Distinguished Professor Suresh Bhargava AM
Dean (R&I, India), Director (Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry)
Dean (R&I, India), Director (Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry)
STEM College | Office of the DVC
Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry: Founder & Director
Research & Innovation: Dean
Special Assignment India: Dean
Email: suresh.bhargava@rmit.edu.au
Phone: +61 39925 3365
Phone PA: +61 39925 3361
Campus: Melbourne City
STEM College | Office of the DVC
Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry: Founder & Director
Research & Innovation: Dean
Special Assignment India: Dean
Email: suresh.bhargava@rmit.edu.au
Phone: +61 39925 3365
Campus: Melbourne City
In 1990, Professor Bhargava started at RMIT, where he established the state-of-the-art Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, known as CAMIC. The centre has developed and innovated translational research that has been implemented and utilised by industry and produced real-world graduates. Professor Bhargava has been an inspiring mentor to some of great talent who have gone on to serve at institutions such as Stanford and Oxford, as well as multinationals such as Alcoa, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. His dedication to uplifting and producing the next generation of industry-ready scientists and engineers is exceptional. He has supervised almost 70 PhD students with a 100% employment rate.
He has authored/co-authored over 800 journal publications, amassing over 26,000 citations, as well as editing two books, 23 book chapters, and presented more than 200 keynote/ plenary lectures. His h-index is 86 and i-10 index 454, and he has received over $34 million dollars in research funding throughout his career. Holding distinguished professorships at top universities in 6 countries, he is an outstanding ambassador of Australian higher education around the world.
Professor Bhargava’s advice is also in demand far beyond RMIT, including business & government leaders in India, China & Malaysia. In 2013, Professor Lord Bhattacharya, University of Warwick, UK invited him as his advisor and to be a panel member for professorial recruitment. He has helped preserve and create jobs and transformed companies and individual lives in Australia. Classified as the topmost researcher in mercury pollution control, his achievements are well recognised in the Australian resources sector.
He has always had a lifelong commitment in connecting India and Australia. Through advisory roles with Australian PMs, Premiers and Governors on Indo-Australian relations, he has been a founding architect of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund. In 2018, he developed the award-winning global PhD cotutelle collaboration, the RMIT-AcSIR Joint Research Program, connecting RMIT with39 national CSIR research laboratories of India, providing a platform for equipping PhD students with real-world skills through collaborative research and international engagement.
As a recipient of international prestigious awards, including the Queens Birthday Honours recognition of the Member of the Order of Australia (2022), the KIA Laureate Award (2016), the ‘CHEMECA medal’ (2015) and most recently, he is the first RMIT researcher to ever receive the RMIT University Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award three times, having been awarded the Vice Chancellor Research Excellence Award for Graduate Supervision (2023). He was also honoured in 2014 with the ‘P.C. Ray Chair’ by the Indian National Science Academy. This award is one of India’s most prestigious honours to a foreign scientist including Nobel laureates. He received Honoris Causa D.Sc. Degree from Rajasthan University, presented by the President of India. An inspirational figure to many, he pushed the boundaries and developed innovative ways for how universities should work with industry, creating jobs and changing lives.
Distinguished Professor Bhargava has formally advised the Commonwealth Government and numerous industries on matters regarding industrial processing, yield optimization, mining effluent remediation and other environmental issues.
His industrial consultations include:
Gold, Metallodrugs, Catalysis, Mercury, Hydrogen, Cancer SERS, Nanotechnology
Publications
Grant funding
Awards
Chemistry-A European Journal, 25, 14023-14100
Reddy, T. S., Pooja, D., Privér, S. H., Luwor, R. B., Mirzadeh, N., Ramesan, S., Ramakrishna, S., Karri, S., Kuncha, M., & Bhargava, S. K. (2019).
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 7, 11612-11620.
Manchala, S., Tandava, V. S. R. K., Jampaiah, D., Bhargava, S. K., & Shanker, V. (2019).
Chemical Communications, 51, 4331- 4346
Plowman, B. J., Jones, L. A., & Bhargava, S. K. (2015).
Distinguished Professor Bhargava’s patented and licensed mercury sensor technology is the product of one of his major scientific breakthroughs in the field of electrochemistry and nanotechnology. Professor Bhargava devised a novel galvanic replacement method which allows some of the most precise manipulation and construction of gold nanostructures yet invented, thus unravelling new territories at the boundaries of nanotechnology, electrochemistry and electronic engineering.
The result of applying this research is a mercury sensor that can protect societies from this harmful neurotoxin. The impact of this work has been enormous and has been broadly covered by media. Supported by Alcoa and BHBP, this patented technology has been tested successfully on industrial effluents from Alumina refineries and has been licensed for commercialization.
Award date: 2017
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava
Award date: 2020
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava
Award date: 2016
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava
Award date: 2015
Recipients: Suresh Bhargava
Leadership Awards
Research Awards
Leadership Awards
Research Awards
Research Awards
Leadership Awards
Research Awards
Leadership Awards
Publication Awards
Teaching Awards
Publication Awards
Research Awards
Leadership Awards
Research Awards
Teaching Awards
Research Awards
Teaching Awards
Teaching Awards
Teaching Awards
Teaching Awards
Teaching Awards
CI Bhargava is among the top 1% recipients of the most competitive and collaborative research grants at RMIT University in both number and value (>$30 million over the last 20 years) from various sources including the ARC, AISRF, industry and CRC-P.
Selected listed grants are:
Patented anti-cancer research from CAMIC’s Molecular Engineering Group “Potent and selective cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory gold (III) compounds containing cyclometallated phosphine sulfide ligands” was covered on more than 240 media and online outlets around the globe, including AAAS potentially reaching up to 176 million people. According to RMIT’s media team, the total average value of the media coverage received for this research was worth $1,642,900 AUD.
Featured in:
A cost-saving and eco-friendly method to produce graphene from eucalyptus bark extract was developed by CAMIC researchers in collaboration with National Institute of Technology Warrangal, received media exposure:
Featured in:
Mercury monitoring technology
Mentioned in:
Other mentions:
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.
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