Category: podcasts

Conversation with Sandhya Koushika

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…. 

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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).

Conversation with Deepak Dhar

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.

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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).

Conversation with Anisa Chorwadwala

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.

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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).

Conversation with Akhlesh Lakhtakia

Akhlesh Lakhtakia is a distinguished Evan Pugh University Professor and Charles Godfrey Binder Professor within the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Pennsylvania State University : https://sites.esm.psu.edu/~axl4/

As per Penn state webite, he (recently) served as an expert consultant for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, as chair of the U.S.-India Higher Education Partnerships Committee and as a Jefferson Science Fellow (his term ended recently).

With over four decades of academic excellence, Lakhtakia is renowned for his pioneering research in complex material electromagnetics, particularly sculptured thin films, chiral materials, and biomimetic applications. His interdisciplinary approach to innovation is evident in his extensive body of work, which includes authorship of numerous books such as “Biologically Inspired Design: A Primer” and “Theory of Graded-Bandgap Thin-Film Solar Cells.” Lakhtakia’s contributions have had a far-reaching impact across various disciplines, including optics, electronics, and forensic science. His work has been widely recognized, reflecting the significance of his research and its implications for diverse fields. As a leading figure in his field, Lakhtakia continues to inspire and influence the next generation of researchers and scholars.

In this episode we discuss his journey from Lucknow to Pennsylvania, scholarship, writing process, life as an academic and his recent efforts to build Indo-U.S. relations in higher education.

Listen, as we humanize science.

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References :

  1. “Akhlesh Lakhtakia.” 2023. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Akhlesh_Lakhtakia&oldid=1169384975.
  2. Website: Accessed February 17, 2024. https://sites.esm.psu.edu/~axl4/.
  3. “Akhlesh Lakhtakia – Evan Pugh University Professor – Penn State University | LinkedIn.” n.d. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhlesh-lakhtakia-767556109.
  4. “‪Akhlesh Lakhtakia – ‪Google Scholar.” n.d. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=wC7o_VAAAAAJ&hl=en.
  5. “Biologically Inspired Design: A Primer | SpringerLink.” n.d. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-02091-9.
  6. “Craig Bohren.” 2023. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Bohren&oldid=1192250085.
  7. “Jefferson Science Fellow – Lakhtakia Bio.” n.d. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/Jefferson/PGA_377438.
  8. Lakhtakia, Akhlesh. 2013. “So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!” Journal of Nanophotonics 7 (1): 070198. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JNP.7.070198.
  9. Nehru, Jawaharlal, and C. D. Narasimhaiah. 1989. India Rediscovered. Oxford University Press.
  10. Robbie, K., M. J. Brett, and A. Lakhtakia. 1996. “Chiral Sculptured Thin Films.” Nature 384 (6610): 616–616. https://doi.org/10.1038/384616a0.
  11. “The Far Side Comic Strip by Gary Larson – Official Website | TheFarSide.Com.” n.d. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://www.thefarside.com/.

Conversation with B. Ananthanarayan

to paraphrase John Updike :

“Though scientists are a serious clan,

To be avoided if you can,

I’d like to meet the Indian,

the humorous B Anantanarayanan”

Balasubramanian Ananthanarayan is a Professor at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science: https://chep.iisc.ac.in/Personnel/pages/anant/index.html

His research interests include low energy physics at high precision, beyond the standard model physics at colliders, and collider physics, particularly focusing on the ‘new physics’ that can be uncovered at the International Linear Collider with polarized beam. He has also been involved in a project developing the theory of unitarity bounds to obtain precise information on form factors.

Additionally, he blogs and has contributed articles to Resonance and Current Science. Ananthanarayan is also known for his sense of humor, as evidenced by his light-hearted anecdotes and favourite poems.

Listen, as we humanize science.

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References:

  1. “B Ananthanarayan.” n.d. Accessed February 13, 2024. https://chep.iisc.ac.in/Personnel/anant.html.
  2. “B. Ananthanarayan.” n.d. Accessed February 13, 2024. https://chep.iisc.ac.in/Personnel/pages/anant/index.html.
  3. “‪B Ananthanarayan – ‪Google Scholar.” n.d. Accessed February 13, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=jJZMQiIAAAAJ&hl=en.
  4. “B Ananthanarayan (@bananthanarayan) / X.” 2021. X (Formerly Twitter). November 30, 2021. https://twitter.com/bananthanarayan.
  5. Ananthanarayan, B., Sumit Banik, Souvik Bera, and Sudeepan Datta. 2023. “FeynGKZ: A Mathematica Package for Solving Feynman Integrals Using GKZ Hypergeometric Systems.” Comput. Phys. Commun. 287: 108699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2023.108699.
  6. Ananthanarayan, B., and Subhendra Mohanty. 2021. “The Accelerating Universe: Evidence and Theories.” The European Physical Journal Special Topics 230 (9): 2051–53. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00259-x.
  7. “Anant-Observations.” n.d. Accessed February 13, 2024. https://anant-observations.blogspot.com/.
  8. “Welcome to The Institute of Mathematical Sciences | The Institute of Mathematical Sciences.” n.d. Accessed February 13, 2024. https://www.imsc.res.in/.

Conversation with Suresh Govindarajan

Suresh joins me from the Zanzibar (Africa) campus of IIT Madras.

Suresh Govindarajan is a theoretical physicist and a professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

https://physics.iitm.ac.in/~suresh/index.html

He specializes in String Theory and his research interests include conformal field theory, black holes, statistical physics, combinatorics, and mathematical physics.

Suresh is also an avid long-distance runner who runs marathons and other long-distance events.

In this ‘free-running’ conversation, we discuss his biographical journey. His trials and tribulations in constructing a career as an academic, his wonderful story of how he overcame barriers during his PhD and postdoc, and how and why he took up a new challenge when he was around 40: marathon running.

Listen, as we humanize science.

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References :

  1. “Suresh Govindarajan DLM (@modularform) / X.” 2024. X (Formerly Twitter). February 4, 2024. https://twitter.com/modularform.
  2. “Personal – Suresh Govindarajan.” n.d. Accessed January 31, 2024. http://sgovindarajan.wikidot.com/personal.
  3. “IIT Madras Zanzibar Campus | Empower Your Future with IIT.” n.d. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://zanzibar.iitm.ac.in/.
  4. “Prof. Suresh Govindarajan | Faculty | IIT Madras Zanzibar.” n.d. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://zanzibar.iitm.ac.in/schools/engineering-and-science/faculty/prof-suresh-govindarajan.
  5. “Refined Counting of Higher-Dimensional Partitions – Boltzmann.” n.d. Accessed January 31, 2024. http://boltzmann.wikidot.com/refined-counting.
  6. “Suresh Govindarajan.” n.d. Accessed December 28, 2023. https://physics.iitm.ac.in/~suresh/.
  7. “‪Suresh Govindarajan‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬.” n.d. Accessed December 28, 2023. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=s6In0_oAAAAJ&hl=en.
  8. “Suresh Govindarajan’s Other Home Page – Suresh Govindarajan.” n.d. Accessed December 28, 2023. http://sgovindarajan.wikidot.com/.
  9. “The Partitions Project – Boltzmann.” n.d. Accessed January 31, 2024. http://boltzmann.wikidot.com/the-partitions-project.
  10. “Zanzibar.” 2024. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zanzibar&oldid=1199920039.

Conversation with Susmita Adhikari

Susmita Adhikari is an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at IISER Pune.

She obtained her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and has held postdoctoral positions at The Kavli Institute of Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, and the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Chicago & Fermilab.

Her research focuses on cosmology, astrophysics, dark matter halos, and structure formation. She studies the formation and structure of dark matter halos, the co-evolution of galaxies within them, and the connection between cosmic structure formation and the sources of gravitational waves. She uses theory and simulations to interpret observations of gravitationally bound objects, aiming to understand the underlying nature of dark matter and gravity.

In this conversation, we discussed how she got interested in physics and how it evolved into a research career in astrophysics. We discussed her study and research experience in India and the USA and her work on dark-matter halos and cosmology. Also, we discussed her interest in Odissi and other forms of classical dance.

Listen as we humanize science.

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References :

  1. “Susmita Adhikari – IISER Pune.” n.d. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/susmita-adhikari/382.
  2. “Susmita Adhikari – INSPIRE.” n.d. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1671322.
  3. “Susmita Adhikari (@susmita_a) / X.” 2024. X (Formerly Twitter). January 26, 2024. https://twitter.com/susmita_a.
  4. International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, dir. 2023. From the Edge of a Dark Matter Halo  by Susmita Adhikari. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYVjO6hqI7I.
  5. TEDx Talks, dir. 2021. The Weight of Darkness; Dark Matter and Universe | Susmita Adhikari | TEDxTKMCE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-7c3uiZkjA.

Conversation with Atikur Rahman

Atikur Rahman is an Associate Professor of Physics at IISER Pune, where he leads the Nano Energy & Quantum Transport Lab. https://atikurrahmanl.wixsite.com/scientist-site

His research focuses on understanding fundamental charge transport properties and applications of quasi-1D (nanowires and nanotubes), 2D materials, and mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures. His group studies electronic transport properties under varying temperature, magnetic field, and light conditions to understand the effects of interactions and disorders on the charge transport properties of quantum confined systems. They use various experimental techniques, including electrical, optical, and optoelectrical measurements, to characterize nanodevices. The group has extensive experience in synthesizing 2D and 1D materials, nanodevice fabrication, and tuning materials properties through nanotexturing. They are also involved in building new experimental setups and encouraging students to set up new measurement capabilities.

In this conversation we discuss research journey and how and why he got interested in condensed matter physics and related technologies ?

Listen..as we humanize science…

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References :

“‪Atikur Rahman‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬.” n.d. Accessed January 13, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=ue65bNkAAAAJ&hl=en.

“Atikur Rahman – IISER Pune.” n.d. Accessed January 13, 2024. https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/atikur-rahman/321.

“Atikur Rahman (@atikur321) / X.” n.d. X (Formerly Twitter). Accessed January 23, 2024. https://twitter.com/atikur321.

“Home.” n.d. Scientist-Site. Accessed January 13, 2024. https://atikurrahmanl.wixsite.com/scientist-site.


Conversation with Shivakumar Jolad

Shivakumar Jolad made a unique transition in his research career. He transformed from a theoretical physicist to a social scientist with a quantitative mind. How and why did he make a transition? Listen in as we humanize science.

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References :

Jolad, Shivakumar. 2023a. “Demography in Service of ‘Other’ Social Sciences.” Medium (blog). May 22, 2023. https://shiva-jolad-46811.medium.com/demography-in-service-of-other-social-sciences-6cfef9fae568.

———. 2023b. “The Constitution and Its Gandhian Alternative.” Medium (blog). October 7, 2023. https://shiva-jolad-46811.medium.com/the-constitution-and-its-gandhian-alternative-b2599c9ed4c4.

“Prof. Shivakumar Jolad | Faculty – FLAME University.” n.d. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.flame.edu.in/faculty/shivakumar-jolad.

“‪Shivakumar Jolad‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬.” n.d. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Yp43tdkAAAAJ&hl=en.

“Shivakumar Jolad (@shivakjolad) / X.” 2023. X (Formerly Twitter). December 6, 2023. https://twitter.com/shivakjolad.