# Team

**Source**: https://cryoem.iitm.ac.in/team/
**Parent**: https://cryoem.iitm.ac.in/

## Team

- Faculty
- Staff
- Students

## Faculty

### Mamata Bangera, PhD

## Staff

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Manikandan K

Manikandan Karuppasamy obtained PhD from Indian Institute of Science – Bangalore, India under the guidance of Prof. S. Ramakumar. His thesis aimed to identify the molecular factors responsible for the adaptation of temperature and salt stability of xylanases in extreme environment from their X-ray crystal structures. Then he moved to EMBL-Hamburg as a Humboldt Research Fellow and deciphered X-ray crystal structures of Leucine biosynthesis pathway enzymes of mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a post-doctoral researcher in LUMC-Leiden, he learnt and employed cryo-electron microscopy both single-particle as well as tomography techniques for studying tubulin oligomers and nucleosome assembly protein (NAP). As a research staff scientist in EMBL-Grenoble, he contributed to the structure function analysis of several challenging protein complexes by single-particle cryo-EM (yTORC2, Flu polymerase-RNA complexes and nucleosome bound PRC1). Before joining the facility, he worked at eBIC-for-Industry, Diamond Light Source, UK as an Industrial Liaison Scientist where he assisted industrial clients in screening, collecting and analysing high-resolution cryoEM data. His research interests are applying cryoEM techniques to delineate 3d structures of pharmaceutically important macromolecular complexes, membrane proteins and contribute to methods development for faster screening of grids for high resolution data collection. He joined the facility as a principal scientist in June2025 and his expertise include single-particle cryo-EM and electron cryo-tomography, cryo-ET.

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## Manikandan K

## Principal Scientist

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Dr. Anirban Som

Anirban received his master’s degree in chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, and pursued his PhD under Prof. T. Pradeep ( pradeepresearch.org ), focusing on nanoparticle reactivity, post-synthetic modification strategies, and self-assembly behavior using advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques to elucidate structure-property relationships at the nanoscale. Following his PhD, he joined the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University, Finland, as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Olli Ikkala, where he pioneered the development of Pavlovian materials, smart materials inspired by classical conditioning principles that can be trained to respond predictably to specific stimuli. This work involved engineering sophisticated nanoparticle and soft materials composite systems with memory-like behavior and adaptive responses, utilizing state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy and tomography to understand molecular-level structure and bonding mechanisms. Currently serving as a Research Associate at the ANRF National Facility for Cryo-electron Microscopy at IIT Madras, Anirban applies his expertise in electron microscopy and materials characterization to support cutting-edge research across diverse scientific domains. His role encompasses method development for cryo-EM applications, user training and support, and collaborative research projects. His research interests span nanomaterials engineering, bio-inspired material design, and advanced microscopy techniques, with emphasis on structural characterization of complex composite systems and responsive materials.

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## Dr. Anirban Som

## Research Associate

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Venkatesan T

Venkat received BSc and MSc degree in physics from Government Arts College, Krishnagiri and AVVM Sri Pushpam College, Thajavur, respectively. Then he worked as a SEM operator at PSG institute of technology, Coimbatore. Since Apr2024, he is at the facility as a TEM operator for our microscopes Talos F200i and Krios G4. He supports day-to-day activity of the facility, helps users in preparing grids and maintains the sample preparation laboratory. His expertise includes grid preparation to high resolution imaging of material and biological samples in TEM, SEM, cryo-TEM, STEM, cryo-STEM and EDS elemental mapping.

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## Venkatesan T

## Operator

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Dhananjayan M

Dhananjayan received a B.E from Tagore Engineering College, Anna University in 2012. After, he worked as an operator and maintenance engineer at IGCAR, Kalpakkam. He is working as an Onsite Engineer at the facility since Apr2024. He provides dedicated technical support and operational management for Krios G4 and Talos F200i. Futher, he supports day-to-day facility operation, monitors microscope accessory instruments, coordinates OEM/service engineer during intervention, does the first diagnostic study to resolve instruments errors/faults, maintains liquid nitrogen supply and records the microscope status.

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## Dhananjayan M

## On-Site Engineer

## Students

### Subrata

## Department of Chemistry

### Harshita Nagar

## Department of Chemistry

### Sooraj B. S.

## Department of Chemistry

### Bijesh Malla

## Department of Chemistry

### Sunanda Gautam

## Department of Biotechnology