Chiralpedia.com is reverently dedicated to Padma Shri Prof. Harkishan Singh, whose brilliance and mentorship unveiled the extraordinary world of chirality to me. His unwavering commitment to science, coupled with his generosity as a teacher, laid the foundation for this initiative. Through his guidance, I learned that molecular asymmetry was not just a chemical concept but a lens to understand life’s intricacies. This platform embodies his spirit of curiosity, rigor, and the belief that knowledge grows when shared.
"A true guru ignites the flame of inquiry - Prof. Singh taught me to see molecules as mirrors of nature’s genius."
Driven by Prof. Singh’s legacy, Valliappan Kannappan built Chiralpedia as an independent, non-commercial resource to democratize chiral science. Dr. Valliappan Kannappan is a distinguished former Professor of Quality Assurance in the Department of Pharmacy at Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India.
With over three decades of extensive experience in teaching and research in medicinal chemistry, Dr. Valliappan has been a pivotal figure in promoting the importance of chirality in pharmaceutical education and research. Driven by his passion for chiral science he founded chiralpedia.com in 2021.
Valliappan’s scholarly contributions have been recognized through numerous visiting professorships and prestigious awards. He has served as a Visiting Professor at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA, USA (now officially merged with Saint Joseph's University - https://www.sju.edu/_, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences - https://www.sju.edu/departments/pharmaceutical-sciences), and has also held the position of Visiting Professor for the Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE) in Pharmacy, New Delhi. His accolades include Dr. P. D. Sethi Award, Professor M. L. Khorana Award, Indian Drugs Research Award, and the Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (TN) Life Time Achievement Award (2024).
Valliappan’s research focuses on the separation and analysis of chiral drugs, aiming to address pharmaceutical and biomedical challenges. He has played a significant role in advancing chiral science, particularly in chiral separation and analysis, within pharmaceutical education and research in India. He has contributed to Wikipedia articles on topics such as chiral drugs, chiral switch, chiral analysis, chiral inversion, and chirality timeline.
Valliappan earned his Bachelors Degree in Science from Calicut University, Bachelors Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Bangalore University and Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University (1983-85 batch) and Doctorate from Annamalai University, India.