Mahesh Hariharan is a Professor at School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram. After completing doctoral research (2002-2007) from CSIR-NIIST India with Dr. D. Ramaiah, Dr. Hariharan carried out postdoctoral research (2007–2009) with Prof. F. D. Lewis at Northwestern University. His research efforts focus on understanding the interaction of light with biomolecules, crystalline and twisted organic materials. Prof. Hariharan is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Hariharan is the recipient of the Chemical Research Society of India Bronze Medal (2020), Japanese Photochemistry Association Lectureship Award for Asian and Oceanian Photochemist Sponsored by Eikohsha (2020), Distinguished Lectureship Award from the Chemical Society of Japan (2017) and the Asian and Oceanian Photochemistry Association Young Scientist Prize (2014). Prof. Hariharan has featured in the young chemists/scientists issue in ChemComm (2017), Chemistry A European Journal (2018) and The Journal of Physical Chemistry (2019).
June 2025-Till date | Deputy Director, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
Feb 2024 | Visiting Scientist and Dr. Reich Lecturer, University of Würzburg, Germany |
Oct 2022-May 2025 | Registrar, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
Aug 2021-Till date | Co-Coordinator, CAMRIE, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
Mar 2021-Oct 2022 | Head, School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
Jan 2020-present | Professor, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
June 2016-July 2018 | Head, School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
Nov 2016 | Visiting Professor, University of Würzburg, Germany |
Sept 2014-Dec 2019 | Associate Professor, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
June 2014-Sept 2014 | Visiting Professor, Montana State University, Montana, USA |
May-July 2010, July 2013 | Visiting Fellow, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA |
July 2009-Sept 2014 | Assistant Professor, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
March 2007-July 2009 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA |