Dr. Safiul Alam is interested in Experimental Organic Chemistry. His research group is currenly working on Transition Metal Catalyzed Coupling Reactions in presence of Organic Base to access valuable Heterocyclic Compounds and their application in Medicinal Chemistry and Material Sciences.   

Education

Post-Doctoral Research:

Universite Paris Descartes (Paris V), France (2009-2010),

National Central University (NCU) & National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan (2007-2008). 

Ph. D.: Kalyani University (2006)

M. Sc.: University of Calcutta (2002)

B. Sc.: University of Clacutta (Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamindra, 2000)

Teaching Experience

Since October 2012 to till date

Industrial Experience

Two years R & D experience in CRO as Senior Research Scientist: 

Jubilant Chemsys, Noida, India (2010-2011)

TCG Lifesciences, Kolkata, India (2011-2012)

Field of Specialization

Organic Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry

Courses Taught/Teaching

Spring Semester:

CH 512/CHMPGDET04: Applied Organic Chemistry

CH 408/CHMPGCCT08: Chemistry of Natural Products

CH 492/CHMPGCCP04: Organic Chemistry Lab-I

CH 304/CHMUGCC09: Organic Chemistry-III

CH 202: General Chemistry-IV

CH102: General Chemistry-II

Autumn Semester:

CH 509/CHMPGCCT10: Heterocyclic Chemistry

CH 515: Organic synthesis-I

CH 403: Advanced Organic Chemistry

CH 491/CHMPGCCP02: Advanced Chemistry Lab-I

CH 305: Organic Chemistry-II

CHMUGCC11: Organic Chemistry-IV

CH 201: General Chemistry-III

CH103: Organic Chemistry-I

CHMPGPRJ01: Project and Dissertation

Research Area

• Synthetic Organic Chemistry
• Heterocyclic Chemistry
• Transition Metal Catalyzed Coupling Reactions 
• Bio-activity Study of Heterocyclic Compounds 
• Study of Physical Properties of Heterocyclic Compounds

Experience

• Postdoctoral Research, University Paris Descatres, Franch.
• Postdoctoral Research, NCU-NTHU,Taiwan, ROC.
• Doctoral and Postdoctoral Research, University of Kalyani,India.

Journal Papers Published

1. “Regioselective Unusual Formation of Spirocyclic 4-{2’-Benzo(2’,3’-dihydro)furo}-9-methyl-2,3,9-trihydrothiopyrano[2,3-b]indoles by 4-exo-trig Aryl Radical Cyclization and Rearrangement”, K. C. Majumdar and S. Alam, Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 4059-4062. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/ol061531g

2. “Regioselective Synthesis of 7-acetyl-11c-methyl-4b,5,7,11c-tetrahydro[1]benzofuro [2’,3’:4,5]thipyrano[2,3-b]indoles by sequential Claisen Rearrangement of 2-(4’-Aryloxybut-2’-ynylthio)-1-acetylindoles”, K. C. Majumdar and S. Alam, J. Chem. Res. 2006, 281-285. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3184/030823406777411007

3. “Regioselective Synthesis of thieno[2,3-b]indoles by tandem cyclization involving sequential sigmatropic Rearrangements”, K. C. Majumdar and S. Alam, J. Chem. Res. 2006, 289-292. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3184/0308023406777411052

4. “Regioselective Synthesis of Thieno[3,2-b]indoles by Tandem Cyclization of 1-Acetyl-3-(4’-Aryloxybut-2’-Ynylthio)Indole”, K. C. Majumdar, S. Alam and S. Muhuri, Lett. Org. Chem. 2006, 3, 250-252. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/157017806775789868

5. “Thiol-mediated radical cyclization: regioselective formation of indole-annulated sulfur heterocycles by tandem cyclization”, K. C. Majumdar, P. Debnath, S. Alam and P. K. Maji, Tetrahedron Lett. 2007, 48, 7031-7033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2007.07.132

6. “Regioselective Synthesis of 4-Aryloxymethylene-2,3,5-trihydrothiopyrano[3,2-b]indoles by the thio-Claisen Rearrangement of 3-(4’-Aryloxybut-2’-ynylthio)indoles”, K. C. Majumdar, S. Alam, S. Muhuri, J. Heterocyclic Chem. 2007, 44, 1395-1399. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jhet.5570440624

7. “Catalysis of the Claisen rearrangement”, K. C. Majumdar, S. Alam and B. Chattopadhyay, Tetrahedron, 2008, 64, 597-643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2007.10.079

8. “Aluminium Chloride-Catalyzed Claisen Rearrangement: Synthesis of Polyheterocycles Containing Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur”, K. C. Majumdar, R. Islam and S. Alam, Synth. Commun. 2008, 38, 754-766. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00397910701820418

9. “Regioselective synthesis of indole-annulated sulfur heterocycles by tri-n-butyltin hydride-mediated aryl radical cyclization”, K. C. Majumdar, P. Debnath, S. Alam and R. Islam, J. Sulfur Chem. 2008, 29, 467-474. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17415990802105788

10. “Regioselective Unusual Formation of Spirocyclic 4-{3'-Benzo(2',3'-ihydro)furo}-9-methyl-2,3,9-trihydrothiopyrano[2,3-b]indole by Acid Catalyzed Reaction of Enol ethers”, K. C. Majumdar, S. Alam and B. Chattopadhyay. J. Heterocyclic Chem. 2009, 46, 62-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jhet.31

11. “1,2,3-Triazole derivatives as new cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists”,  D.-R. Hou, S. Alam, T.-C. Kuan, M. Ramanathan, T.-P. Lin and M.-S. Hung, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2009, 19, 1022-1025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2008.11.029

12. “A concise synthesis of Bengamide E and analogues via E-selective cross-metathesis olefination”, S. Alam and H. Dhimane, Synlett, 2010, 19, 2923-2927. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0030-1259015

13. “Recent Development in the Orthoester Johnson-Claisen Rearrangement and Applications” S. Alam,* Int. J. Chem. Res. 2016, 8, 173-194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9735/0975-3699

14. “Novel derivatives of 1,2,3-triazole, cannabinoid-1 receptor ligands modulated gastrointestinal motility in mice”, A. Szymaszkiewicz, M. Zielinska, K. Li, M Ramanathan, S. Alam, D.-R. Hou, J. Fichna and M. Storr, Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol, 2018, 391, 435-444. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-018-1465-9

15. “Mild and Efficient Synthesis of Functionalized Carbazoles via a DBU-Assisted Sequence Involving Cu- and Pd-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions” A. Khan, R. Karim, H. Dhimane and S. Alam,* ChemistrySelect 2019, 4, 6598-6605. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201900788

16. “Copper-Catalyzed Preparation of Alkenylboronates and Arylboronates”, S. Alam,* R. Karim, A. Khan, A. K. Pal and A. Maruani, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 6115-6160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejoc.202100817

17. “Microwave-assisted synthesis of functionalized carbazoles via palladium-catalyzed aryl C–H activation and study of their interactions with calf-thymus DNA”, S. Alam,* R. Karim, A. Khan, A. R. Mallick, N. Sepay and S. Ghosh, Synth. Commun. 2022, 52, 1834-1855. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00397911.2022.2116344

18. “One-Pot Multicomponent Reaction: A Highly Versatile Strategy for the Construction of Valuable Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles”, S. Nandi, R. Jamatia, R. Sarkar, F. K. Sarkar, S. Alam,* and A. K. Pal, ChemistrySelect 2022, 7, e202201901, 1 to 36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202201901

19. “Microwave-Assisted Chemo- and Regioselective Synthesis of N-arylindoles over Carbazoles Under Phosphine-Free Conditions”, R. Karim, A. R. Mallick, A. Khan, M. S. Islam, N. Sepay, A. Kumar, A. Maruani, H. Dhimane and S. Alam,* ChemistrySelect 2025, 10, e04524, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202504524

20. Synthesis of carbazoles via aryl C–H activation triggered by surfactant-associated palladium nanoparticles under microwave-assisted heating. S. Alam,* A. Khan, A. R. Mallick, M. S. Islam, A. Sarkar, B. Show, J. Ahmed, A. Kumar, A. Maruani and H. Dhimane, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2026, 24, 1279-1294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ob01749a

Books Published

1. Synthesis of Aryl-, Alkenyl-, Allyl-, Allenyl- and Propargylboronates by Environmentally Benign Copper Catalysts, by Dr. Safiul Alam, 2018.

ISBN: 978-81-936671-9-4

Awards

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, French Ministry of High Education and Research, Franch.
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Science Council, Govt. of Taiwan, Taiwan, ROC.
• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Lecturership, NET-UGC-CSIR (Exam. Dec-2001), Govt. of India.
• Jonior Research Fellowship (JRF), TIFR (1^st Position), Mumbai, Govt. of India.
• Young Scientist Award, 2013

Ph.D. Thesis Guidance

Ph.D. students of Dr. Safiul Alam:

1. Aminur Khan (31.05.2024)

Ph. D. thesis title: Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling Cyclization Reactions for the Synthesis of Functionalized Carbazoles under Green Conditions and Characterization of the Catalyst.

2. Rejaul Karim (06.06.2024)

Ph. D. thesis title: Transition Metal-Catalysed Coupling Cyclization Reactions towards the Synthesis of Condensed Heterocyclic Compounds and their DNA Binding study.

3. Asifur Rahaman Mallick

4. Md Samiul Islam 

MASTER Thesis Guidance

Names of M.Sc. project students:

2014: (1) Mr. Md. Imran Hossain Gazi, did M.Sc. project on “Synthesis of Organic Compounds Having Medicinal Importance, & Structural Analysis of Bengamide Derivatives as Inhibitors of Methionine Aminopeptidages (MetAPs)”

2016: (2) Mr. Rejaul Karim, did M.Sc. project on “Palladium Catalyzed C-C and C-N Cross Coupling Reactions of Iodobromobenzene, & Boronic Acid and its Derivatives: The Valuable Reagents in Organic Synthesis”.

2017: (3) Mr. Sarower Rahaman, did M.Sc. project on “Copper Catalyzed Synthesis of Biarylthioethers under Mild Conditions, & Palladium Catalyzed C-N Coupling Reactions”. (4) Mr. Md Asrafuzzaman, did M.Sc. project on “Cu-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions of Halophenols with Arylboronic Acids, & An introduction to alkaloids and their applications in pharmaceutical chemistry”.

2018: (5) Mr. Abdur Raki, did M.Sc. project on “A metal free synthesis of arylboronates from aromatic amines, & Transitionmetal catalyzed preparation of arylboronic acid derivatives from aryl halides and sulfonates”. (6) Mr. Tousif Ali, on “BDU-catalyzed O-arylation of 2-iodophenol followed by Pd-catalyzed C-C bond forming coupling reactions, & Transition metal catalyzed hydroamination reactions of alkynes and alkenes”. (7) Mr. Mehebub Alam Mamun,  on “Pd-catalyzed C-C bond forming cross coupling, & Pd-, Cu-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling-cyclization reactions towards the preparation of heterocyclic compounds”.

2019: (8) Mr. Wasim Enam, on “Synthesis of indolo[3,2-b]carbazole from carbazole via Pd-catalyzed C-N and C-C bond forming coupling reactions, & Synthesis of linearly fused benzodipyrrole based organic materials”. (9) Mr. Nurabul Mondal, on “Synthesis of indolo[2,3-b]carbazole derivative from carbazole by Pd-catalyzed C-N and C-C coupling reactions, & Synthesis of indole derivatives through Pd-catalyzed carbometalation cyclization and Sonogashira coupling followed by cyclization process”. (10) Mr. Anis Ahmed, on “Synthesis of phenanthridiones from 2-iodo-N-arylbenzamides via Pd-catalyzed C-C coupling reactions, & A brief overview on different methods on the synthesis of carbazoles by first row transition metal catalysts”. (11) Mr. Ashif Iqubal, on “Synthesis of phenanthridin-6(5H)-ones via benzoylation of o-iodoanilines followed by Pd-catalyzed intramolecular arylation, & Synthesis of carbazole and its derivatives through late-transition metal catalyzed C-H functionalization”.

2020: (12) Asif Iqubal on “Synthesis of N-arylindole derivatives using Palladium catalysts”. (13) Sk. Abdur Rahaman on “Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 11-ethyl-11,12-dihydroindolo[2,3-a]carbazoles”. (14) Imdadur Rahaman on “Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of indolo[3,2-b]carbazole derivatives from carbazole”.

2021: (15) Hasanuzzoha on “Binding Study of PSF/ABR Drugs with DNA and Analysis Based on their Absorbance, Fluoresence and Circular Dichroism Spectra”. (16) Shahil Ahammed on “Drug-DNA Interaction Study by Absorption, Emission and Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy”. (17) Halida Khatun on “Study on Small Organic Molecule-DNA Interactions using UV-Vis absorbance, Fluorescence and Circular Dichroism Spectroscopic Techniques”. (18) Najir Hussain on “Binding Analysis of Metal-ligand Complexes and Furozolidone with DNA by Absorption and Emission Studies”. (19) Ashutosh Kumar Singh on “Topic: Identification of Non-covalent Binding Mode of Metal-ligand Complexes and Small Organic Molecules to DNA by UV-Visible Absorption and Fluorescence Quenching Studies”. (20) Mujtoba Siraj on “Interaction of Carbazole Derivatives and Valrubicin with DNA by Absorption, CD and Fluorescence Quenching Studies”. (21) Md. Samser Alam on “Binding Study of Ligands with DNA Based on Absorbance, Fluorescence and Circular Dichroism Spectroscopic Analysis”. (22) Rubel Sarkar on “Drug-DNA Interaction and their Study by UV-Visible Absorption and Fluorescence Spectroscopy”.

2022: (23) Afsana Pervin on “Green Synthesis of Heterocyclic Compounds under Microwave Irradiation and in Green Solvents”. (24) Begam Dilsad Jahan Parvin on “Development of green methodologies for Suzuki- Miyaura cross-coupling reactions”. (25) Manirul Islam on “Transition metal catalysed site selective C-H functionalization of indoles at C4, C6 and C7 positions”. (25) Sabnam Parvin on “Transition metal catalysed C-C bond forming Heck coupling and C-N bond forming Ullmann coupling reactions of aryl halides under mild conditions using organic ionic bases”. (27) Tamanna Parvin on “Study on Palladium-Catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck Cross Coupling Reaction in Water”.

2023: (28) Sain Hossain (CHM212014) on “Synthesis and characterization of Pd-Ir catalysts supported on La-stabilized Aluminum”. (29) Kawsar Alam (CHM212011) on “Synthesis and characterization of Ni catalysts supported on alumina-zirconia mixed oxides”. (30) Anisa Haque (CHM212046) on “Synthesis of Palladium and Platinum Nanoparticle Catalysts in Organic Synthesis”. (31) Dildar Sheikh (CHM212035) on “Characterization of (Sn and Cu/Pd) catalysts for the nitrate reduction in natural water”. (32) Hiramoni Pal (CHM212050) on “Characterization of Pt-Pd/C-electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium”. (33) Obadul Sk (CHM212006) on “Preparation, and Characterization, and Catalytic Performance of Pd-Ni/AC Bimetallic Nano-Catalysts”. (34) Swaleha Fatima (031/CEM/211019, from Department of chemistry, Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata, University of Calcutta) on “Synthesis and characterization of copper oxide nanoparticles by co-precipitation method”. (35) Adrija Banik (031/CEM/211002, from Department of chemistry, Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata, University of Calcutta) on “Synthesis of palladium nanoparticles under microwave irradiation using DBU”.

2024: (36) Anjarul Hoque (CHM222010) on “Organic reactions in water as green solvent”  (37) Abu Soley (CHM222007) on “Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of carbazole derivatives based on aryl C-H activation reactions” . (38) Ali Nawaz (CHM222013) on “Brief review on the synthesis of indolo[2,3-a]carbazoles”. (39) Abdul Hai Sarkar (CHM222023) on “Organocatalyst-catalyzed C_sp³-H bond functionalization”. (40) Mosaraf Hossain (CHM222003), on “A short review on alkaloids: Application and synthesis”. (40) Sakil Mondal, (CHM222054) on “A short review on flavonoids”.

2025: (41) Suhana Yeasmin Nigar (CHM232044) on “Photoinduced Reaction: Synthesis of N-Containing Heterocyclic Compounds”. (42) Najmul Mollick (CHM232047) on “Recent advances in Chan-Lam coupling reaction: greener approach towards the sustainable process”. (43) Injeela Tasneem (CHM232031) on “Organotin compounds: Chemistry, environmental impact, and applications”. (44) Amina Khatoon (CHM232008) on “Study on the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives and their anti-cancer activities”. (45) Asis Ikbal (CHM232040) on “Herbal Medicine”.

Project Works

1. Principal Investigator (PI) of DST-SERB Project (3 years: 2014-2017)

Title of the project: Transition metal-catalyzed coupling-cyclization cascade reactions toward the synthesis of fused heterocyclic compounds .

2. Principal Investigator (PI) of WB DSTBT Project (3 years: 2024-2027)

Title of the project: Microwave-assisted synthesis of bioactive heterocyclic compounds via transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions in water to explore the prospects of green sustainable chemistry.

3. Principal Investigator (PI) of AURDC Project (1.5 years: 2025-2026)

Title of the project: Synthesis of functionalized olefins via microwave-assisted palladium nanoparticles-catalyzed C-C coupling reactions in aqueous medium under green conditions.

Invited Lectures

1. Delivered invited talk on “Transition Metal-Catalyzed Synthesis of Bioactive Heterocyclic Compounds” in the International Conference on Chemistry for Human Development (ICCHD-2020), on 10.01.2021.

Organizing body & Duration: University of Calcutta & Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata, from 09 - 11 January, 2020.

2. Delivered invited talk on “Pd and Cu-catalyzed coupling reactions and their applications in organic synthesis” in the Refresher Course on “Recent Advances in Chemistry: RC-Chemistry-CU-2021”, on 19.03.2021.

Organizing body & Duration: UGC-HRDC, University of Calcutta, from 16 - 31 March, 2021.

3. Delivered invited talk on “Synthesis of Carbazoles via Palladium-Catalyzed Aryl C–H Activation Under Green Conditions and Study of Their Interactions with Calf-thymus DNA” in the International Conference on Chemistry for Human Development (ICCHD-2025), on 05.01.2025.

Organizing body & Duration: University of Calcutta, Biswa Bangla Biswabidyalay & Luminescent Organic Consortium of India, Kolkata, from 4 - 6 January, 2025.

Membership Of Learned Societies

• Life Member: Chemical Research Society of India (CSIR), Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciience (IACS).
• Member of Editorial Board: 
• “World Research Journal of Organic Chemistry”, Bioinfo Publications.

• “Chemistry International”, Bosal Journals.

Orientation/Refresher/QIP CourseAttended/Organized

Orientation Programme:

58^th Orientation Programme, UGC-HRDC, Jadavpur University, Kolkata (From 07.09.2015-07.10.2015).

Refresher Course:

1. Refresher Course on “Disaster Management & Environment”, UGC-HRDC, Jadavpur University (From 23.10.2017 to 13.11.2017).

2. Refresher Course on “Chemical Sciences: from Concepts to Applications”, UGC-HRDC, Jadavpur University (From 06.01.2021 to 20.01.2021).

3. Refresher Course on “Research Methodology & Data Analytics”, UGC-Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre (MMTTC), University of Hyderabad (From 01.07.2024 to 13.07.2024).

Seminar/Conference/Workshop

Organized Conference:

1. Organized One Day National Conference on “Current Challenges & Opportunities in Chemical Sciences (CCOCS-2019)” as Convenor.

Organizing body & Duration: Department of Chemistry, Aliah University, on 8^th August, 2019.

2. Organized International Conference on “Advances in Chemical Sciences (ICACS-2025)” as an Organizing Member.

Organizing body & Duration: Department of Chemistry, Aliah University, on 30^th January, 2025.

Attended Seminar/Conference/Workshop:

1. Presented poster in the National Symposium on Advances in Chemistry and Environmental Impact (ACE-2006): “Regioselective Unusual Formation of Spirocyclic 4-{2′-Benzo(2′,3′-dihydro)furo-9-methyl-2,3,9-trihydrothiopyrano[2,3-b]indole by 4-exo-trig Aryl Radical Cyclization and Rearrangement”, at North-Eastern Hill University, India, 2-3 November 2006.

2. Presented poster National Symposium on Current Trends in Chemistry (2007): “Thiol-mediated radical cyclization: regioselective formation of indole-annulated sulfur heterocycles by tandem cyclization”, at University of Kalyani, India, 30-31 January, 2007.

3. Attended the Annual Chinese Chemical Society & ICCT joint Conference (ICCT-2007 International Chemical Conference): National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, 13 December, 2007.

4. Presented poster In the Symposium on Advances in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry (2009): “Concise Route Towards Natural Bengamide E and Analogues as Potential Inhibitors of Methionine Aminopeptidases”, at Universite Paris Descartes, France, 9-10 September, 2009.

5. Poster presented in the 20^th ISCB International Conference (ISCBC-2014) on Chemistry and Medicinal Plants in Translational Medicine for Healthcare, on “Synthesis of Bengamide Analogues towards Anticancer Drug Discovery”, at University of Delhi, India, 01-04 March, 2014.

6. Participated in the National Level Workshop on “Graph Theory: Algebraic and Algorithmic Aspects (GTA3-2016)”, Aliah University, 19 – 24 December, 2016.

Other Notable Activities

Professional Responsibility:

1. Vice-chairman, Hostel Management Committee (HMC), Aliah University [Dec. 2019 - March 2022]

2. Chairman, Hostel Management Committee (HMC), Aliah University [March 2022 - May 2024]

3. Organized “Aliah University Science Camp” as an Organizing Member.

 Organizing body & Duration: Department of Basic Science, Aliah University, 7-11 April, 2025.