He received his PhD degree from University of Victoria, BC, Canada. Before joining the National University of Singapore, he was at the Max‐Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany and Cornell University, NY, USA. His current research interests are in multifunctional polymers, biomaterials, nanomaterials, nanotoxicology, developing frugal engineering methods for water purification and improving chemical safety in academic institutions. Some of his recent awards include, Outstanding Scientist Award, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore and Erudite Professorship at School of Chemistry, MG University, Kerala. He is a member of the editorial board of 13 international journals. He has published more than 240 refereed papers in international journals, given 120 invited talks and has an H‐index of 46 with more than 9000 citations.