature scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to investigate light–matter interactions and quantum transport at the nanoscale.

13Publications
4Journal Covers
4Fellowships
14Awards
202Citations
202Citations since 2021
8h‑index
7i10‑index
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Technical Expertise & Research Skills

Designed, built, and optimized specialized instrumentation for molecular electronics research, including an EGaIn-based platform for molecular junction studies and scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) and mechanically controlled break junction (MCBJ) systems for nanoscale electrical measurements. Mechanical components were designed using Autodesk Inventor, with multiple iterations fabricated through 3D printing to achieve stable, high-performance experimental platforms.Developed custom LabVIEW software for instrument control, experimental automation, and data acquisition, together with data-processing algorithms for extracting meaningful correlations and key transport metrics from large, noisy datasets. These computational methods have contributed directly to peer-reviewed publications. In addition to extensive LabVIEW experience, proficient in Python for scientific programming, data analysis, and automation.Experienced with quantum-chemical calculations through master's research, primarily using Gaussian and, to a lesser extent, SIESTA. While computational transport calculations were not a primary focus of the PhD, the work provided a solid theoretical foundation that complements extensive experimental expertise. Research experience further includes UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrochemical characterization, and synthetic chemistry. An academic background spanning chemistry, biology, and biochemistry provides a broad interdisciplinary perspective for research across molecular electronics, materials science, and the life sciences.Combines expertise in instrument design, experimental physics, scientific software development, and interdisciplinary chemistry to develop advanced measurement platforms for nanoscale transport and molecular electronics.

Skill Highlights

General & Design

  • Microsoft Office
  • Adobe Illustrator, Animate, Inkscape
  • 3D design — Autodesk 3D, Inventor, SolidWorks
  • Theoretical calculations — Gaussian, Quantum Espresso
  • Origin
  • AFM / STM
  • Programming — LabVIEW (pro), Python, MATLAB

Instrumentation & Spectroscopy

  • UV-visible, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy
  • Spectrofluorimetry
  • Electrochemistry — potentiometry, voltammetry, conductometry
  • X-ray diffraction
  • Instrumentation development — STM-BJ, MCBJ, ensemble molecular junctions
  • XPS, UPS

Awards & Honors

  1. 🏅 State board scholarship for School toppers — School topper – J&K State Board of School Education
  2. 🏅 B.Sc college topper Award — 1st position at college level – Govt. Degree College Bijbehara
  3. 🏅 Merit Scholarship University entrance toppers — Entrance Exam topper – University of Kashmir
  4. 🏅 Gold Medalist – M.Sc. Chemistry — Rank 1st, University of Kashmir & all affiliated colleges
  5. 🎓 Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) — Ministry of Education, Govt. of India
  6. 📜 DST‑INSPIRE Fellowship — Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research
  7. 🏅 JRF‑NET (CSIR) — Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India
  8. 📊 GATE Qualified — National Coordination Board – GATE, Ministry of Education
  9. 📖 J&K State Level Eligibility Test (JKSET) — University of Jammu/Kashmir, accredited by UGC
  10. 🏆 Vasudevamurthy‑Soundararajan Award — Best performance in coursework, IISc.
  11. 🏆 Vasudevamurthy‑Soundararajan Award — Best Student seminar, IISc.
  12. 📄 Best Poster Award — International Conference on Spin in Molecular Systems, IISc.
  13. 🗣️ Best Oral Presentation — IPC‑Day Symposium 2023, IISc.
  14. 🏅 Best Presentation Award (RAM-90) — International Conference on Recent Advances in Materials, JNCASR

Publications

  1. 01
    Oriented Electric Field‑Driven Cis‑Azobenzene Selective Diborylation Reaction
    Sreelakshmi PA, Mondal RR, Rask L, Leitherer S, Obel OB, U. Rashid, Hamill JM, Mikkelsen KV, Geetharani K, Kaliginedi V
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 23, 24357–24366 Featured - Hot Article
  2. 02
    Quantum Interference in Saturated Systems: Bipiperidines & Dithiocarbamates
    U. Rashid, Daaoub AHS, Sreelakshmi PA, Sangtarash S, Sadeghi H, Kaliginedi V
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202513806 Featured - Hot Topic
  3. 03
    Mapping Extended Ground‑State Reactivity of a Photoswitchable Molecule
    U. Rashid, Sandonas LM, Chatir E, Ziani Z, Sreelakshmi PA, Cobo S, Gutierrez R, Cuniberti G, Kaliginedi V
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 1, 830–840
  4. 04
    Electric Field‑Induced Prototropic Tautomerism in Enzyme‑like Nanopocket
    Sreelakshmi PA, Mahashaya R, Leitherer S, U. Rashid, Hamill JM, Nair M, Rajamalli P, Kaliginedi V
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 51, 35242–35251 Featured - Front Cover
  5. 05
    Au–Thiol Interface Chemistry via Single‑Molecule Flicker Noise
    U. Rashid, Bro‑Jørgensen W, Harilal KB, Sreelakshmi PA, Mondal RR, Pisharam VC, Parida KN, Geetharani K, Hamill JM, Kaliginedi V
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 13, 9063–9073 Featured - Front Cover
  6. 06
    Dithienylethene‑Based Single Molecular Photothermal Actuator
    U. Rashid, Chatir E, Sandonas LM, Sreelakshmi PA, Dianat A, Gutierrez R, Cuniberti G, Cobo S, Kaliginedi V
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202218767 Featured - Hot Topic: Robotics
  7. 07
    Extraordinary Electrical Conductance of Non‑conducting Polymers
    Kumar S, Biswas S, U. Rashid, Mony KS, Vergauwe RMA, Kaliginedi V, Thomas A
    J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 28, 18999–19008 Featured - Front Cover
  8. 08
    One‑class Classification for Single‑molecule Transport Studies
    Bro‑Jørgensen W, Hamill JM, Mezei G, Lawson B, U. Rashid, Halbritter A, Kamenetska M, Kaliginedi V, Solomon GC
    ACS Nanosci. Au 2024, 4, 4, 250–262
  9. 09
    Modulating charge transport via electrochemical gating
    Akhtar A, U. Rashid (co-first), Seth C, Kumar S, Broekmann P, Kaliginedi V
    Electrochimica Acta, 2021, 388, 138540 Equal contribution with first author
  10. 10
    Imidazolium Based Surface Active Ionic Liquids for Quercetin
    Butt FA, Bhat MM, U. Rashid, Lone IA, Bhat PA, Bhat SA, Rather MA, Rather GM, Bhat MA
    Catal. Lett. 2022, 152, 1276–1285 Master's thesis