Dr. Mani Ram Kandel is an assistant professor of chemistry at Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and a researcher specializing in electrocatalysis, nanomaterials, renewable energy, and green hydrogen production. He completed his PhD at Jeonbuk National University, South Korea, where he conducted advanced research in the design and development of electrocatalysts for efficient water splitting and sustainable energy conversion. His research interests include oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), fuel cells, zinc–air batteries, and hydrogen evolution systems for green hydrogen production.
During his doctoral and research career, he has published several SCI-indexed Q1 journal articles in leading publishers such as Elsevier, Wiley, RSC, and Springer Nature. His work has appeared in high-impact journals including Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Composites Part B: Engineering, and Small, which at the time of publication had impact factors of approximately 24, 14, and 14, respectively. He has over 15 years of teaching experience across +2 level, CTEVT general medicine programs, and higher education levels, including bachelor's, master's, and PhD courses. He is actively involved in supervising student research and contributing to funded projects, academic review activities, and scientific mentoring. His work is dedicated to advancing sustainable and clean energy technologies for future energy solutions.

His research areas include 

* Electrocatalysis for water splitting (HER and OER)
* Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) catalysis
* Zinc–air batteries and metal–air energy systems
* Fuel cells and electrocatalytic energy conversion
* Green hydrogen production and renewable energy systems
* Design and development of transition metal-based catalysts
* Nanomaterials and surface engineering for energy applications
* Electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems
* Sustainable and clean energy technologies

Awards and Grants with Year in List

# Principal Investigator, National Priority Area Research Project, Research Coordination and Development Council (RCDC), Tribhuvan University, Fiscal Year 2024/25, Nepal.
#Excellence Award, Post-PhD Achievement Recognition, Jeonbuk National University, 2023.

Collaborations

Dr. Mani Ram Kandel has established strong national and international research collaborations in advanced materials and sustainable energy technologies. His collaborative research network spans Nepal, South Korea, India, USA, China, Thailand, and Taiwan, resulting in numerous publications in high-impact international journals. Through these partnerships, he has contributed to the development of innovative nanomaterials and electrocatalysts for hydrogen production, water splitting, and other clean energy applications, fostering interdisciplinary research and global scientific cooperation.

B.Sc., 2006, First Division
M.Sc., 2008, Distinction
Ph.D., 2023, GPA 4.0, Jeonbuk National University
B.Ed. (Completed)
LLB (Completed)

Professional Positions
•        Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal (15+ years teaching experience across +2 level, CTEVT General Medicine students, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD levels) 
•        Principal Investigator, National Priority Area Research Project, Research Coordination and Development Council (RCDC), Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2081/82) 
•        PhD Researcher, Jeonbuk National University, South Korea 
•        Supervisor of undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD research projects in electrocatalysis and nanomaterials 
________________________________________
Research Supervision
•        Supervising PhD scholars (2025–2029) and MSc theses (2025–2026) in electrocatalyst development for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) 
•        Co-supervising PhD scholars (2025–2029) 
•        Supervising BSc research projects (2025–2026) focused on HER-based electrocatalyst synthesis 
•        Supervised multiple BSc projects (2017–2024) on transition metal-based catalysts and applied chemistry topics 
________________________________________
Editorial & Review Activities
•        Editorial Board Member, Journal of Nepal Chemical Society (2024–2026) 
•        Reviewer for international journals published by Springer Nature, Wiley, Elsevier, MDPI, and RSC 
________________________________________
Professional Expertise
•        Green hydrogen production through water electrolysis 
•        Electrocatalyst synthesis and performance evaluation for HER, OER, ORR, and fuel cells 
•        Nanomaterials synthesis and surface engineering 
•        Advanced electrochemical analysis (CV, LSV, EIS, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry) 
•        Structural and morphological characterization (XRD, FE-SEM, TEM/HRTEM, XPS, FTIR, Raman, BET) 
•        Carbon nanotube and advanced functional material synthesis 
________________________________________
Academic & Professional Service
•        Expert Member, Chemistry Specialist, Public Service Commission (PSC), Government of Nepal 
•        External/Internal Examiner and Thesis Review Committee Member for graduate programs 
•        Executive Member, Nepal Science Olympiad (NSO) (2019–present) 
•        Life Member, Nepal Chemical Society (NCS) and Nepal Science Olympiad (NSO) 
________________________________________
Teaching & Mentoring 

Over 10 years of teaching experience at +2 level and CTEVT General Medicine programs
Over 15 years of teaching experience in Chemistry at Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD levels
Active mentor for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral researchers in energy materials and electrocatalysis

At Amrit Campus

Since 2017 AD (2074 BS)

* Unique heterointerface engineering of Ni₂P–MnP nanosheets coupled Co₂P nanoflowers as hierarchical dual-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 331, 122680 (2023) — Citations: 208
* Hybridized bimetallic phosphides of Ni–Mo, Co–Mo, and Co–Ni in ultrathin 3D nanosheets for HER and OER Composites Part B: Engineering, 239, 109992 (2022) — Citations: 205
* Manganese-doped bimetallic (Co, Ni)₂P integrated CoP in N,S-co-doped carbon for water splitting Small, 20(18), 2307241 (2024) — Citations: 81
* Multi-interfacial dendritic engineering for oxide–carbide/MOF electrocatalyst for HER and OER Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 331, 122711 (2023) — Citations: 76
* Trimetallic-organic framework-derived N,C-co-doped Ni–Fe–Mn–P nanosheets for water splitting Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 10, 16457–16467 (2022) — Citations: 72
* Fe-(1T)-VSe₂ / Fe–CoSe₂ multifunctional hybrid nanostructure for electrocatalysis Small, 20(7), 2305519 (2024) — Citations: 66
* P-intercalated metallic (1T)-Cu–Mo sulfide nanosheets for water splitting ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 14, 14492–14503 (2022) — Citations: 65
* Cobalt–manganese sulfide / Fe-doped 1T-VS₂ hierarchical nanorods for water splitting Materials Today Nano, 20, 100272 (2022) — Citations: 61
* Cobalt phosphide integrated Mn-doped 1T-VS₂ heterostructure for water splitting Chemical Engineering Journal, 473, 145321 (2023) — Citations: 41
* Rice husk-derived mesoporous biogenic silica nanoparticles Heliyon, 9(4) (2023) — Citations: 40
* MOF-derived V,N co-doped Co/Fe–selenide nanosheets for water splitting Materials Today Nano, 24, 100390 (2023) — Citations: 37
* (Fe-Co-Ni-Zn)-MOF derived electrocatalyst for Zn–air batteries Nanomaterials, 13(18), 2612 (2023) — Citations: 35
* Ru single atoms on NiS₂–FeS₂ nanosheet heterostructures for water electrolysis Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 12(6), 3489–3500 (2024) — Citations: 27
* Co nanoparticles confined N-doped carbon / Co₂P–VP heterostructure for water splitting Composites Part B: Engineering, 283, 111640 (2024) — Citations: 23
* Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Pyrus pashia Inorganics, 11(6), 263 (2023) — Citations: 12
* Recent advances in HER electrocatalysis from Fe, Co, Ni, Mo phosphides Discover Electrochemistry, 3(1), 8 (2026) — Citations: 11
* Ni-doped Co-layered double hydroxides for HER Journal of Nepal Chemical Society, 45(1), 66–75 (2025) — Citations: 6
* Vanadium-doped NiCoP nanosheets for HER Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering (2026) — Citations: 2
* Chemical profiling of street dust in Kathmandu Valley Journal of Nepal Chemical Society, 45(2), 100–109 (2025) — Citations: 2
* Spray pyrolysis-derived cobalt oxide thin films Amrit Journal, 5(1), 30–43 (2025) — Citations: 1
* Green synthesis of Ag nanoparticles from Ziziphus mauritiana SSRN (2022) — Citations: 1
* Doped layered double hydroxides for HER Journal of Nepal Chemical Society, 46(1) (2026)
* Hybrid α-zirconium phosphate/polyaniline composites Journal of Nepal Chemical Society, 46(1), 103–111 (2026)
* Phytochemical profiling of Syzygium nervosum bark Amrit Research Journal, 6(1), 15–25 (2025)
* Dip-coated cobalt oxide thin film for OER Nanomaterials and Polymers Innovations, 1(1), 32–39 (2025)