Amit Kumar

About

Currently, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Bioinspired Soft Robotics(BSR) Group, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia(IIT), Genoa, Italy under the guidance of Prof. Barbara Mozzalai. My work at IIT focuses on the development of functionalised soft robotic system for soil exploration.

I completed a dual degree (M.S. and Ph.D.) in the Interdisciplinary Research Program (IDRP) at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. This program was pursued under the joint supervision of Prof. Nitish R. Mahapatra from the Department of Biotechnology and Prof. Pijush Ghosh from the Department of Applied Mechanics & Biomedical Engineering.

Stimuli-responsive polymer thin films with engineered matrix characteristics can accomplish desirable shape-changing properties in response to external stimuli. My work focuses on the use of solvent-responsive biopolymers for biomedical applications.

Throughout my doctoral studies, I successfully engineered solvent-responsive asymmetric membranes with several noteworthy features:

Controlled Porosity: For optimized cell growth and tissue engineering applications.
Superhydrophobic Surfaces: To impart antifouling properties, thereby enhancing the longevity and performance of biomedical devices.
pH-Responsive Systems: Designed for targeted anti-tumor drug delivery, providing precise therapeutic interventions.
Surface Modification Techniques: Enabled stable bonding between hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers, facilitating actuation-induced biofilm removal.
My work contributes significantly to the development of advanced materials with tailored responses to environmental stimuli, aiming to address various challenges in the biomedical field.

Employment

• Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Postdoctoral Researcher
  2025 - Present
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras Research Associate
  2024 - 2025

Education

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras MS+PhD (Dual Degree) (Interdisciplinary Program)
  2017 - 2024
• Delhi Technological University B. Tech.
  2013 - 2017

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (7)

• Programmable 4D-Printed Soft Actuators: Harnessing Bending Strain Distribution for Embedded Topological Functionality
  ACS Applied Engineering Materials 2025 DOI: 10.1021/acsaenm.5c00225
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• 4D printing of pH-responsive bilayer with programmable shape-shifting behaviour
  European Polymer Journal 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.113581
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• Leveraging cancer microenvironment pH shift for actuation-induced multidrug release from chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose bilayer film
  International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144701
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• Superhydrophobic asymmetric pH-responsive soft actuators: Implications for the development of anti-fouling medical devices
  Chemical Engineering Journal 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.154772
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• Efficient reduction of the scrolling of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty grafts by engineering the medium
  Acta Biomaterialia 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.09.024
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• Solvent triggered shape morphism of 4D printed hydrogels
  Journal of Manufacturing Processes 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2022.11.065
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• Engineering the Nonmorphing Point of Actuation for Controlled Drug Release by Hydrogel Bilayer across the pH Spectrum
  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2022 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c16658
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