IIT People Search

Balaji Dhanabalan
Address
Research center
Interests
About

Dr. Balaji Dhanabalan is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Automated Nanomaterials Engineering research line at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), working under the supervision of Dr. Milena Arciniegas. His current research focuses on AI-driven automated nanomaterials discovery and design for next-generation energy applications, integrating advanced materials synthesis with machine learning and automation.

Dr. Dhanabalan earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Materials Science from the IIT/ University of Genova (Italy) in 2021, where his doctoral work focused on the fabrication of semiconducting nanomaterials for optoelectronic devices. He also holds a graduate degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Master’s degree in Textile Management, specializing in Wearable Electronics, from India. This interdisciplinary background has equipped him with both strong scientific expertise and advanced project management skills.

In 2022, he joined QustomDot BV (Belgium) as a Materials Scientist, developing III–V quantum materials and printable quantum dot inks for cutting-edge micro-display and AR/VR technologies. His expertise bridges nanomaterials fabrication, quantum materials engineering, and data-driven materials innovation.

Motivated by a passion for integrating materials science, automation, and AI, Dr. Dhanabalan aims to accelerate the discovery of sustainable materials that power cleaner and more efficient energy technologies.

Education

Title: Ph.D. in Sciences and Technologies of Chemistry and Materials
Institute: University of Genova
Location: Genova
Country: Italy
From: 2017 To: 2021

Title: Master of Business Administration in Textiles - Specialization in Wearable Electronics
Institute: Lingaya’s University
Location: Faridabad
Country: India
From: 2015 To: 2017

Title: Master of Engineering in Power Electronics and Drives
Institute: Anna University
Location: Chennai
Country: India
From: 2011 To: 2013

Title: Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Institute: Anna University
Location: Chennai
Country: India
From: 2006 To: 2010

Experience External

Title: Materials Scientist
Institute: Qustomdot BV
Location: Ghent
Country: Belgium
From: 2022 To: 2024

Title: Postdoctoral Researcher
Institute: Leibniz-Institut Für Polymerforschung
Location: Dresden
Country: Germany
From: 2022 To: 2022

Title: Programmer Analyst
Institute: Cognizant Technological Solutions
Location: Chennai
Country: India
From: 2013 To: 2015

Skills

Materials Discovery
- Semiconducting Quantumdots
- Metal-Halide Perovskite Nanomaterials

Metrology
- Structure-Property Relationships
- Light-Matter Interactions
- Optoelectronic Devices

Automation
- Accelerated Materials Discovery
- Self-Driving Laboratory

Electronics Engineering

Project Management

Computer Programming

Top Publications
2023
Prabhakaran A., Dhanabalan B., Andrusenko I., Pianetti A., Lauciello S., Prato M., Marras S., Solokha P., Gemmi M., Brovelli S., Manna L., Arciniegas M.P.
Stable Sn-Based Hybrid Perovskite-Related Structures with Tunable Color Coordinates via Organic Cations in Low-Temperature Synthesis
ACS Energy Letters, vol. 8, (no. 6), pp. 2630-2640
2022
Avugadda S.K., Castelli A., Dhanabalan B., Fernandez T., Silvestri N., Collantes C., Baranov D., Imran M., Manna L., Pellegrino T., Arciniegas M.P.
Highly Emitting Perovskite Nanocrystals with 2-Year Stability in Water through an Automated Polymer Encapsulation for Bioimaging
ACS Nano, vol. 16, (no. 9), pp. 13657-13666
Article Journal
2021
Dhanabalan B., Biffi G., Moliterni A., Olieric V., Giannini C., Saleh G., Ponet L., Prato M., Imran M., Manna L., Krahne R., Artyukhin S., Arciniegas M.P.
Engineering the Optical Emission and Robustness of Metal-Halide Layered Perovskites through Ligand Accommodation
Advanced Materials, vol. 33, (no. 13)
2020
Castelli A., Dhanabalan B., Polovitsyn A., Caligiuri V., Di Stasio F., Scarpellini A., Brescia R., Palei M., Martin-Garcia B., Prato M., Manna L., Moreels I., Krahne R., Arciniegas M.P.
Core/Shell CdSe/CdS Bone-Shaped Nanocrystals with a Thick and Anisotropic Shell as Optical Emitters
Advanced Optical Materials, vol. 8, (no. 1)
2019
Dhanabalan B., Castelli A., Palei M., Spirito D., Manna L., Krahne R., Arciniegas M.
Simple fabrication of layered halide perovskite platelets and enhanced photoluminescence from mechanically exfoliated flakes
Nanoscale, vol. 11, (no. 17), pp. 8334-8342
All Publications
2025
Prabhakaran A., Evrard Q., Marchetti D., Khabbaz Abkenar S., Bonato L.G., Dhanabalan B., Andrusenko I., Lauciello S., Solokha P., De Negri S., Goldoni L., Faye Diouf M.D., Manna L., Divitini G., Gemmi M., Arciniegas M.P.
Structural Tuning of Layered Perovskites for Enhanced Broadband Emission at Room Temperature
Small Structures
Article Journal
2023
Kutkan S., Dhanabalan B., Lin M., Tan P., Schleusener A., Arciniegas M., Krahne R.
Impact of the organic cation on the band-edge emission of two-dimensional lead–bromide perovskites
Nanoscale, vol. 15, (no. 31), pp. 12880-12888
Article Journal
2023
Prabhakaran A., Dang Z., Dhall R., Camerin F., Marin-Aguilar S., Dhanabalan B., Castelli A., Brescia R., Manna L., Dijkstra M., Arciniegas M.P.
Real-Time In Situ Observation of CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanoplatelets Transforming into Nanosheets
ACS Nano, vol. 17, (no. 14), pp. 13648-13658
2023
Prabhakaran A., Dhanabalan B., Andrusenko I., Pianetti A., Lauciello S., Prato M., Marras S., Solokha P., Gemmi M., Brovelli S., Manna L., Arciniegas M.P.
Stable Sn-Based Hybrid Perovskite-Related Structures with Tunable Color Coordinates via Organic Cations in Low-Temperature Synthesis
ACS Energy Letters, vol. 8, (no. 6), pp. 2630-2640
2022
Lin M.-L., Dhanabalan B., Biffi G., Leng Y.-C., Kutkan S., Arciniegas M.P., Tan P.-H., Krahne R.
Correlating Symmetries of Low-Frequency Vibrations and Self-Trapped Excitons in Layered Perovskites for Light Emission with Different Colors
Small, vol. 18, (no. 15)