Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view Lab view
Department of Chemistry, IISER Bhopal

Bridging the Interface of Biology & Nanotech

Led by Prof. Apurba L. Koner, our multidisciplinary laboratory innovates at the molecular level, developing novel fluorescent probes, advanced biomaterials, and pi-conjugated molecules for optoelectronic studies.

Explore Research Latest Publications

Lab Updates

Live
New Publication

Our latest work on Cyclometalated Anionic Benzimidazole-Based Luminescent Iridium Complexes with Tunable Organelle-Specific Cell Imaging is now published in Inorganic Chemistry

May 2026

 Team News
Ms. Sukanya Chakraborty

Welcoming Ms. Sukanya Chakraborty!

Our newest Ph.D. scholar joining the BioNat Lab family.

August 2026

 Team News
Mr. Divyansh Garg

Welcoming Mr. Divyansh Garg!

Our new BSMS student joining the BioNat Lab.

August 2026
What We Do

Core Research Areas

Our interdisciplinary research spans across chemistry, biology, and materials science to develop innovative solutions for healthcare, diagnostics, and fundamental science.

Supramolecular Chemistry

Design and synthesis of macrocyclic hosts (like cucurbiturils and cyclodextrins) for highly specific guest recognition, targeted drug delivery, and advanced sensing applications.

Nanomedicine & Theranostics

Developing targeted nanoparticle systems for simultaneous precision imaging and therapy (theranostics) of cancer and other complex diseases using stimuli-responsive smart materials.

Fluorescent Probes

Engineering novel organic fluorophores and AIEgens for organelle-specific cellular imaging, biophysical investigations, and real-time monitoring of fundamental biological processes.

Research Output

Featured Publications (2026–2024)

Explore our peer-reviewed contributions. Click "View Publication (DOI)" to open in a separate tab, and click "ELI5 Summary" to read the abstract.

Journal Cover Pages (12 Featured Covers)

Highlighted Art
Cover 1 Cover 2 Cover 3 Cover 4 Cover 5 Cover 6 Cover 7 Cover 8 Cover 9 Cover 10 Cover 11 Cover 12 Cover 1 Cover 2 Cover 3 Cover 4 Cover 5 Cover 6 Cover 7 Cover 8 Cover 9 Cover 10 Cover 11 Cover 12
Inorganic Chemistry 2026

Cyclometalated Anionic Benzimidazole-Based Luminescent Iridium Complexes with Tunable Organelle-Specific Cell Imaging

Paramita Jana, Chand Husen Ansary, Nabashree Chakraborty, Ahmad Husain, Apurba L. Koner, Srikanta Patra

VA_P1 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Small 2026

Directed Noncovalent Synthesis of Dendritic Spherulitic Superstructures via Surface-Mediated Secondary Nucleation

Sukomal Bhunia, Dhanranjan Kumar, Mitradip Bhattacharjee, Apurba Lal Koner

VA_P2 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Chem. Asian J. 2026

Mapping Intracellular Polarity Distribution Using an Indoline-Based Fluorescent Probe

Tanoy Dutta, Nabashree Chakraborty, Firos P Abdulla, Kaushik Pal, Apurba Lal Koner

VA_P3 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Adv. Opt. Mater. 2026

Role of Excited-State Structural Reorganization in Achieving Enhanced TADF in Molecular Aggregates for efficient Cyan-Green and Yellow OLEDs

Abhijit Chatterjee, Santhosh Aedelli, Sachin Thorat, Tomohiro Ryu, Barsha Chakraborty et al.

VA_P4 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Scientific Reports 2025

Zebrafish model of palmitic acid induced MAFLD recapitulates pathways conserved in mice and humans

Debashruti Bhattacharya, Shruti Kaushal, Barsha Chakraborty, Arnab Raha, Tanoy Dutta et al.

VA_P5 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Small 2025

Morpholine Anchored Fluorogenic Toolkit: Unveiled Disease Allied Protein Fibrillation in Lysosomal Compartment

P Kavyashree, Harry Wilson, Akshay Silswal, Lopamudra Mishra, Apurba Lal Koner

VA_P6 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Advanced Materials Technologies 2025

HCl Assisted Transformation of Lead-Free 0D Cs3Cu2I5 Microcrystals to 3D Cs3Cu3Cl9 Single Crystals for Self-Powered UV Photodetection

Darsana Sudarsana, Rakesh Ganguly, Apurba Lal Koner, Sudip K Batabyal

VA_P7 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Chemistry - An Asian Journal 2025

Drug-assisted White Light Generation via Self-assembly

Soumya Ranjan Panda, Kavyashree P., Dhananjaya Sahoo, Apurba Lal Koner

VA_P8 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Journal of Materials Chemistry B 2025

Introduction to materials chemistry of fluorescence bioimaging

Sijie Chen, Tony D James, Apurba Lal Koner, Ben Zhong Tang

VA_P9 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
Chem. Sci. 2025

Regio- and diastereoselective synthesis of cyclobutylated phenothiazines via [2+2] photocycloaddition

Sanhati Sharangi, Barsha Chakraborty, Raushan Kumar Jha, Swarnadeep Mandal, Apurba Lal Koner, Sangit Kumar

VA_P10 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
J. Mater. Chem. B 2025

Crafting Natures Wonders: Nanoarchitectonics Developments in Bioinspired Nanocellulose-Based Stimuli-Responsive Supramolecular Matrices

Soumya Ranjan Panda, S Vaishakh Prasad, Abhijit Karmakar, Apurba Lal Koner

VA_P11 Graphic
View Publication (DOI)
View All Publications on Google Scholar
Our People

Meet the Team

Dr. Apurba L. Koner

Dr. Apurba L. Koner

Professor, Department of Chemistry, IISER Bhopal

Dr. Koner leads the BioNat Laboratory at IISER Bhopal. His interdisciplinary research focuses on the intersection of supramolecular chemistry, fluorescent probes, and nanomedicine. He is dedicated to developing novel biomaterials for targeted drug delivery, cellular imaging, and sensing applications, while mentoring the next generation of scientific innovators.

Contact

Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal
Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri
Bhopal 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India
akoner@iiserb.ac.in +91-755-2691335

Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Dhananjaya Sahoo

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Interest: Development of rylene dye derivatives for their potential application photothermal therapy and pi-conjugated fluorescent probes for bioimaging

dhananjayasahoo@iiserb.ac.in
Dr. Dhananjaya Sahoo
Dr. Rajkumar Imocha Singh

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

imocharajkumar@gmail.com
Dr. Rajkumar Imocha Singh
Dr. Rajdeep Tyagi

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

rajdeeptyagi@iiserb.ac.in
Dr. Rajdeep Tyagi

Ph.D. Scholars

Ms. Nabashree Chakraborty

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

nabashree22@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Nabashree Chakraborty
Mr. Soumya Ranjan Panda

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

soumya23@iiserb.ac.in
Mr. Soumya Ranjan Panda
Ms. Astha Katiyar

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

astha23@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Astha Katiyar
Ms. Ankita Priyadarsini

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

ankitap23@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Ankita Priyadarsini
Ms. Anjali Tomar

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

anjalit24@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Anjali Tomar
Mr. Chand Husen Ansary

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

chand24@iiserb.ac.in
Mr. Chand Husen Ansary
Ms. Udita

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

udita25@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Udita
Mr. Santanu Mandal

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: Functional perylene dyes for Self-Assembly and Multifaceted Applications.

santanu25@iiserb.ac.in
Mr. Santanu Mandal
Ms. Sukanya Chakraborty

Ph.D. Scholar

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

sukanya26@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Sukanya Chakraborty

BS-MS / M.Sc. Students

Ms. Apurva Goyal

M.Sc. Student

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

apurva25@iiserb.ac.in
Ms. Apurva Goyal
Mr. Divyansh Garg

BSMS Student

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

apurva25@iiserb.ac.in
Mr. Divyansh Garg

Project Staff

Mr. Sorabh

Project Staff

Research Interest: [Add research interest here]

sorabh@iiserb.ac.in
Mr. Sorabh

Our Proud Alumni

Alumni who have graduated and pursued successful careers across the globe.

Postdoctoral Alumni

Dr. Abhijit Karmakar

Postdoc (2023-2025)

Current: Postdoc / IIT Guwahati

Dr. Naveneet Dubey

Postdoc (2023-2025)

Current: Guest faculty / RGPV, Bhopal

Ph.D. Alumni

Dr. Sukumol Bhunia

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Researcher

Dr. Barsha Chakraborty

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / France

Dr. Oendrila Chatterjee

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc

Dr. P. Kavyashree

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / India

Dr. Aasif Khan

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / UAE

Dr. Akshay Silswal

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / France

Dr. Tanoy Dutta

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / USA

Dr. Rupam Roy

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / USA

Dr. Prashant Kumar

Ph.D. (2020)

Current: Postdoc / UK

Dr. Vikas Sharma

Ph.D. (2019)

Current: Postdoc / UK

Dr. Falguni Chandra

Ph.D. (2018)

Current: Job / India

Dr. Kaushik Pal

Ph.D. (2018)

Current: Asst. Prof. / IIT Tirupati

Dr. Suman Mallick

Ph.D. (2025)

Current: Postdoc / Austria

BS-MS / M.Sc. Alumni

[Alumni Name]

BS-MS (2025)

Current Position / Institution

Project Staff & Intern Alumni

[Intern/Staff Name]

Project Staff / Intern

Current Position / Organization

Our Collaborators

[Collaborator Name]

[Department Name]

[Institution Name]

Beyond the Bench

Outreach & Group Activities

Explore our separate activity rows featuring continuous 6-photo scrolling galleries of our lab life, retreats, conferences, and celebrations.

Lab Retreat & Brainstorming (2022–2026)

Annual Trip
Retreat 2022 Retreat 2023 Retreat 2024 Retreat 2025 Retreat 2026 Retreat Extra Retreat 2022 Retreat 2023 Retreat 2024 Retreat 2025 Retreat 2026 Retreat Extra

International Conferences & Symposia

Global Science
Conf 1 Conf 2 Conf 3 Conf 4 Conf 5 Conf 6 Conf 1 Conf 2 Conf 3 Conf 4 Conf 5 Conf 6

Graduating Batch Farewell

Milestones
Farewell 1 Farewell 2 Farewell 3 Farewell 4 Farewell 5 Farewell 6 Farewell 1 Farewell 2 Farewell 3 Farewell 4 Farewell 5 Farewell 6

Science Outreach Day

Community
Outreach 1 Outreach 2 Outreach 3 Outreach 4 Outreach 5 Outreach 6 Outreach 1 Outreach 2 Outreach 3 Outreach 4 Outreach 5 Outreach 6

Festivals & Lab Dinners

Culture
Celebration 1 Celebration 2 Celebration 3 Celebration 4 Celebration 5 Celebration 6 Celebration 1 Celebration 2 Celebration 3 Celebration 4 Celebration 5 Celebration 6

Workshops & Seminars

Training
Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Workshop 3 Workshop 4 Workshop 5 Workshop 6 Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Workshop 3 Workshop 4 Workshop 5 Workshop 6
Join the Lab

Open Positions

We are always happy to fuel your interest in science. If you have any query feel free to mail at akoner@iiserb.ac.in.

Postdoctoral Positions

Candidates with a strong background in relevant research areas are encouraged to email their CV and research interests.

Doctoral Positions

We are always looking for bright students with a keen interest to pursue research in Chemistry or Biological Sciences.

Master Projects

Please see me in person or mail me with your cv at the mentioned Email ID.

Short-term Projects

Motivated students are requested to mail at the mentioned Email ID.

Members Only

Lab Intranet & Booking

Access Intranet

Enter your registered email address to access the instrument booking system.

Infrastructure

Lab Facilities

In Our Laboratory

Photoreactor (Luzchem)
Nano-microvolume spectrophotometer (Bibby Scientific)
Shaking incubator for bacterial culture (Infors)
Bio-safety cabinet for tissue culture (Nuaire Inc.)
Humidity-controlled CO2 incubator (Nuaire Inc.)
Refrigerated centrifuge (Eltek)
Deep freezer (-20˚C, Elanpro and -80˚C, Haier)
Rotary evaporator (Buchi)
Polymerase Chain Reaction machine (BR Biochem.)
Vertical Pressure Steam Sterilizer LDZX-75KBS
Shimadzu UV-1800 Spectrophotometer
Zeiss Stemi 305 Stereo Zoom Microscope

Central Instrumental Facility

400, 500 and 700 MHz NMR Spectrometers (Bruker)
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer (UPLCMS) (Bruker)
GCMS (Agilent)
MALDI-TOF (Bruker)
Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS & MPMS)
Nano & Femtosecond lasers (Spectra-Physics)
Single crystal X-ray diffraction facility (Bruker)
Powder X-ray diffractometer (PANalytical Empyrean)
Surface area and gas adsorption measurement set up (BELSORP-MAX)
Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID)
Gel permeation chromatographer (Agilent PL-GPC50)
Fluorimeter (Fluorolog, Horiba Jobin Yvon)
Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) unit
UV-Vis. spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer)
UV-Vis.-NIR spectrophotometer (Cary)
IR Spectrometers (Shimadzu & Perkin Elmer)
Circular Dichroism Spectrometer (Jasco)
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer (Bruker)
Electrochemical workstation (CHI)
High-resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (Zeiss)
High-resolution transmission electron microscope (TALOS 200S)
Laser scanning confocal microscope Zeiss LSM 700
Olympus FV3000 Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope