Dr. Bastakoti is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at North Carolina A&T State University. He earned his Ph.D. from Saga University in Japan as a Monbukagakusho scholar and subsequently conducted research at the National Institute for Materials Science as a JSPS Fellow. Prior to beginning his independent career at North Carolina A&T, he held research appointments at the University of Sydney and Harvard University. His research focuses on the rational design of inorganic nanomaterials, with an emphasis on controlling key structural features such as porosity, crystallinity, and dimensionality. He has a particular interest in applying nanostructured materials to catalysis, energy conversion, and energy storage technologies.