Ram Seshadri

Professor Seshadri's research focuses on establishing structure–composition–property relationships in functional inorganic materials. His contributions span a wide range of topics, including the development of solvothermal synthesis methods for inorganic nanomaterials, and the investigation of how lone pairs of non-bonding electrons induce polar and ferroic (including multiferroic) behavior. He has explored how structural topology can frustrate phase transitions in polar compounds and has developed template-free methods for creating porous and composite inorganic materials.

His work also includes the discovery of new multifunctional magnetic materials, the study of frustrated magnetism, and the elucidation of the role of oxide-stabilized noble metal ions in oxidation catalysis, alongside the design of model compounds. More recently, he has contributed to advancements in phosphors for solid-state white lighting and robust thermoelectrics. New directions in his research group include materials for batteries and photovoltaics, as well as magnetocaloric systems.