CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, India
Dr. Pintu Kumar Mandal is currently a Principal Scientist at CSIR‑Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR‑CDRI) in Lucknow, within the Medicinal and Process Chemistry Division. With a strong foundation in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, Dr. Mandal has spearheaded numerous national and in-house research projects, including enzyme-mimicking bifunctional catalysts, stereoselective glycosylation strategies, and anti‑filarial agent development against Brugia malayi. Alongside his academic leadership, he has mentored a thriving research group comprising seven current PhD candidates and one project associate, with six PhD graduates now holding prestigious positions worldwide—from Harvard Medical School to government and industrial posts. Before joining CSIR‑CDRI, he held research positions in the UK and the USA as a Newton International Fellow at Leeds and a Research Scientist at Georgia State University. He has earned recognition such as the Newton Fellowship and the Association of Carbohydrate Chemists & Technologists (India) C.G. Merchant Memorial Award‑2023 for excellence in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry.
Profile
Scholar
🎓Education :
Dr. Mandal earned his B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry with first‑class honors from Midnapore College under Vidyasagar University in 2003, followed by an M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry (first class) from Vidyasagar University in 2005. He pursued a Ph.D. in Synthetic Carbohydrate Chemistry at Bose Institute (affiliated with Jadavpur University), Kolkata, under the mentorship of Prof. Anup Kumar Misra. His doctoral thesis, completed in 2009, was titled “Synthesis of Oligosaccharides of Biological Importance,” focusing on the development of oligosaccharide building blocks relevant to biological systems. This rigorous training laid the groundwork for Dr. Mandal’s future research contributions, equipping him with expertise in organic synthesis, carbohydrate functionalization, and glycosylation strategies, which have been pivotal throughout his academic and scientific career.
💼Experience :
Dr. Mandal has accumulated substantial experience since the completion of his Ph.D. in 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he was a Newton International Fellow at the University of Leeds, UK, focusing on advanced carbohydrate synthesis. He then moved to Georgia State University, USA (2011–2013), as a Research Scientist, further refining his expertise in glycosylation and catalytic processes. In 2013, he joined CSIR‑CDRI in Lucknow as a Senior Scientist, rising to Principal Scientist in 2017 within the Medicinal and Process Chemistry Division. He has led and co-led multiple funded projects from DST‑SERB and CSIR‑CDRI, tackling stereoselective synthesis, enzyme-like catalysis, drug repurposing for infectious diseases, anti‑filarial drug development, and pan‑cancer research. His professional journey spans international research fellowships and leadership roles in national laboratories, highlighting his evolution from post‑doctoral chemist to established principal investigator.
🏆Awards and Honors :
Dr. Mandal earned the prestigious Newton International Fellowship (Royal Society) for his post‑doctoral research at the University of Leeds (2009–2011), recognizing his early contributions to carbohydrate chemistry. More recently, in 2023 he received the C.G. Merchant Memorial Award from the Association of Carbohydrate Chemists & Technologists (India), acknowledging his outstanding accomplishments in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry. These honors underscore his sustained impact and leadership in the field, celebrating both his innovative academic research and his contributions to the scientific community in India and abroad.
🔬Research Focus :
Dr. Mandal’s research concentrates on synthetic carbohydrate chemistry and the development of stereoselective glycosylation methodologies. His work includes metal‑catalyzed C–H glycosylation and multi‑component strategies to construct bioactive C‑ and N‑glycoside scaffolds. He leads projects on enzyme‑like small‑molecule catalysts for stereoselective glycosylation and cooperative dual‑activation catalysis. Central to his studies are applications in drug discovery: remote biomolecule functionalization, anti‑filarial agents (targeting Brugia malayi trehalose 6‑phosphate phosphatase), and drug repurposing initiatives for COVID‑19, JE, SARS, parasitic and microbial diseases, as well as pan‑cancer therapy. His group’s goal is to harness carbohydrate-based structures for biologically relevant interventions and to pioneer novel synthetic strategies that have real-world medicinal applications.
Conclusion
Dr. Mandal exemplifies what the Best Researcher Award seeks: high-impact scientific contributions, consistent funding, effective leadership, and recognized excellence. His research into stereoselective glycosylation has significantly advanced medicinal chemistry and carbohydrate synthesis. To further strengthen his candidature, diversifying interdisciplinary collaborations, strengthening translational pathways (patents/industry), and engaging broader audiences would elevate both scientific influence and societal impact. Overall, he stands as a compelling nominee—already excellent, with clear room to grow into an even more influential scientist.
Publication :
Title: HDAC as onco target: Reviewing the synthetic approaches with SAR study of their inhibitors
Authors: R Sangwan, R Rajan, PK Mandal
Year: 2018
Citations: 91
Title: Recent advances in photoinduced glycosylation: oligosaccharides, glycoconjugates and their synthetic applications
Authors: R Sangwan, PK Mandal
Year: 2017
Citations: 52
Title: Towards a structural basis for the relationship between blood group and the severity of El Tor cholera
Authors: PK Mandal, TR Branson, ED Hayes, JF Ross, JA Gavín, AH Daranas, …
Year: 2012
Citations: 50
Title: An Overview on the Chemical N‐Functionalization of Sugars and Formation of N‐Glycosides
Authors: R Sangwan, A Khanam, PK Mandal
Year: 2020
Citations: 40
Title: Mechanistic studies on a sulfoxide transfer reaction mediated by diphenyl sulfoxide/triflic anhydride
Authors: MA Fascione, SJ Adshead, PK Mandal, CA Kilner, AG Leach, WB Turnbull
Year: 2012
Citations: 36
Title: Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane-Catalyzed Stereoselective C-Glycosylation of Indoles with Glycosyl Trichloroacetimidates: Access to 3-Indolyl-C-glycosides
Authors: A Dubey, A Tiwari, PK Mandal
Year: 2021
Citations: 30
Title: HClO4-SiO2 catalyzed multicomponent reactions for the synthesis of privileged heterocyclic structures
Authors: PK Mandal, AK Misra
Year: 2006
Citations: 28
Title: Substituted hydrazinecarbothioamide as potent antitubercular agents: synthesis and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR)
Authors: S Singh, PK Mandal, N Singh, AK Misra, S Singh, V Chaturvedi, S Sinha, …
Year: 2010
Citations: 27
Title: Recent Advances and Development in Visible‐Light‐Mediated Glycosylation: An Expanding Research Area in Glycochemistry
Authors: Z Azeem, P Kumar Mandal
Year: 2023
Citations: 26
Title: Organocatalytic [3+2] Cycloadditions: Toward Facile Synthesis of Sulfonyl‐1,2,3‐Triazolyl and Fully Substituted 1,2,3‐Triazolyl Glycoconjugates
Authors: R Sangwan, Javed, A Dubey, PK Mandal
Year: 2017
Citations: 26