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Jagadeesh Rajenahally

E-mail:   jagadeesh.rajenahally@vsb.cz

Prof. Jagadeesh Rajenahally is a Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Germany and in the Nanotechnology Center, CEET, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO), Czech Republic. Currently, he heads and leads two research groups: the Catalysis for Sustainable Syntheses Group at LIKAT, Germany and the Heterogeneous Catalysis Team in the Materials-Envi Lab (MEL), CNT, VSB-TUO in Czech Republic. He obtained PhD (2006) in Chemistry from Bangalore University, India and performed Habilitation at the University of Rostock, Germany. After working as a Postdoctoral Researcher (2006-2008) at the University of Florida, USA and as an Assistant Professor (2009-2010) at the VIT University, India he joined the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Germany in the year 2010, initially as a Scientist in the Department of Prof. Matthias Beller and then became Group Leader in the year 2016. Since the beginning of 2024, he has also been a Group Leader at the Nanotechnology Center, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The research work of his groups focuses on sustainable and circular chemistry with a particular emphasis on catalysis, organic synthesis, utilization of renewable feedstocks and recycling/upscaling of waste materials, as well as energy and material technologies.  

Research focus of his groups:

  • Development of heterogeneous catalytic materials (nanostructured and single atom-based) and homogeneous catalysts
  • Sustainable and environmentally beneficial catalytic processes for synthesis of essential fine and bulk chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and biomolecules
  • Sustainable catalytic industrial processes
  • Catalytic valorization of renewable feedstocks (biomass, CO2…) to value-added chemicals and fuels
  • Circular chemistry for enabling circular economy. Chemical recycling/upscaling of waste-materials (plastic- and bio-waste) and use them as resources/feedstocks to produce high value products.
  • Hydrogen technology for sustainable energy applications

Important works of Prof. Rajenahally’s groups are published 3 research papers in Science, around 15 research papers in Nature Publishing Journals, 4 research papers in Cell-Press Journals, several papers in Angewandte Chemie International Edition and in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Interestingly, one work related to the development of iron-based nanocatalyst for an industrially relevant hydrogenation process is highlighted and featured on the ‘Cover of Science’.  In addition, key works have been highlighted in Science, Nature, Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), Chemistry World and other international scientific portals/news.

Research Group website links @ Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Germany

Selected publications

  1. V. G. Chandrashekhar, W. Baumann, M. Matthias, R. V. Jagadeesh, Science, 2022, 376, 1433-1441. Nickel-catalyzed hydrogenative coupling of nitriles and amines for general amine synthesis.
  2. R. V. Jagadeesh, K. Murugesan, A. S. Alshammari, H. Neumann, M.-M. Pohl, J. Radnik, M. Beller, Science, 2017, 358, 326-332. MOF-derived cobalt nanoparticles catalyze a general synthesis of amines.
  3. R. V. Jagadeesh, A. E. Surkus, H. Junge, M. M. Pohl, J. Radnik, J. Rabeah, H. Huan, V. Schünemann, A. Brückner, M. Beller, Science, 2013, 342, 1073-1076. Nanoscale Fe2O3-based catalysts for selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines.
  4. Z. Ma, N. Rockstroh, Z. Chen, V. Goyal, C. Kuloor, S. Bartling, Z. Baďura, J. Rabeah, L. Dong, H. Lund, B. Nan, R. Zbořil, R. V. Jagadeesh, M. Beller, Nature Catalysis, 2026 (Accepted). Iron-based single atom catalysts for selective ammoxidation of C(sp3)-H bonds and oxidative C-C cleavage reactions.
  5. V. G. Chandrashekhar, T. Senthamarai, R. G. Kadam, O. Malina, J. Kašlík, R. Zbořil, M. B. Gawande, R. V. Jagadeesh, M. Beller, Nature Catalysis, 2022, 5, 20-29. Silica supported Fe/Fe-O nanoparticles for the catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles to amines in the presence of aluminium additives.
  6. C. Kuloor, Akash, V. Goyal, R. Zbořil, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2025, 64, e202414689. Nickel-catalyzed reductive hydrolysis of nitriles to alcohols.
  7. Z. Ma, C. Kuloor, C. Kreyenschulte, S. Bartling, O. Malina, M. Haumann, P. W. Menezes, R. Zbořil, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2024, 136, e202407859. Development of iron-based single atom materials for general and efficient synthesis of amines.
  8. F. Poovan, R. V. Jagadeesh, M. Beller, Chem, 2026, 12, 102667. A catalytic approach to the valorization of polyesters and biogenic waste for the production of amines.
  9. T. Senthamarai, V. G. Chandrashekhar, N. Rockstroh, J. Rabeah, S. Bartling, R. V. Jagadeesh, M. Beller, Chem, 2022, 8, 508-531. A “universal” catalyst for aerobic oxidations to synthesize (hetero)aromatic aldehydes, ketones, esters, acids, nitriles and amides.
  10. R. V. Jagadeesh, H. Junge, M. M. Pohl, J. Radnik, A. Brückner, M. Beller, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013, 135, 10776-10782. Selective oxidation of alcohols to esters using heterogeneous Co3O4-N@C under mild conditions.
  11. B. Zhou, V. Chandrashekhar, Z. Ma, C. Kreyenschulte, S. Bartling, H. Lund, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e20221569. Development of a general and selective nanostructured cobalt catalyst for the hydrogenation of benzofurans, indoles and benzothiophenes.
  12. K. Murugesan, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2019, 58, 5064-5068. Reusable nickel nanoparticles-catalyzed reductive amination for selective synthesis of primary amines.
  13. K. Murugesan, Z. Wei, V. G. Chandrashekhar, H. Neumann, A. Spannenberg, H. Jiao, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Nature Communications, 2019, 10, 5443. Homogeneous cobalt-catalyzed reductive amination for synthesis of functionalized primary amines.
  14. T. Senthamarai, K. Murugesan, J. Schneidewind, N. V. Kalevaru, W. Baumann, H. Neumann, P. C. J. Kamer, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Nature Communications, 2018, 9, 4123. Simple ruthenium-catalyzed reductive amination enables the synthesis of a broad range of primary amines.
  15. K. Murugesan, V. G. Chandrashekhar, C. Kreyenschulte, M. Beller, R. V. Jagadeesh, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2020, 59, 17408-17412. A general catalyst based on cobalt-core-shell nanoparticles for hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes including pyridines.