Category: podcasts

Snigdha is a computational soft condensed matter physicist and a senior faculty member at IISER Bhopal : https://sthakurlab.iiserb.ac.in/.

She uses computational physics to explore a variety of soft matter systems including active matter and of late biological systems.

In this conversation, we discuss her journey as a physicist, and how she developed interest in soft condensed matter. We also discuss about leadership in physics, as she has been the Chair of her department and a Dean at IISER Bhopal.

There are many things to learn from Snigdha and I enjoyed this discussion on various topics related to physics and pursuit of science.

Listen, as we humanize science.

Links on Google and Apple podcasts.

References:

1. “Sthakur Group.” n.d. Accessed April 16, 2024. https://sthakurlab.iiserb.ac.in/.
2. “‪Snigdha Thakur – ‪Google Scholar.” n.d. Accessed April 16, 2024. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q3X-5pQAAAAJ&hl=en.
3. Fourth Paradigm conference, dir. 2020. Designing Synthetic Nano Motors by Snigdha Thakur, IISER Bhopal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J8F2Wd9AzM.
4. “Principal Investigator | Raymond Kapral Research Group.” n.d. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://sites.chem.utoronto.ca/rkapral/content/principal-investigator.
5. Raman Research Institute, dir. 2018. Biomimetic Behaviour of Synthetic Particles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9BVx8_4D-k.
6. “Sunil Kumar’s Home Page.” n.d. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://physics.iitm.ac.in/~sunil/.
7. Thakur, Snigdha, and Raymond Kapral. 2012. “Collective Dynamics of Self-Propelled Sphere-Dimer Motors.” Physical Review E 85 (2): 026121. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.85.026121.

Sudipata is a molecular biophysicist who uses light and spectroscopy to study biologically relevant questions. He is a Professor at TIFR, Mumbai: http://www.biophotonics.co.in/

In this episode, we discussed what drew him to biophysics, his journey in establishing biophotonics as a research area in India, his motivation to start the FCS workshop and his thoughts on science in India. There are many other branches of discussion related to the pursuit of science, which the listeners may enjoy and learn from.

Listen as we humanize science.

On Google and Apple podcasts.

References:

1. “Biophotonics Lab.” n.d. Biophotonics Lab. Accessed April 12, 2024. http://biophotonics.weebly.com/.
2. “‪Sudipta Maiti – ‪Google Scholar.” n.d. Accessed April 12, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=_exYXS8AAAAJ&hl=en.
3. “Sudipta Maiti (@SudiptaMaiti13) / X.” 2024. X (Formerly Twitter). February 8, 2024. https://twitter.com/SudiptaMaiti13.
4. Berg, Jeremy M., Lubert Stryer, John L. Tymoczko, and Gregory J. Gatto. 2015. Biochemistry. 8th ed. edition. New York: WH Freeman.
5. Eaton, William A., and H. Peter Trommsdorff. 2013. “Robin Main Hochstrasser (1931–2013), Giant of Physical Chemistry.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110 (23): 9189–90. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1307692110.
6. “Fluorescence India.” n.d. Accessed April 12, 2024. https://fluorescenceindia.org/.
7. “Measuring Serotonin Distribution in Live Cells with Three-Photon Excitation | Science.” n.d. Accessed April 12, 2024. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.275.5299.530.
8. “Watt W. Webb.” 2024. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Watt_W._Webb&oldid=1194542920.
9. “Watt Webb, Biological Imaging Techniques Pioneer, Dies | Cornell Chronicle.” n.d. Accessed April 12, 2024. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/11/watt-webb-biological-imaging-techniques-pioneer-dies.
10. Zipfel, Warren, Chris Xu, Elliot Elson, and Sudipta Maiti. 2021. “Memorial Viewpoint for Watt W. Webb: An Experimentalist’s Experimentalist.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 125 (11): 2793–95. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01045.

Jayant Murthy is a distinguished Senior Professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru. His research focuses on space missions, interstellar dust, and diffuse radiation fields. With a rich scientific background, a deep love for teaching and notable contributions to the discipline, Murthy’s work exemplifies excellence in astrophysical research.

Explore further at Jayant Murthy’s website: ⁠https://www.iiap.res.in/people/personnel/murthy/Jayant_Murthy/Home.html⁠

In this episode we discuss his biography. He explained how and why he became interested in astronomy and astrophysics. His ventures in teaching and a freewheeling discussion on science, rationality and society.

Jayant was recently commemorated with the naming of asteroid “(215884) Jayantmurthy” by the IAU, acknowledging his significant advancements in ultraviolet astronomy and space missions. We explore how that happened.

There are many other interesting strands in the conversation. Listen, as we humanize science.

on Google and Apple podcast

References :

1. Jayant Murthy [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.iiap.res.in/people/personnel/murthy/Jayant_Murthy/Home.html (accessed 4.2.24).
2. ‪Jayant Murthy‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬ [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=Gdv6OEsAAAAJ&hl=en (accessed 4.2.24).
3. Bureau, T.H., 2024. Asteroid named after Bengaluru Professor. The Hindu.
4. Henry, R.C., 2005. The mental Universe. Nature 436, 29–29. https://doi.org/10.1038/436029a
5. IIAstrophysics [@IIABengaluru], 2024. We are happy to announce that the asteroid 2005 EX296 has been named as “(215884) Jayantmurthy” by @IAU_org in honour of Prof Jayant Murthy! He is Honorary Prof & former acting director at IIA. @dstindia @doot_iia @asipoec @fiddlingstars @SPG_IIA https://t.co/E1k6MytYsY. Twitter.
6. International Astronomical Union | IAU [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.iau.org/ (accessed 4.2.24).
7. Jayant’s Class Presentations [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.iiap.res.in/people/personnel/murthy/Jayant_Murthy/Teaching.html (accessed 4.2.24).
8. Kumar, A., Ghosh, S.K., Hutchings, J., Kamath, P.U., Kathiravan, S., Mahesh, P.K., Murthy, J., Nagbhushana, S., Pati, A.K., Rao, M.N., Rao, N.K., Sriram, S., Tandon, S.N., 2012. Ultraviolet imaging telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT, in: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. Presented at the Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, SPIE, pp. 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924507
9. Latest Updates | Astronomical Society of India [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.astron-soc.in/ (accessed 4.2.24).
10. Murthy, J., Henry, R.C., Overduin, J., 2023. Dust scattered radiation in the galactic poles. J Astrophys Astron 44, 82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-023-09973-5
11. Professor Richard Conn Henry [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://henry.pha.jhu.edu/rch.html (accessed 4.2.24).
12. Singh, K.P., et al., 2014. ASTROSAT mission, in: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. Presented at the Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, SPIE, pp. 517–531. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2062667
13. Slide 1 [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.iiap.res.in/people/personnel/murthy/Jayant_Murthy/Teaching_files/history_of_astronomy/siframes.html (accessed 4.2.24).
14. Zachariah, P., 2024. ‘Our world is built on basic science, and part of basic science is rationality.’ The Hindu.
15. ಡಾ. ನಳಿನಿಮೂರ್ತಿ | Dr. Nalini Murthy – Hemanth Sahitya, n.d. URL https://hemanthsahitya.com/book-author/d-nalinimurthy/ (accessed 4.3.24).

Umakant is an atomic physicist who is innovating on quantum optical technologies. What motivated him to study this fascinating area ? What has been his journey in atomic physics, quantum optics and the resultant technologies. We discuss this and many other things in this episode.

Umakant Rapol, an accomplished experimental physicist, is known for his innovative research in quantum technologies.

He is currently Professor of physics at IISER. Pune, Physics Department, Pune – India.  http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~umakant.rapol/team/

His research interests are in the area of Atomic Physics and Quantum optics. He has an active research group at IISER – Pune, working in the areas of Ultra-cold atoms and ions for precision Optical Metrology, Quantum Information processing and Quantum optics and in Quantum technologies ranging from Quantum computing to Quantum sensors.

His work explores the dynamics of quantum systems, focusing on atom optics and quantum information processing. Leading a research group at IISER Pune, Umakant conducts pioneering experiments in quantum information processing and quantum optics, advancing the field of quantum technologies. With a solid foundation in fundamental physics and extensive experience in experimental research, Umakant Rapol is a key figure in the realm of quantum research, making significant contributions to the development and application of quantum technologies.

Listen as we humanize science.

Google and Apple podcast

References :

1. Umakant Rapol (@RapolUmakant) / X [WWW Document], 2021. . X (formerly Twitter). URL https://twitter.com/RapolUmakant (accessed 3.23.24).
2. Atomic physics and quantum optics Lab – Team [WWW Document], n.d. URL http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~umakant.rapol/team/ (accessed 3.23.24).
3. Indian Institute of Science, n.d. URL https://iisc.ac.in/events/remembering-prof-vasant-natarajan-1965-2021/ (accessed 3.23.24).
4. ‪Umakant D. Rapol – ‪Google Scholar [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=VaQjNL8AAAAJ&hl=en (accessed 3.23.24).
5. Umakant Rapol’s lab – Home [WWW Document], n.d. URL http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~umakant.rapol/ (accessed 3.23.24).

Sandhya Koushika is a Neurobiologist and a faculty member at Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai : https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/koushika/people.html

Her research focuses on understanding cargo transport in neurons, a critical process for nervous system development and the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

In this free-wheeling conversation, we discuss about her biographical journey of how she got interested in science and became a biologist. We discuss story of trials and tribulations while exploring this path. There are many interesting strands in this conversation, including thoughts on science in India, science careers, perseverance, curiosity, and many other facets of philosophy of science.

There is a nice segment in Tamil and Hindi and a discussion on books that has influenced her.

Listen, as we humanize science…. 

Google and apple podcast

REFERENCES:

1. Sandhya Koushika (@WormlockHolmes) / X [WWW Document], 2024. . X (formerly Twitter). URL https://twitter.com/WormlockHolmes (accessed 3.20.24).
2. Home: The Koushika Lab [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/koushika/index.html (accessed 3.19.24).
3. Menon, G., Koushika, S., 2010. Takes two to tango. Nature India. https://doi.org/10.1038/nindia.2010.30
4. Koushika, S., Barua, D., 2010. Removing barriers in Indian biosciences. Nature India. https://doi.org/10.1038/nindia.2010.51
5. People: The Koushika Lab [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/koushika/people.html (accessed 3.19.24).
6. Research: The Koushika Lab [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/koushika/research.html (accessed 3.19.24).
7. Sandhya Koushika, 2024. . Wikipedia.
8. Sandhya Koushika, Department of Biological Sciences, TIFR, Mumbai [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/S_Koushika.html (accessed 3.19.24).
9. ‪Sandhya P. Koushika – ‪Google Scholar [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?hl=en&user=c4zDSQ8AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate (accessed 3.19.24).
10. Thattai, M., Koushika, S., 2009. Life sciences in India: looking back, looking forward, looking great. natindia. https://doi.org/10.1038/nindia.2009.84
11. 46 Years Later, This Iconic Pair Of NASA Spacecraft Are Still Sending Signals Home [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.inverse.com/science/nasa-voyagers-spacecraft-still-working (accessed 3.21.24).

Deepak Dhar is an Indian theoretical physicist known for his research on statistical physics and stochastic processes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Dhar

In 2022, he became the first Indian to receive the Boltzmann Medal, the highest recognition in statistical physics awarded once every three years by IUPAP. He has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023.

In this episode, we discuss his biography and explore how and why he became interested in science. When he was at Caltech, Deepak was a teaching assistant of Richard Feynman. He narrates some fascinating stories regarding Feynman. Further, we discuss about scientific thinking, and how he looks at biology from a physics viewpoint.

There is also a small segment in Hindi, and many other strands of conversation, which are engaging, educative and fascinating.

Listen, as we humanize science.

Spotify :

Google and apple podcasts

References :

1. ‪Deepak Dhar – ‪Google Scholar [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=dl1wQfwAAAAJ&hl=en (accessed 3.3.24).
2. Dhar, D., 1990. Self-organized critical state of sandpile automaton models. Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 1613–1616. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.64.1613
3. Dhar, D., Ramaswamy, R., 1989. Exactly solved model of self-organized critical phenomena. Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 1659–1662. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.63.1659
4. India in Focus: Prof. Deepak Dhar Honoured with the Boltzmann Medal | Principal Scientific Adviser [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.psa.gov.in/article/india-focus-prof-deepak-dhar-honoured-boltzmann-medal/4219 (accessed 3.3.24).
5. The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences, 2024. . Wikipedia.
6. The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences [WWW Document], 2021. URL https://web.archive.org/web/20210212111540/http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/MathDrama/reading/Wigner.html (accessed 3.3.24).

Anisa Chorwadwala is faculty member at the Department of Mathematics, at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune, India.

https://sites.google.com/site/anisa23in

In this episode we discussed how and why she got interested in mathematics, an interesting segment on learning in mother tongue, her journey through economic and social barriers. How she overcame them, and how she is brings in an element of culture to her work. Also discussion on women in mathematics and her work related to it.

Anisa is an expert in Shape Optimization Problems. An active member of the academic community, she has been involved in various research activities and programs. Anisa’s dedication to her field is evident through her participation in training programs and interacting with students. With a strong focus on academia and research, Anisa Chorwadwala continues to make significant contributions to the field of Mathematics and her academic community.

Listen, as we humanize science.

Google and Apple podcast

References :

1. Anisa (@Anisa93030121) / X [WWW Document], 2023. . X (formerly Twitter). URL https://twitter.com/Anisa93030121 (accessed 2.23.24).
2. ‪Anisa Chorwadwala – ‪Google Scholar [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=7um-qAkAAAAJ&hl=en (accessed 2.23.24).
3. Anisa Chorwadwala – IISER Pune [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/mathematics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/anisa-chorwadwala/253 (accessed 2.23.24).
4. anisa23in – Anisa [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://sites.google.com/site/anisa23in/anisa (accessed 2.23.24).
5. anisa23in [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://sites.google.com/site/anisa23in/ (accessed 2.23.24).
6. I know NOTHING! [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://forsureforsure.blogspot.com/ (accessed 2.23.24).
7. Mathematics, I.W. and, n.d. Indian Women and Mathematics [WWW Document]. Indian Women and Mathematics. URL https://iwm.org.in/ (accessed 2.28.24).