chemistry

Krishna Kumar (chemist)

Krishna Kumar (chemist) is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Krishna Kumar (chemist) rather than just read about it. In short: Krishna Kumar (born 1 November 1970) is an Indian American chemist whose research spans organic chemistry, chemical biology, bioorganic chemistry, biophysics and cell biology. He is currently Robinson Professor of Chemistry and was also Chemistry Department Chair from 2006 to 2009; and from 2012 to 2018 at Tufts University.

Key takeaways

Krishna Kumar (chemist) belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Krishna Kumar (chemist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Krishna Kumar (chemist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Krishna Kumar (born 1 November 1970) is an Indian American chemist whose research spans organic chemistry, chemical biology, bioorganic chemistry, biophysics and cell biology. He is currently Robinson Professor of Chemistry and was also Chemistry Department Chair from 2006 to 2009; and from 2012 to 2018 at Tufts University.

Career Prior to Tufts University, he was at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California and got his bachelor's degree in chemistry with honors from St. Stephen's College, Delhi and a Ph.D. degree in chemistry (1996) from Brown University. Kumar has given proteins hyperstable folding properties by inserting fluorinated amino acids into them. Recent studies by his research team have shown that fluorination of biologically active antimicrobial peptides is an effective strategy for improving their stability and antimicrobial therapeutic value. In addition to antibiotics, Kumar's work includes the design of fluorinated drug delivery systems using lipids as carriers, and potential cancer drugs and imaging agents. His laboratory has also invented methods for cell surface engineering and imaging of cancer cells with metastatic potential.

Awards, honors, affiliations and positions Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), 2018 Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award, Tufts Graduate School of AS&E (2015) Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2012 Award for Excellence in the Chemical Sciences, Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists (2011) Global Indus Technovator Award, MIT IBC (2006) Technology Investigation Award, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (2005) MIT Technology Review TR100 Award (2003) DuPont Young Professor Award, E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (2003–2006) NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2002–2007) Guest Professor, Westfälische Wilhelms–Universität, Münster, Germany (2000) Teaching with Technology (TTT) Fellow, Academic Technology, Tufts U (1999) Professor of Chemistry, Tufts University (2006–present) Chairman, Department of Chemistry, Tufts University (2006–2009; 2012–2018) Member, Cancer Center, Tufts Medical Center Visiting Scientist, Center for Cancer Research, MIT (2004–2005) Adjunct Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University (2002–present) Assistant and associate professor of chemistry, Tufts University (1998–2005) Vice President, Society of Fellows, The Scripps Research Institute (1996–98) Sigma Xi Award for Excellence in Research, Sigma Xi Research Honor Society, 1995 Chancellor of the Exchequer, St. Stephen's College, Delhi (1990–91)

Publications Web of Science shows these as the 10 most cited publications:

Bilgiçer, B.; Fichera, A.; Kumar, K. "A Coiled Coil with a Fluorous Core."J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 4393–4399. Discussed by : "Fluorous Peptides." by Stu Borman, C&EN 2001, 79(20), 41–42; "Heart Cut" Chemical Innovation 2001, 31 (11), pp. 10.; "Steps Towards Nanotechnology" by Jeffrey Soreff, Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (IMM), IMM Report No. 26, 23 October 2001. Bilgiçer, B.; Xing, X.; Kumar, K. "Programmed Self-Sorting of Coiled Coils with Leucine and Hexafluoroleucine Cores." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 11815–11816. Discussed by: Science & Technology Roundup, C&EN 2001, 79 (49), p. 35. Yoder, N. C.; Kumar, K. "Fluorinated Amino Acids in Protein Design and Engineering." Chem. Soc. Rev. 2002, 31, 335–341. Bilgicer B, Kumar K "Synthesis and thermodynamic characterization of self-sorting coiled coils " Tetrahedron 2002 58( 20) 4105–4112. Bilgiçer, B.; Kumar, K. "De Novo Design of Defined Helical Bundles in Membrane Environments." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2004, 101, 15324–15329. Myers, K. E.; Kumar, K. "Fluorophobic Acceleration of Diels-Alder Reactions." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 12025–12026. Xing, X.; Fichera, A.; Kumar, K. "A Novel Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure 5,5,5,5',5',5'–Hexafluoroleucine." Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1285–1286. Meng, H.; Kumar, K. "Antimicrobial Activity and Protease Stability of Peptides Containing Fluorinated Amino Acids" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 15615–15622. Discussed by: "Fluorous Peptides Get Ready to Heal" by Stephen Ritter, C&EN 2007, 85 (37), pp. 36–37; "Putting the "F" in peptides" by Randall C Willis; Drug Discovery News 2007, December. Montanari V.; Kumar, K. "Just Add Water: A New Fluorous Capping Reagent for Facile Purification of Peptides Synthesized on the Solid Phase." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 9528–9529. Wang P, Fichera A, Kumar K, et al. "Alternative translations of a single RNA message: An identity switch of (2S,3R)-4,4,4-trifluorovaline between valine and isoleucine codons " (2004)Angewandte Chemie International Ed. 43 (28) 3664–3666.

References

Fricker, Anne (19 April 2006). "Tufts U.: Tufts U. prof's life marked by border crossings". University Wire. The America's Intelligence Wire. Retrieved 2 January 2010. "R&D Stars Shine". Industry Week. 1 December 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2010.

External links [1] at Tufts University [2] at Tufts University, Department of Chemistry [3] at Kumar Research Group, Tufts Chemistry

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Krishna Kumar (chemist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Krishna Kumar (chemist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Krishna Kumar (chemist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Krishna Kumar (chemist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Krishna Kumar (chemist)

In research: Krishna Kumar (chemist) appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Krishna Kumar (chemist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Krishna Kumar (chemist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1970 births, American people of Indian Tamil descent, Brown University Graduate School alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Krishna Kumar (chemist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Krishna Kumar (chemist)” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Krishna Kumar (chemist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Krishna Kumar (chemist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Krishna Kumar (chemist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Krishna Kumar (chemist) in simple terms?

Why does Krishna Kumar (chemist) matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Krishna Kumar (chemist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Krishna Kumar (chemist).