After conducting postdoctoral research at Yale University, Kartika joined the LSU faculty where his research program focuses on the discovery of new organic reactions that produce biologically and pharmaceutically relevant molecular scaffolds. At LSU, Kartika has independently published 12 peer-reviewed articles in various high impact journals and delivered more than 40 invited lectures, including the prestigious Gordon Research Conference in Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds. In 2015, Kartika successfully secured a highly competitive chemical synthesis grant from the National Science Foundation as a single PI.