Dr. Mahapatra was awarded Ph.D. in 1992 from Jadavpur Univeristy. His field of specialization are Physical Chemistry, and Chemical Kinetics. He was awarded by UGC, CSIR and UGC- CSIR and the members of Indian Chemical Society, Indian Society for Surface Science and Technology, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Indian Photobiology Society and Paschim Banga Vigyan Mancha.
His field of specialization are Physical Chemistry, and Chemical Kinetics.