Connecting matter to the science of life — a curriculum spanning every branch of chemistry, since 1966.
An introduction to our history, our teaching philosophy, and the scholarly tradition we work within.
The Postgraduate Department of Chemistry at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College is among the emerging and leading departments in the field of Basic Sciences. Established in 1966 alongside the inception of the College, the Department has consistently upheld a tradition of academic excellence and quality education for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Department is supported by a dedicated team of seven highly qualified faculty members with expertise spanning all major branches of chemistry. It houses five well-equipped laboratories furnished with modern instruments such as UV-Visible Spectrophotometers, Conductivity Meters, Muffle Furnaces, Fuming Cupboards, Polarimeters and other advanced equipment essential for contemporary chemical studies and research.
The primary objective of the Department is to build a strong foundation in the fundamentals of chemistry through a curriculum prescribed by the University, while also providing comprehensive practical exposure to modern instrumental techniques. This balanced approach equips students with the theoretical knowledge and technical skills required for successful undergraduate and postgraduate education. The Department also takes pride in its strong and accomplished alumni network, with former students contributing significantly to academia, research institutions and pharmaceutical industries across India and abroad.
Committed to sustainable scientific practices, the Department actively promotes the principles of Green Chemistry and environmental responsibility. The Department has formally signed the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) under the “Beyond Benign” initiative, reaffirming its dedication to integrating sustainability, safer chemical practices and environmentally responsible approaches into chemical education and research.
Educators and researchers who shape the academic life of the department.
Seven Assistant Professors with expertise spanning organic, inorganic, physical, natural-product and materials chemistry — including six Ph.D. holders, six CSIR-NET qualifiers and recognised Ph.D. supervisors at Panjab University. Click any card to view a full profile.
Undergraduate, postgraduate and add-on courses offered by the department.
Two-year postgraduate programme covering specialisations in organic, inorganic, physical and analytical chemistry, biophysical chemistry, organic synthesis, organotransition metal chemistry, applications of spectroscopy (UV-Visible, NMR, IR, MS, ESR and Mössbauer), chemistry of natural products and research-oriented laboratory work. The curriculum emphasises both theoretical rigour and hands-on training with sophisticated instrumentation.
Four-year NEP-aligned honours programme with rigorous coverage of organic, inorganic, physical and analytical chemistry. Strong laboratory components at every semester include synthesis, purification, qualitative analysis, electrochemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics and spectroscopic techniques.
Chemistry offered as a discipline within the multidisciplinary B.Sc. programme, with semester-wise coverage of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry and an extensive laboratory component on synthesis, purification and instrumental analysis.
Lectures, seminars, workshops, field trips and student-led work that extend learning beyond the classroom.
Two-Day National Workshop cum Hands-on Training on Computational Tools in Drug Discovery (March 17–18, 2025) with five sessions delivered by Dr Neelima Dhingra, Assistant Professor (Pharmaceutical Chemistry), UIPS, Panjab University Chandigarh — National Award Winner 2022.
Workshop cum Hands-on Training on Computational Tools in Biology (March 10, 2025) with a lecture by Mr Varinder Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioinformatics, GGDSD College, Sector 32, Chandigarh.
International Online Workshop on Magnetic Materials (January 20–21, 2024) featuring guest lectures by Ms Mouli Roy Chowdhury, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan.
One-day workshop on Science for Sustainable Future (February 12, 2024) with a hybrid-mode guest lecture by Dr Pralay Das, Professor (AcSIR), Senior Principal Scientist & Head, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Bioresource Technology, Palampur.
Inter-college competitions on Chemistry Cuisine: Science on Your Plate and Sci-toon Making: Eco-Villains vs. Eco-Warriors (February 24, 2025) to mark National Science Day under the theme “Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science & Innovation for Viksit Bharat”, also commemorating the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
Annual educational visits to premier research institutions including ICAR — Directorate of Mushroom Research, Solan (March 4, 2025), CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh (January 24, 2024) and INST Mohali (February 28, 2024) to expose students to cutting-edge research and instrumentation.
The Department has formally signed the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) under the Beyond Benign initiative, reaffirming its dedication to integrating sustainability, safer chemical practices and environmentally responsible approaches into chemical education and research.
Photographs from departmental lectures, workshops and student competitions.
Awards, recognitions, funded projects and milestones earned by faculty and students.
Faculty have completed and continue to lead multiple funded research projects supported by the Department of Science & Technology and Renewable Energy, Chandigarh Administration, and the Panjab University Alumni Association — spanning bioactive constituents from local fruit waste, biodegradable inkjet-printed electrodes, green synthesis of nanoparticles, imine-based covalent organic frameworks and phytochemical screening of native plant species.
Dr Pushpinder Kaur and team published a patent titled Highly Sensitive Piezoelectric MXene Carbon Nanotubes Pressure Sensor with Gel Electrolyte Electrode Interface (Application No. 202511050824) in August 2025.
Faculty serve as recognised Ph.D. supervisors at Panjab University and PTU Jalandhar. Dr Pushpinder Kaur is currently supervising two Ph.D. scholars on imine-linked covalent organic frameworks. M.Phil. supervision is also undertaken at Periyar University, Salem.
Dr Inderpal Pasricha received the Best Paper Presented Award at the ICSSR-sponsored International Conference on Roadmap to Sustainability: Environment & Health, 2020.
Dr Inderpal Pasricha was conferred the ISTE Best Teacher Award (2013) by the Indian Society for Technical Education, New Delhi. She also led ISTE Best Chapter Awards for two consecutive years (2008 & 2009) and ISTE Best Student Chapter Award (2009).
Environment Society Award (2nd Prize) and Best Environment Society In-Charge Award (2019) from the National Green Corps & Department of Environment, Chandigarh Administration for outstanding environment awareness activities.
Faculty have held CSIR Junior and Senior Research Fellowships across leading national laboratories (CSIR-IHBT Palampur, CSIR-IMTECH Chandigarh) and IISER Mohali. Six of seven faculty members are CSIR-UGC-NET qualified.
Dr Asim Kumar Chowdhury was commissioned as Lieutenant after the rigorous 3-month PRCN-168/SD training course at Kamptee, Nagpur (2020) and has since served as Associate NCC Officer, leading the Chandigarh Group Contingent in multiple national NCC camps.
Dr Mehar Singh has published a series of high-impact research papers on green-capped hafnium oxide nanomaterials for electrochemical sensing — including Chemical Engineering Journal (IF 13.44, 2023) on Mercury(II) sensing, Journal of Materials Chemistry C (IF 8.067, 2022) on H2S sensing, and Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry (IF 10.01, 2022) on 2-naphthol sensing — together with three book chapters published by Woodhead Publishing and Springer Nature.
Dr Mehar Singh has been honoured with three Best Oral Presentation Awards (National Technology Day 2023; RCPNS-2023; IIIC-2021) and a Best Poster Presentation Award at the International Conference on Engineered Materials for Sustainable Developments (EMSD-2024) for his work on green hafnium oxide nanomaterials and electrochemical sensing of environmental contaminants. He has also been invited to deliver lectures at the 4th ICRTMD-2026 and the Prof E. B. Singh Memorial Lecture Series at Magadh University, Bodh Gaya.
Faculty representations on university and external academic bodies, editorial boards and professional societies.
Appointed to the Faculty of Science in 2022 and elected Member of the Undergraduate Board of Studies for 2023–2025. Also serves as Controller of Examination and Nodal Officer of the Office of Central Government Schemes at SGGS College.
Appointed to the Faculty of Science, Panjab University for 2022–2025. Also serves as Registrar — Academics & Publications, Dean — Cultural Activities, and Coordinator of the Environment Society.
Associate Editorial Board Member of Letters in Organic Chemistry (Bentham Science Publishers) and Co-Editor of the multidisciplinary research journal Falcon. Reviewer for Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.
Coordinator of the Alumni Association of the PG Department of Chemistry and Associate NCC Officer (Army Wing), SGGS College since December 2020. Commissioned as Lieutenant in 2020.
National and international patents filed and published by the department's faculty.
Application No.: 202511050824. Status: Published in August 2025. Patent describes a sensitive piezoelectric pressure sensor architecture combining MXene with carbon nanotubes and a gel-electrolyte electrode interface, with potential applications in wearable sensing and health monitoring.
Faculty actively supervising doctoral and pre-doctoral research scholars.
Currently supervising Ms Harpreet Kaur (Ph.D. topic: Fabrication of imine-linked covalent organic Frameworks integrated with conductive Nanomaterials for multifunctional Applications) and Ms Aditi Gupta at Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Recognised supervisor for M.Phil. programme at Periyar University, Salem (Tamil Nadu) — authorised to guide 12 students. Recognised Ph.D. supervisor at PTU, Jalandhar. M.Phil. thesis guided on Study in Cyclo-addition Reactions of Nitrones.
Laboratories, classrooms, libraries and learning resources that support our academic work.
Equipped for synthesis, purification and qualitative analysis at undergraduate and postgraduate levels with modern fuming cupboards and dedicated reaction setups.
Dedicated to the preparation, separation and analysis of inorganic compounds, with facilities for semi-micro qualitative analysis and inorganic synthesis.
Houses experimental setups for thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemistry and surface chemistry, including conductivity meters, polarimeters and UV-Visible spectrophotometers.
Modern instrumentation including UV-Visible Spectrophotometers, conductivity meters, muffle furnaces, polarimeters and other advanced equipment essential for contemporary chemical studies.
Used by M.Sc. and Ph.D. students and faculty for dissertation work and funded research projects across natural products, materials chemistry, asymmetric synthesis and covalent organic frameworks.
ICT-enabled smart classroom for interactive teaching and a departmental library housing reference texts, monographs and journals supporting UG, PG and research-level work.
Papers, books, chapters and research projects authored by faculty. Click any entry to open the full PDF.
Office, email, phone, and Head-of-Department details.
