Profile: Prof S.B. Jonnalagadda, School of Chemistry & Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Professor Sreekantha B. Jonnalagadda has been a Senior Professor of Chemistry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Durban, South Africa, from 2003 to 2022 and has been the Head of the School of Chemistry. Currently, he is working as a Senior Research Associate and Emeritus Professor at UKZN, South Africa.
Prof SB. Jonnalagadda obtained this Bachelor of Science from the Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India and his MSc and PhD in Chemistry from the Vikram University, Ujjain, India. He worked as a Research Associate at the University of Bonn, Germany, previously and in various faculty positions at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and the University of Zimbabwe. Prof Jonnalagadda is an elected Fellow of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2012), South African Chemical Institute (2014), African Academy of Sciences (2015), and A.P. Academy of Sciences, India (2017).
With over 16,000 citations and an H-index of 58, Prof Jonnalagaddapublished 520+ research papers, including 30+ review articles in reputed and high-impact journals, and contributed to two edited books and ten book chapters. He is among the top five researchers at theUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal and was the lead researcher in 2017. Prof Jonnalagadda participated in over 180+ research conferences in over 49 countries, primarily as a plenary or invited speaker.
His research interests include Green chemistry, Heterogeneous Catalysis, Value-added conversions, Elemental speciation and Water chemistry.
Heterogeneous Catalysis and applications: The main focus of the research is to develop novel recyclable catalyst materials for competitive technologies to reap fiscal benefits, which includes the Advanced Oxidation processes (AOP), Catalysed Ozonation Processes (COP) synthesis Value Added Products (VAP), Oxidative dechlorination and mineralization of polychlorinated organics, disinfection and treatment of drinking and wastewater, and for industrial bleaching processes. Objectives include the synthesis of new catalyst materials, diverse supported catalysts, hydroxyapatites, hydrotalcite like compounds, mixed and loaded metal oxides, modified zeolites and mesoporous materials and nanomaterials and to study the shape selectivity towards the conversion to useful starting materials for synthesis. 2. Environmental Analytical Chemistry: (+ Dr. R. Moodley): With focus on the elemental uptake by edible species (fruits and vegetation), impact of soil quality, and dietary intake of Prof. Jonnalagadda’ group has concluded number of studies and actively involved in various projects.
Senior Professor
Chemistry
jonnalagaddas@ukzn.ac.za
031 260 7235
