Conversation with Subhankar Bedanta

He is an experimental condensed matter physicist and a Professor at NISER Bhubaneswar who is deeply committed to combining cutting-edge physics with outreach in his mother tongue – Odia https://sbedanta.wixsite.com/niser

What is his intellectual journey across Odisha, Germany, USA and back to his homeland and what motivates him to do what he does?

Watch as we humanize science.

  1. niser. “Subhankar Bedanta.” Accessed September 25, 2024. https://sbedanta.wixsite.com/niser.
  2. “‪Prof. Subhankar Bedanta – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed September 25, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=OMLlkvUAAAAJ&hl=en.
  3. Subhankar Bedanta, National Institute of Science Education & Research (NISER), India-TMAG2020- BA-05, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LPs6E6xu5o.
  4. Mission Aditya | Panel Discussion with NISER Scientist Dr Subhankar Bedanta, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4LbLdpaGmU.
  5. niser. “Research Areas.” Accessed September 25, 2024. https://sbedanta.wixsite.com/niser/research-areas.
  6. niser. “Resume.” Accessed September 25, 2024. https://sbedanta.wixsite.com/niser/resume.
  7. Bedanta, Subhankar, and Wolfgang Kleemann. “Supermagnetism.” Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 42, no. 1 (December 2008): 013001. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/42/1/013001.
  8. BYTE ON NATIONAL SPACE DAY  PROF SUBHANKAR BEDANTA, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqHUH5Q9IG8.
  9. Dr Subhankar Bedanta, Professor of Physics, NISER  as a Resource Person in  Pattamundai College, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY-dtA1QHcE.
  10. “INDIAN RESEARCH INFORMATION NETWORK SYSTEM.” Accessed September 25, 2024. http://irins.inflibnet.ac.in/.

Conversation with Anindya Datta

He is a physical chemist and a senior professor at IIT Bombay. https://www.adufd.com/people/current-group

He and his research group have made significant contributions to the understanding of the fluorescence dynamics of molecules and nanomaterials.

In this episode, we discuss

  • his journey from his early education at institutions like Presidency College and the IACS, lecture at Raidighi, postdoc at Iowa State University, scientist at RRCAT and finally to his current role at t IIT Bombay.
  • His experience of learning and interacting with stalwarts of physical chemistry such as Mihir Chowdhury and Kankan Bhattacharyya.
  • Experiences as a researcher and educator, discussing his thoughts and motivations.
  • Exciting research is being conducted in his lab, where scholars are pushing the boundaries of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and ultrafast dynamics in nanomaterials.
  • Many related strands…

Watch as we humanize science.

References:

  1. “UFD Lab.” Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.adufd.com/.
  2. “UFD Lab – Courses.” Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.adufd.com/courses.
  3. “UFD Lab – Current Group.” Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.adufd.com/people/current-group.
  4. “UFD Lab – Research.” Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.adufd.com/research.
  5. X (formerly Twitter). “Anindya Datta (@anidchemiitb) / X,” August 23, 2024. https://x.com/anidchemiitb.
  6. “Kankan Bhattacharyya.” In Wikipedia, February 27, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kankan_Bhattacharyya&oldid=1210682961.
  7. “Mihir Chowdhury.” In Wikipedia, April 23, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mihir_Chowdhury&oldid=1220427522.

Conversation with Anindita Bhadra

Anindita is an Ecologist and an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research in Kolkata: https://www.iiserkol.ac.in/~abhadra/Anindita.html.

She and her research group study the ecology of dogs in an urban environment. She is also an actress who uses theatre to express intellectual thought.

Added to that she has been an excellent diplomat of science, making a case for science and its interface with society.

What is her intellectual journey?

Watch (listen) as we humanize science.

References:

  1. “Dog Lab.” Accessed September 18, 2024. https://www.iiserkol.ac.in/~abhadra/Anindita.html.
  2. “Dog Lab, IISER Kolkata – People.” Accessed September 18, 2024. https://sites.google.com/view/doglabiiserkolkata/people.
  3. The Life of Science. “Finding My Foothold in Academia,” April 23, 2019. https://thelifeofscience.com/2019/04/23/finding-my-foothold-in-academia/.
  4. “Anindita Bhadra.” Accessed September 18, 2024. https://www.sciencediplomacy.org/author/anindita-bhadra.
  5. “Anindita Bhadra | WEF,” January 25, 2019. https://www.wef.org.in/anindita-bhadra/.
  6. “‪Anindita Bhadra – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed September 18, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=Pg-UqF4AAAAJ&hl=en.

Conversation with Urbasi Sinha

Urbasi Sinha is a Professor at Raman Research Institute, India and Canada Excellence Research Chair, iPhotonic Quantum Science and Technologies in the University of Calgary, Canada: https://sites.google.com/site/urbasisinha/

She and her research group are working at the cutting edge of quantum science and technology.

In this episode, we discuss her intellectual journey across three continents and how she got interested in quantum science and tech. There are many interesting strands and lessons to explore in this episode.

Watch as we humanize science.

References:

  1. “Urbasi Sinha.” In Wikipedia, January 10, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Urbasi_Sinha&oldid=1194745669.
  2. “Urbasi Sinha.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://sites.google.com/site/urbasisinha/.
  3. “Urbasi Sinha | Institute for Quantum Computing.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/contacts/urbasi-sinha.
  4. “Urbasi Sinha | Raman Research Institute.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://www.rri.res.in/people/faculty/urbasi-sinha.
  5. “Urbasi Sinha – About Me.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://sites.google.com/site/urbasisinha/about-me.
  6. DHNS. “Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar for Raman Research Institute Professor Urbasi Sinha.” Deccan Herald. Accessed September 12, 2024. https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/rashtriya-vigyan-puraskar-for-raman-research-institute-professor-urbasi-sinha-3143264.
  7. Fascinating World of Photons, Superposition and Entanglement by Urbasi Sinha, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg0np3AJt-Q.
  8. QIQT23 | Prof. Urbasi Sinha – Quantum Experiments with Satellite Technology, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmAb-nTPl7Q.
  9. “QuIC Lab.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://wwws.rri.res.in/quic/.
  10. Sinha, Urbasi. “A Key Milestone for a Secure Quantum Future.” Nature India, May 9, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/d44151-023-00049-5.
  11. Sinha, Urbasi, Christophe Couteau, Thomas Jennewein, Raymond Laflamme, and Gregor Weihs. “Ruling Out Multi-Order Interference in Quantum Mechanics.” Science 329, no. 5990 (July 23, 2010): 418–21. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1190545.
  12. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 by Prof. Urbasi Sinha- WOPI 2022- 06/12/2022, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9NydtyPlMo.
  13. “‪Urbasi Sinha – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=Lbwit3MAAAAJ&hl=en.
  14. “Urbasi Sinha on LinkedIn: #quantum #quantumtechnology #ecosystem | 14 Comments.” Accessed September 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/urbasi-sinha-0969567_quantum-quantumtechnology-ecosystem-activity-7128405359345487873-SmUr.
  15. X (formerly Twitter). “Urbasi Sinha (@SinhaUrbasi) / X,” September 8, 2024. https://x.com/sinhaurbasi.

Conversation with Sunil Nair

Sunil Nair is a condensed matter experimentalist and a Professor of Physics at IISER Pune https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/sunil-nair/307

He and his research group explore various topics, including Multiferroics | Transition metal oxides | Unconventional superconductors | Low-temperature instrumentation | Non-linear magnetic susceptibility | Spin Caloritronics.

In this episode, we discussed:

  • His intellectual journey
  • Growing up in Pune
  • Student days at Pune University
  • His experience of working in Indore, Dresden and Oxford
  • Jugalbandi of experiments and theory in physics
  • Elements of a good talk and good writing
  • Big science from small labs
  • Quantum ihub at IISER Pune
  • New development in spintronics, including superfluid state
  • other explorations

Watch (listen) as we humanize science.

References:

[1]“Sunil Nair – IISER Pune.” Accessed: Sep. 05, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/sunil-nair/307

[2]“‪Sunil Nair – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed: Sep. 05, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=XnMfVtUAAAAJ&hl=en

[3]“Dr. Sunil Nair.” Accessed: Sep. 05, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/connect/explore-the-humboldt-network/singleview/1122885/dr-sunil-nair

[4]“Sunil Nair (@DrSunilNair) / X,” X (formerly Twitter). Accessed: Sep. 05, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://x.com/drsunilnair

[5]“Strongly Correlated Electron Systems.” Accessed: Sep. 05, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://sites.google.com/students.iiserpune.ac.in/strongly-corr-electron-sys/home

[6]“I-Hub Quantum Technology Foundation.” Accessed: Sep. 05, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.quantech.org.in/

[7]A. De, A. Ghosh, R. Mandal, S. Ogale, and S. Nair, “Temperature Dependence of the Spin Seebeck Effect in a Mixed Valent Manganite,” Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 124, no. 1, p. 017203, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.017203.

Conversation with Harinath Chakrapani

Hari is an organic chemist and a professor of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune. His work focuses on the design and synthesis of organic compounds that can produce reactive species, which are crucial for biochemical and cell biological studies.

Apart from scientific research, Hari has a deep interest in science education and has played a significant role in interfacing with college teachers via various training programs.

He is also actively involved in mentoring students and fostering research in his laboratory.

For more information about Hari’s and his research, you can visit his lab’s webpage: https://www.hclab.in/

In this episode, we explore his intellectual journey until now..

References:

[1]“Harinath Chakrapani lab | HC Lab |IISER Pune,” Hari’s Lab. Accessed: Aug. 17, 2024. : https://www.hclab.in

[2]“Prof. Hari,” Hari’s Lab. Accessed: Aug. 17, 2024. : https://www.hclab.in/prof-harinath-chakrapani

[3]“‪Harinath Chakrapani – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed: Aug. 17, 2024. : https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=va_MziwAAAAJ&hl=en

[4]“Harinath Chakrapani – IISER Pune.” Accessed: Aug. 17, 2024. : https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/chemistry/people/faculty/regular-faculty/harinath-chakrapani/248

[5]“iRISE – Outreach and Training – IISER Pune.” Accessed: Aug. 17, 2024. : https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/engage/outreach-and-training/irise

[6]“MS-DEED – Outreach and Training – IISER Pune.” Accessed: Aug. 17, 2024. : https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/engage/outreach-and-training/ms-deed

Conversation with Joyee Ghosh

Joyee is an experimental optical physicist who explores Quantum Photonics

She is an associate professor of physics at IIT Delhi https://web.iitd.ac.in/~joyee/.

How did she get interested in optics? What is her intellectual journey?

We discuss many interesting aspects of her explorations in this episode.

Listen as we humanize science.

References:

  1. “Joyee’s Webpage.” Accessed August 22, 2024. https://web.iitd.ac.in/~joyee/.
  2. “‪Joyee Ghosh – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed August 22, 2024. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7weUE7IAAAAJ&hl=en.
  3. News from the Quantum Photonics Lab in IIT Delhi: Entangled Photons & Hot Atoms… by Joyee Ghosh, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xIMj5tid_k.
  4. QIQT 23 | Joyee Ghosh – Entangled Photons — Experiments & Applications in Quantum Communication, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZhXLSjGDUU.
  5. “Rupamanjari Ghosh.” In Wikipedia, February 18, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rupamanjari_Ghosh&oldid=1140131659.

Conversation with Joy Mitra

Joy Mitra is an experimentalist who tinkers with interfaces at the nanoscale.

He is a professor of physics at IISER Tvm https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/j.mitra/personal_information

What motivated him to become an experimental physicist?

What motivates him to explore nano-junction and plasmonics?

These and many other aspects are part of the conversation.

Listen as we humanize science.

References:

  1. “Prof. Joy Mitra – Personal Information | IISER Thiruvananthapuram, MoE, Govt. of India.” n.d. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/j.mitra.
  2. “Joy Group (SPMP).” Joygroup. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://jmitra.wixsite.com/joygroup.
  3. “‪Joy Mitra – ‪Google Scholar.” Accessed August 15, 2024. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dChZK08AAAAJ&hl=en.
  4. “Joy Mitra – Professor – Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram | LinkedIn.” n.d. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://in.linkedin.com/in/joy-mitra-459649176.
  5. “Crucible.” Accessed August 20, 2024. https://sites.google.com/iisertvm.ac.in/crucible/.

Conversation with Pramod Pillai

Pramod is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at IISER Pune – https://www.pramodpillai.com/members

Pramod explores various aspects of chemistry, from physical and material chemistry to photochemistry and photophysics and prepares and studies a variety of nanomaterials from light-matter interaction and catalysis viewpoints.

How did he develop chemical intuition, and what has been his intellectual journey?

We discuss this and many more aspects in this video episode

Listen as we humanize science.

References:

Dr. P. Pillai Group. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.pramodpillai.com/members.

“Pramod Pillai – IISER Pune.” Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/chemistry/people/faculty/regular-faculty/pramod-pillai/314.

Demirörs, Ahmet F., Pramod P. Pillai, Bartlomiej Kowalczyk, and Bartosz A. Grzybowski. 2013. “Colloidal Assembly Directed by Virtual Magnetic Moulds.” Nature 503 (7474): 99–103. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12591.

Kashyap, Radha Krishna, and Pramod P. Pillai. 2024. “Plasmonic Nanoparticles Boost Solar-to-Electricity Generation at Ambient Conditions.” Nano Letters 24 (18): 5585–92. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00925.

Pramod, Padmanabhan, and K. George Thomas. 2008. “Plasmon Coupling in Dimers of Au Nanorods.” Advanced Materials 20 (22): 4300–4305. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.200703057.

Whitesides, George M., and Bartosz Grzybowski. 2002. “Self-Assembly at All Scales.” Science 295 (5564): 2418–21. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1070821.

Conversation with Sivarama Krishnan

Sivarama Krishnan is an Associate Professor at the Physics Department of IIT Madras: https://physics.iitm.ac.in/srkrishnan

Siva is an experimental physicist who explores the world of ultrasmall objects using ultrafast lasers. What motivates him to explore this fascinating topic? How did he get trained to study this research area? We address these questions and more…

Listen as we humanize science.

References:

  1. “Faculty File Box.” n.d. Accessed July 27, 2024. https://physics.iitm.ac.in/~srkrishnan/.
  2. “PHYSICS IITM.” n.d. Accessed July 27, 2024. https://physics.iitm.ac.in/faculty-inner.php?fuid=72.
  3. “‪Sivarama Krishnan – ‪Google Scholar.” n.d. Accessed July 27, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=X-EUxoIAAAAJ&hl=en.