Mangaluru: Dr Nefisath P, Associate Professor in the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Chemistry at SDM College (Autonomous), Ujire, has been awarded a Rs 10 lakh Early Career Research Award (ECRA) by the Karnataka government’s Vision Group on Science and Technology (VGST).

The grant will support her research in the fields of pharmaceutical and synthetic organic chemistry.

ECRA is a competitive research funding programme aimed at supporting early-career researchers who are actively engaged in research and have demonstrated the potential to develop and pursue independent research programmes. The scheme provides financial assistance to initiate and strengthen new research activities and contribute to the research ecosystem of their institutions.

The research project sanctioned to Dr Nefisath focuses on the synthesis and characterisation of metal(II) complexes and their anticancer studies, supported by in silico computational investigations. The project has been sanctioned a research grant of Rs 10 lakh for a period of two years.

Under the project, the proposed compounds will undergo systematic synthesis, purification and characterisation. Biological evaluation and computational studies will subsequently be undertaken to explore their potential applications in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

Dr Sujay M.M., Assistant Professor in the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Chemistry, will serve as the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of the project.

The SDM College management and principal congratulated Dr Nefisath P and Dr Sujay M.M. on the achievement and wished the research team success in effectively implementing the project and further strengthening its research contributions.

Dr Nefisath P is a resident of Charmadi. She is the wife of S.M. Abdul Khader and daughter of the late C.K. Hanzha and Zainabi.