Academic and Research Portfolio

Tamal Kanti Das is an accomplished chemist with over 12 years of extensive laboratory research experience, specializing in synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery. Holding a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Dr. Das’s expertise spans reaction discovery, methodology development, multi-step synthesis of bioactive molecules, and the design and synthesis of small-molecule libraries to advance drug discovery pipelines addressing both major and neglected diseases. He has published more than a dozen articles in leading international journals and actively contributes to the scientific community as a member of editorial boards and a peer reviewer for several respected journals worldwide.

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About Tamal Kanti Das, PhD

Dr. Das is an accomplished medicinal chemist with expertise in drug discovery, synthetic organic chemistry, and computational design. His work spans SAR, QSAR, HTS, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization toward novel chemical entities, supported by integrated DMPK/ADME analysis. Proficient in CADD using Schrödinger-Live Design and molecular docking, he also brings extensive experience in multi-step, parallel, combinatorial, and asymmetric synthesis from milligram to kilogram scale. Skilled in advanced purification and analytical techniques (NMR, LC/MS, HPLC, UPLC, SFC, XRD), Dr. Das combines technical excellence with leadership, mentoring, and cross-functional collaboration, contributing significantly to both academic and industry-driven research initiatives.

Medicinal chemistry: In-depth Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) (computational/experimental), QSAR, High-throughput screening (HTS), hit-to-lead, lead optimization to NCE (New Chemical Entity) development, integrated analysis of DMPK and ADME data to inform drug candidate profiling and optimization.
Drug design and informatics: Proficient in CADD (Computer-Aided Drug Design) using Schrödinger-Live Design, molecular docking.
Chemical synthesis: Skilled in mg to kg scale synthesis, parallel synthesis, combinatorial synthesis, multi-step synthesis route design and execution, asymmetric catalysis/synthesis, High-throughput conditions screening, organic chemicals separation and purification, chromatography (manual or automated, normal and reverse phase), distillation, Schlenk techniques, glovebox techniques, microwave reactors, photoreactors, hazardous chemical handling.
Analytical techniques: FT-NMR (1D, 2D), FT-IR, UV-VIS, GC/MS, LC/MS, HRMS, HPLC (analyt./Prep.), SFC, UPLC, scXRD, Biotage® Isolera™, CombiFlash NextGen. 300+ etc.
Software: ChemDraw®, MestReNova, GraphPad Prism, Mercury, Origin, Electronic Lab Notebook-signals, scientific search engines- Reaxys and SciFinder, Generative AI tools etc.
Soft skills: Problem solving, critical thinking, data analysis, writing skills for scientific articles, documents and research grants, communication, teamwork, leadership, creative, organized, experienced mentoring students and working in collaboration with cross functional teams (e.g., biologists and computational chemists) including industrial partners and Contract Research Organizations (CROs).

Professional Experience

Researcher

Sr. Research Investigator (March 2024-Present)

National Center for Wellness & Recovery, Tulsa, OK, USA.

Leading a collaborative drug discovery campaign with neurobiologists to develop innovative therapeutics addressing the opioid epidemic in the United States. This research is committed to the urgent mission of designing and advancing novel drug candidates for safer pain management, the treatment of substance use disorder, and opioid overdose reversal.

Medicinal Chemist (Jan. 2023-March 2024)

Calibr, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.

As the lead chemist, I managed and guided the chemistry efforts to deliver preclinical candidates supporting drug discovery pipelines across a range of disease areas, including SARS-CoV-2, polio and rhinovirus, central nervous system disorders, and small-molecule vaccine adjuvants.
Oversaw both in-house and external CRO FTE resources, while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to drive project advancement in a dynamic, fast-paced industry environment.

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Oct. 2020- Jan. 2023)

Rice University, Houston, TX, USA [PI: Prof. László Kürti]

Successfully completed four innovative synthetic methodology projects within 2.5 years, establishing robust platforms for the efficient synthesis of complex heterocycles and functional molecules of medicinal importance. Synthesized over 220 compounds and conducted more than 600 experiments, culminating in a series of peer-reviewed publications (#3).
Designed and synthesized cutting-edge organocatalysts for the enantioselective aziridination reactions in collaboration with Merck & Co.

PhD Research Scholar (July 2015- June 2020)

CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India. [PI: Prof. A. T. Biju]

Conducted extensive research on organocatalysis and asymmetric synthesis to further understand the underlying mechanisms and potential applications, resulting in a series of published articles in top-tier scientific journals including a book chapter and a review article.
Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team of researchers and experts to design and implement complex research projects under stringent timelines.

Educator & Mentor

Dr. Das has mentored graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career researchers, providing training in essential laboratory techniques, instrumentation, and best practices. He has successfully led multiple research projects from conception through execution, ensuring strategic planning, effective collaboration, and timely completion of project milestones.

Author

Dr. Das has made substantial contributions to the scientific community through a strong record of publications in renowned academic journals. To date, he has authored 11 peer-reviewed research articles in high-impact journals, along with a review article and a book chapter, advancing the fields of chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Publications

Speaker

Conferences and talks (Selected)

1.21st International Conference on Organic Synthesis (ICOS-21), IIT Bombay, India. (December 2016)

2.XIV J-NOST Conference for Research Scholars, CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, India. (December 2018)

3.International Conference on Organometallics and Catalysis (ICOC), Goa, India. (March 2020)

4.1st Winter In-Person Organic Symposium (WIPOS), Hawaii, USA. (December 2021)

5.Pandemic Preparedness Symposium, Scripps Research, San Diego, USA. (March 2023)

Awards and Fellowships

1. NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Duration 2020-2023)

2. Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India (Duration: 2017-2020)

3. Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India (Duration: 2015-2017) (All India Rank 96).

4. Research Fellowship for qualifying Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) conducted by IIT Kanpur (2015).

5. INSPIRE Scholarship by Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, India (Duration: 2010-2015).

Education

Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Research Carried out at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India. [PhD mentor: Prof. A. T. Biju] (2015-2020)

Masters in Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, India (2013-2015).

Bachelor's in in Chemistry (Hons.), University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India (2010-2013).

Key Projects

SARS-CoV-2

Single dose MPro inhibitor targeting SARS-CoV-2

Opioid overdose rescue

Powerful and long-lasting opioid overdose rescue medication.

Anti-Viral drug discovery

Targeting polio and rhinovirus

CNS disorder

Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease

Opioid use disorder treatment

Non-addictive Pain Killer

Contact

National Center for Wellness & Recovery (NCWR)

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

Cell Phone: +1 8326816525

Email (work): tamal.das@ncwr.org

Email (Personal): 2011.tamal@gmail.com