Ajay is from Delhi, India. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali (IISER Mohali). During his Master’s thesis, he worked on the synthesis and characterization of Discotic Liquid Crystals for application in optoelectronics. Before joining Rutgers-Newark, Ajay enriched his expertise via research/teaching endeavours at various places, including the University of Bayreuth (Germany), the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland), and the University of Idaho, Moscow (USA). His general research interest lies in introspecting and developing novel organic compounds and synthetic methodologies for targeting different applications. Beyond academia, he enjoys travelling, adoring nature, playing chess, cafe hopping, and listening to pop music.