Energy Studies Archives

Amiya Kumar Jana

Dr. Amiya K. Jana is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. He has received research funds as principal investigator from DST, DAE (BRNS), CSIR, MHRD, and ISRO, among others. He has authored over 150 research articles in several international journals of repute. He is the sole author of three textbooks in the area of numerical analysis, modeling, simulation and control.

Dr. Jana has received numerous awards and recognitions, including Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK, 2023), Faculty Excellence Award (IIT Kharagpur, 2021), Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany, 2017), inclusion in World’s Top 2% Scientists list (Stanford University, 2020 – 24), and is an editorial board member of Scientific Reports (Nature Group) and Frontiers in Control Engineering (Frontiers Publisher, Switzerland). His research focuses on renewable energy, clean fuel, desalination, process integration and control.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence fellowship, Dr. Jana is planning to work on the proton exchange membrane fuel cell with its optimization and control by the use of AI-based state estimator.

Jyoti Gupta

Dr. Jyoti Gupta is an independent researcher from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. She earned her BSc (physics & mathematics) in 2013 and her MSc (physics) in 2015 from Udai Pratap Autonomous College, affiliated with Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. In June 2024, she was awarded a PhD from the University of Hyderabad, Telangana State. Dr. Gupta was a visiting research fellow at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-BHU), Varanasi from January 2024 to October 2024.

Dr. Gupta’s research interests are primarily in the field of development of earth-abundant electrocatalysts for energy conversion application with a focus of hydrogen evolution reaction application. She has published several research articles in reputed international journals. She was also recognized for one of her publications under the University of Hyderabad’s Incentive of Excellence scheme.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Dr. Gupta is focusing on the development of MoS2/MXene nanocomposite using fluorine-free synthesis method and its utilization as bifunctional electrocatalyst for water electrolyzers. During his fellowship, Dr. Gupta aims to explore cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for electrocatalytic water splitting.

Sreelakshmy Thekkekara

Ms. Sreelakshmy Thekkekara is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram. Her doctoral research focuses on the development of cathode materials for high-performance sodium-ion batteries. She is passionate about innovations in energy storage devices and is actively seeking new methods to improve battery materials and discover new systems with enhanced electrochemical performance.

Sreelakshmy holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Vimala College, Thrissur, and a master’s degree in physics from the Central University of Kerala. She is a Prime Minister’s Research Fellow and began her PhD at the School of Physics, IISER, in August 2022.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, National Accelerator Laboratory, Sreelakshmy is conducting scientific research focused on the fundamental studies of earth-abundant materials for cathodes used in sodium-ion batteries. This research area is crucial to advance sodium-ion battery technology, which is considered a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to the abundance and lower cost of sodium compared to lithium. Her work will also involve understanding electrochemical processes and structural changes using various spectroscopy and imaging techniques, including electron, X-ray, and neutron methods. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, listening to music, and exploring new places to discover food and culture.

Ansuman Halder

Dr. Ansuman Halder obtained his B.Sc. degree from Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta, in 2011 and then joined the M.Sc.-Ph.D. dual degree program at the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai. He pursued his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Shaibal K. Sarkar and received his dual degree in 2020. His research work was focused on understanding the structural and opto-electronic properties of various hybrid halide perovskite materials for photovoltaic applications.

Besides publishing several research articles in reputed international journals, Dr. Halder filed a patent for development of perovskite based thermochromic photovoltaic devices during his Ph.D. He was awarded the prestigious Bhaskara Advanced Solar Energy (BASE) fellowship in 2017 for a 3 month internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado. After finishing his Ph.D., Dr. Halder joined Bar-Ilan University, Israel in 2020 as a postdoctoral fellow and worked with Prof. David Cahen to understand the electrical and electronic properties of hybrid perovskite materials.

Use of solar power for energy generation is highly advantageous as it is abundant and pollution free. In recent times, perovskite based solar cells have emerged as one of the most promising technologies to provide solar generated electricity at lower costs. During his Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Dr. Halder is focusing on understanding the growth dynamics of the large-scale perovskite thin film formation that is essential for development of perovskite based solar cell technology.

Rabindranath Garai

Dr. Rabindranath Garai is Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, where he works on the fabrication of semi-transparent PSCs for building integration. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in 2014 from Midnapore College, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore and his M.Sc. degree in 2016 from the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad. He then earned his Ph.D. in 2022 under the supervision of Dr. Parameswar K. Iyer at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. His research work focuses on the investigation of multifunctional molecules for efficient and durable polymer and perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

Dr. Garai has published several research articles in recognized international journals and filed three patents in solar cell technology. He also received the “Chemical Science Best Poster Presentation Prize” at ChemSci2021: Leaders in the Field Symposium organized by the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bangalore in association with the Chemical Science journal. His other scientific recognitions include the Award of Sakura Science Program-2019 held at Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan.

Dr. Garai is pursuing his Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department, Rice University. He is working under the mentorship of Dr. Aditya D. Mohite, who is recognized as one of the world’s leading scientists in the field of perovskite-based solar cell devices. Dr. Garai’s project aims to develop high-performance and durable PSCs through structural phase and interface engineering.

Ardhra Shylendran

Ms. Ardhra Shylendran is a Ph.D. candidate at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra. Her doctoral thesis focuses on molecular dynamics simulations and modeling of ion transport in the alkali metal ion rechargeable battery electrolytes. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed international journals and presented at national and international conferences.

Before joining IISER Pune as a research scholar, Ms. Shylendran completed her BS-MS dual degree in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She was a recipient of the INSPIRE scholarship from the Government of India during her BS-MS. She has also been awarded INSPIRE fellowship for pursuing her Ph.D. at IISER Pune.

Apart from science, she is interested in various kinds of arts like painting, drawing, and calligraphy. She is a classical dancer, trained in Bharatnatyam, and also practices yoga and meditation. She enjoys spending time on the beach and in the mountains and trekking/hiking. She loves to travel and meet people of various cultures.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow, Ms. Shylendran is exploring the computational modeling of solid electrolyte interphases. She is primarily working on finding alternatives to conventional electrolytic solvents and predicting their physical, structural, and dynamic properties using the existing computational tools.

Sandip Kumar Saha

Dr. Sandip Kumar Saha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. He works in the broad area of thermal energy storage, solar receivers, and cooling technologies. His primary research interest is exploring the different types of thermal energy storage for solar thermal applications. In recent years, he has been actively involved in developing and demonstrating new technologies for thermal energy storage, solar receiver, and green building.

Dr. Saha received his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He was with R&D TATA Steel, India, as a Researcher, and Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, as a postdoctoral fellow before joining IIT Bombay as a faculty member in 2012. Since then, he has carried out several large, funded projects in thermal energy storage. Prof. Saha is a recipient of the Bhaskara Advanced Solar Energy (BASE) Fellowship, IUSSTF, 2016. He was awarded the IIT Bombay research award 2020. He is currently serving on the editorial boards of Scientific Reports.

Dr. Saha’s Fulbright-Nehru project aims to develop a new high thermal conductive solid-solid phase change material that can be stable for more than few thousands of thermal cycles for low-temperature solar applications (<80 C). A detailed investigation of the thermophysical properties using state-of-art experimental and computational facilities will be carried out to optimize the process parameters and the filler materials. Specifically, an emphasis will be given to understanding the contact between filler polymer interfaces and interfacial thermal resistance. For his teaching component, Prof. Saha is team-teaching a course on advanced engineering thermodynamics with his host. To ensure synergy between the two components, interested students from the course will be involved in analysing and thereby enhancing the performance of energy systems using thermal energy storage through the research work.

Shruti Suriyakumar

Dr. Shruti Suriyakumar did her post-graduation at Lady Doak College, Madurai, where she majored in physics and joined CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi for her Ph.D. Her doctoral thesis on developing nanostructured composite cathodes, permselective separators, and ionic liquid-based hybrid electrolytes for lithium-sulfur batteries was conferred the Best Thesis award in Physical Sciences from the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi.

Dr. Suriyakumar later received the National Post Doctoral Fellowship at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM). Her research was focused on developing sulphide-based solid electrolytes for sodium batteries. As a project scientist at IISER TVM, she has contributed to developing solid electrolytes for lithium and sodium batteries and has been involved in designing electrodes and electrolytes for next-generation battery chemistries.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow, Dr. Suriyakumar’s research at Rice University, Houston, TX is focusing on electrode-electrolyte interface engineering for solid-state batteries. The project involves the rational design of 2D materials, introducing them as interlayers/ coatings between the solid-solid point of contact and regulating the lithium-ion flux, thereby improving the cycling stability and performance of all-solid-state lithium batteries.

Avinash Kumar Pandey

Avinash Kumar Pandey is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. His doctoral work focuses on numerical modeling and studying the underlying physics of flow-induced vibrations of flexible/rigid bodies. As a child he would observe leaves swaying on the branches of trees and his country’s national flag fluttering in the wind. These later inspired him to work in his field of study. He has published papers in reputed journals and has participated in various national and international conferences and webinars.

Avinash holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from LNCT Bhopal, and a master’s in computational mechanics from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. He has always been a meritorious student and has won numerous awards. His experience also includes working as a senior engineer at Larsen & Toubro Limited, Vadodara, Gujarat, performing the stress analysis of critical (high temperature and pressure) pipelines in a refinery.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, Avinash is developing a fully coupled fluid-structure-electric interaction-based numerical model that can be used to estimate the actual energy output from flow-induced vibrations (FIV) of rigid/ flexible plates. He aims to design FIV-based energy-harvesting devices suitable for inaccessible areas like deep oceans. As a student of mechanical engineering, he likes to learn about new car/ bike technologies. He also likes to play badminton and go for runs. He is fond of travelling, exploring new places, and learning about people of different cultures.