Research

I co-founded the condensed-phase electrochemical synthesis (CPECS) platform at Ohio State, creating a new approach that changes where and how electrochemical reactions occur. Instead of dissolving substrates in an electrolyte, I embed them directly within porous carbon electrodes, where efficient electron and ion transport drives chemical conversion. I demonstrated the generality of this architecture across sixteen oxidative and reductive reaction classes and more than sixty substrates. CPECS supports loadings above 80 mg cm⁻², gram-scale synthesis, and nearly fiftyfold lower electrolyte use than conventional methods. I also showed that electrode confinement makes synthesis programmable: exchanging the electrolyte enables sequential transformations on the same electrode, while spatially separated electrode regions perform multiple reactions simultaneously. My work establishes electrode-confined synthesis as a scalable, material-efficient framework for high-throughput experimentation and future chemical manufacturing.

R. Giri,† M. A. P. Ball,† A. Lorig, J. Park, W. Allain, S. Zhang* Condensed-Phase Electrochemical Synthesis, manuscript in preparation.

I completed my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Dmitry Katayev, serving as a founding member of his research group in Fribourg and later in Bern. I contributed to establishing the laboratory, mentoring students, managing instrumentation (GC-MS, LC-MS, CombiFlash, spectrofluorometer), and teaching undergraduate courses (~500 hours), training bachelor and master students alongside establishing new research directions in the lab such as dual-functional group transfer reagents  and iron photocatalysis.

Research on divergent synthesis

During my PhD, I developed several solvent controlled divergent strategies that enabled the synthesis of three distinct fluorinated products from inexpensive starting materials such as anhydrides, acids, and ketones. I independently discovered and optimized most of the key transformations and later collaborated with experts to explore their scope and underlying mechanisms, both to deepen my understanding and to contribute to the broader scientific community.

R. Giri,† A. J. Fernandes,† D. Katayev* Acc. Chem. Res. 2025, 58, 2046–2060.

R. Giri, I. Mosiagin, I. Franzoni, N. Y. Nötel, S. Patra, D. Katayev*  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202209143.

R. Giri, E. Zhilin, D. Katayev* Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 10659-10667.

R. Giri, M. Kissling, E. Zhilin, A. J. Fernandes, Q. E. L. Ordan, D. Katayev* Helv. Chim. Acta, 2024, 107, e202400125.

A. J. Fernandes,† R. Giri,† K. N Houk,* D. Katayev*Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202318377.

This work opened new directions in fluorinated chemistry and was well received, and it led to an Accounts of Chemical Research article, a journal known for highlighting innovative and field defining advances. The recognition is especially meaningful, as it is based primarily on my PhD work, with four out of five studies in the article led by me as first author. I have long been fascinated by the exotic radicals we generated in our work, including fluorinated, carboxyl, and fluoroalkyl radicals. These species are rarely studied, and their reactivity remains poorly understood in the literature. To develop a general understanding of their behavior, we collaborated with leading experts such as Prof. K. N. Houk to quantitatively analyze radical polarity and rationalize substrate preferences based on electronic structure. Through this effort, we developed a radical polarity index, a radical reactivity scale, and a radical stability scale for commonly encountered fluorinated radicals, aiming to build a foundation for designing radical reactions with greater chemical intuition.

Research on elusive radicals

I have always worked in collaboration with the West group to learn iron catalysis and developed the first direct one-step method to access CF₃-cyclopropyl radicals from the corresponding acids using iron–thiol catalysis. For me, science is about growing together through meaningful collaboration, and I believe these studies have helped advance the field of fluorine chemistry.

R. Giri,† P.-K. Peng,† A. J. Fernandes, S. Yu, J. G. West,* D. Katayev* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202508377.

Research on Functional group transfer reagents (FGTRs)

Developed a photocatalytic method for vicinal dihalogenation of olefins using carbon-based, bench-stable reagents via a radical-polar crossover mechanism providing safer, modular alternatives to toxic halogens for dichlorination, dibromination, and bromo-chlorination under mild conditions using a bench stable chalcone based reagents.

R. Giri,† E. Zhilin,† M. Kissling, S. Patra, A. J. Fernandes, D. Katayev* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 31547−31559

Separately, designed a dual photoredox/cobalt-catalyzed strategy for regioselective nitrative difunctionalization of olefins, enabling access to 1,2-halonitroalkanes using N-nitrosuccinimide as a nitryl radical source. The method was further extended to cobalt-free conditions with a range of nucleophiles, broadening its utility for late-stage functionalization. These projects deepened my skills in synthesis of complex molecules and mechanistic design and significantly strengthened my confidence.

S. Patra, I. Mosiagin, R. Giri, D. Katayev* Synthesis 2022, 54, 3432–3472.
S. Patra,† R. Giri,† D. Katayev* ACS Catal. 2023, 13, 16136−16147;

R. Giri,†  S. Patra,† D. Katayev* ChemCatChem, 2023, 15, e202201427.

S. Patra, I. Mosiagin, R. Giri, T. Nauser, D. Katayev* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202300533.

My academic background lies in synthetic organic chemistry, with a focus on radical intermediates and photoredox catalysis. During my BSc and MS studies, I built a strong foundation in organic synthesis. My MS thesis involved the total synthesis of hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole alkaloids, resulting in two publications under the supervision of Prof. Alakesh Bisai.

A. Roy, A. Maity, R. Giri, A. Bisai* Asian J. Org. Chem. 2020, 9, 226–232.

A. Roy, A. Maity, S. S. MK, R. Giri, A. Bisai* Arkivoc 2020, part i, 437-471,(20-11307LR)!