Lohum Appoints Nobel Laureate Konstantin Novoselov to Lead Advanced Materials Incubation Platform

Critical minerals and advanced materials producer Lohum has appointed Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Konstantin ‘Kostya’ Novoselov as the Chief Scientist of its newly established deep-tech incubation and venture platform for advanced materials.

The platform is designed to advance materials science from early-stage research, categorized at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 through 4, to commercial readiness at TRL 7 through 8. According to Lohum Founder and CEO Rajat Verma, the company will provide capital, infrastructure, and strategic oversight while commercializing the resulting intellectual property and returns through a Central Funding Hub.

Professor Novoselov’s role is structured through a joint venture model, directing his expertise toward managing a portfolio focused on long-term commercial outcomes. Novoselov shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics with Andre Geim for experiments involving graphene, foundational work that informs the platform's focus on nanomaterials and 2D structures.

Commenting on the initiative, Professor Novoselov noted that the transition from laboratory discoveries to market-ready products remains a central challenge in materials science. He stated that combining fundamental research expertise with Lohum’s technological model is intended to accelerate the lab-to-market translation of advanced materials.

The platform is currently assessing its focus sectors, which are expected to include strategic and critical minerals, nanomaterials and 2D structures, and advanced magnetic materials, among other emerging technologies. The complete list of focus areas will be announced following finalization by the incubation platform team.

Rajat Verma highlighted that the initiative aims to connect India's scientific research capabilities with its growing industrial base, supporting domestic capabilities in strategic materials, batteries, and clean-energy infrastructure in alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047.

"Bridging the gap between early-stage laboratory research and commercial manufacturing is one of the most significant hurdles in deep-tech and materials science. By bringing a Nobel Laureate on board to lead an incubation platform backed by industrial capital and infrastructure, Lohum is tackling this transition directly. This model of pairing rigorous R&D with structured commercialization highlights a strategic approach to building domestic industrial capabilities in critical sectors." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes