Amrit Venkatesh is an experimental physical chemist and will join the Department of Chemistry as an assistant professor in spring 2025. He uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to develop materials that address the rising global energy demand and climate change. His research specializes in expanding solid-state NMR spectroscopy to elements across the periodic table using indirect detection and dynamic nuclear polarization techniques. 

Following his early education in Chennai, India, Dr. Venkatesh obtained his master’s degree in chemistry at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University where his research was recognized with the 2021 Zaffarano award. Subsequently, he conducted postdoctoral research funded by a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. After his postdoc, he moved to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Maglab) at Florida State University as a Research Faculty. His current research involves applying solid-state NMR spectroscopy at high magnetic fields to materials. 

At the University of Virginia, Dr. Venkatesh will lead a research group that will develop and apply solid-state NMR spectroscopy to catalysts and other energy-relevant materials in collaboration with researchers in the UVA Catalysis Initiative for Clean Energy and Chemicals. The state-of-the-art, solid-state NMR equipment in his laboratory will be supported by the UVA Grand Challenges Initiative. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in physical chemistry and magnetic resonance, he is interested in mentorship and building an inclusive environment.