Ajitha Ajikumar

Ajitha Ajikumar received her B.Sc. degree in Chemistry and subsequently her M.Sc. degree in Industrial Chemistry from Mahatma Gandhi University. Her master's thesis, entitled “Kinetic Study of the Self-Assembly of L-Histidine Using Real-Time Proton NMR Spectroscopy”, was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Sunilkumar P. N. The outcomes of this work contributed to a publication in the journal Scientific Reports in 2023, titled “Self-assembly of L-histidine might be the cause of histidinemia”, which explored the self-assembly behavior of amino acids and its potential implications in disease pathology. Following her master's studies, she joined CSIR–National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR–NIIST) as a Project Associate. During this period, her research focused on two-dimensional materials, polymer nanocomposites, and functional hybrid materials. Her work involved the development of advanced nanocomposites and flame-retardant systems, as well as the investigation of structure–property relationships in polymer-based materials through a range of characterization techniques. Research In 2026, she joined POLYMAT – University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) as a PhD researcher under the supervision of Alejandro J. Müller. Her doctoral research focuses on the crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene and related polymer systems, with particular emphasis on nucleating agents, phase transformations, and crystallization kinetics. A key aspect of her work involves the application of advanced thermal characterization techniques, including Flash Differential Scanning Calorimetry (Flash DSC), to investigate polymer crystallization under highly non-equilibrium conditions. Her broader research interests include polymer crystallization, polymer blends, polymer nanocomposites, sustainable materials, advanced thermal analysis, structure–property relationships, and the design of functional polymeric materials.