Mathematics Archives

Rekha Biswal

Dr. Rekha Biswal is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar. Her research focuses on representation theory, algebraic combinatorics, and Lie theory, with particular emphasis on Kac-Moody algebras, crystal bases, and quantum groups. Her work explores the combinatorial and algebraic structures underlying representations of infinite-dimensional Lie algebras, tensor product decompositions, and symmetric functions. Through the development of new crystal-theoretic and combinatorial techniques, she has contributed to several fundamental problems in representation theory and its connections with algebraic combinatorics.

Dr. Biswal received her integrated PhD in Mathematics from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai. She subsequently held postdoctoral positions at Université Laval, the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, and the University of Edinburgh before joining NISER in 2022. She has also served as Visiting Professor and Foreign Researcher at the Institut Camille Jordan, University of Jean Monnet, France. Her achievements have been recognized through several awards and fellowships, including the Odisha Young Scientist Award.

As a Fulbright-Nehru scholar, Dr. Biswal is focusing on the Schur positivity conjecture, a long-standing open problem in algebraic combinatorics. In collaboration with Professor Pavlo Pylyavskyy at the University of Minnesota, she will develop new combinatorial and crystal-theoretic methods to study tensor product multiplicities and advance understanding of symmetric functions and representation theory.

Kamlesh Kumar Dubey

Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Dubey is a mathematician, researcher, and academic administrator with over 19 years of experience in higher education and university administration. He completed his B.Sc. in 1999 and M.Sc. in 2002 at the University of Allahabad.

Dr. Dubey earned a PhD from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh in 2006. His interests include differential geometry, mathematical modelling, cryptography, modern algebra, and linear algebra application to blockchain, cryptocurrency, network security, cyber security and quantum cryptography. Dr. Dubey has published more than 30 research papers and holds 10 patents. He has authored three books and a book chapter. Five scholars have completed their PhD under his supervision, and three are currently pursuing it.

Dr. Dubey has been a Professor in the Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities at Invertis University, Bareilly from 2007. . Dr. Dubey has been working as Associate Professor at the Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, Lucknow, since 2025.

Dr. Dubey is a life member of the Indian Science Congress and the International Academy of Physical Sciences. He has organized conferences, Faculty development programs (FDP) and government funded INSPIRE programs. His achievements include the Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Excellence Award 2025 and the Best Paper Award 2023 from Engineered Science Publisher, USA.

As a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Dubey will be teaching predictive analytics, business analytics, descriptive analytics and data mining and engaging with the broader community through interactive projects.

Jai Kumar Sharma

Mr. Jai Kumar Sharma is a mathematics teacher at an Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), Nandurbar, a government-run tribal residential school under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. He teaches mathematics to students in Grades 6 – 12, working primarily with first-generation learners from tribal and marginalized communities. He also serves as a Master Trainer for UNICEF India’s TALASH (Tribal Aptitude, Life Skills and Self-Esteem Hub) initiative, supporting teacher development and instructional improvement in government schools.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Sharma worked as a Mathematics Faculty member at Physics Wallah Pvt. Ltd., where he delivered concept-based and exam-oriented instruction and contributed to curriculum development and assessment design. He also served as an online Mathematics Tutor with Focus Edumatics Pvt. Ltd., providing one-to-one instruction to U.S. students, and as a Subject Matter Expert with Chegg India Pvt. Ltd., supporting learners across Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, and Statistics.

Mr. Sharma holds an M.Sc. from Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University and a B.Ed. from Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University. He is CTET-qualified (2022) and has completed international certifications in online teaching, educational technology, and social-emotional learning from institutions including the University of London, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Colorado.

During his Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program, Mr. Sharma is observing and participating in secondary mathematics classrooms, collaborating with U.S. teachers, and engaging in professional development on student-centered pedagogy, assessment, and instructional technology. He is understanding how American schools support diverse and first-generation learners through differentiated instruction, project-based learning, and data-informed teaching practices, and developing curriculum resources and teaching strategies that can be adapted to high-need, low-resource school settings in India.

Senthil Selvan Jayam

Mr. Senthil Selvan Jayam is a Mathematics teacher with 20 years of experience, instructing students of grades 6 through 10 at the Government Higher Secondary School in Kallur, Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu. He holds a master’s degree and a M.Phil in mathematics, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education. His contributions to developing the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure at his school, effectively integrating ICT into his classroom teaching, and creating educational content has earned him numerous awards, including the National ICT Award.

Senthil is learning about new technologies and pursuing professional development through the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement program. He is enthusiastic about the opportunity to teach in American schools and to experience the US educational system. After completing this program, he intends to share his learnings with fellow educators in detail. He firmly believes that this exchange of knowledge will benefit not only him but also his school and the larger teaching community.

Benny Varghese

Mr. Benny Varghese is Research and Publication Officer (Post Graduate Teacher Mathematics) at Navodaya Leadership Institute, Canacona, Goa—one of the seven teacher training institutes for Navodaya Schools run by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. With 25 years of teaching experience in senior secondary schools, Mr. Varghese was honored with the National ICT Award by the Government of India in 2016 in recognition of his effective and innovative integration of ICT in promoting students’ learning. During 2020-22, he served as an institute advisory board member of the Central Institute of Education Technology, a constituent unit of the National Council of Educational Research and Training, Government of India. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics and a bachelor’s degree in education.

At times, the abstractness of mathematics makes its teaching and learning a dull experience for many. Through his Fulbright DAI project, ‘Toy-based pedagogy for enjoyable mathematics learning’, Mr. Varghese aims to transform the traditional methods of teaching and learning Math by means of gamification. Given children’s fondness for games, he intends to design and use mathematical games to teach and reinforce math concepts. Upon his return to India, he intends to share his enriching Fulbright DAI experience and his pedagogical findings with Navodaya school teachers. He further aims to implement the findings of his project in Navodaya schools and in other educational organizations in the country.

Rahul Kumar

Dr. Rahul Kumar is currently a postdoctoral F ellow at the Center for Geometry and Physics, Institute for Basic Science, POSTECH, South Korea. He obtained his BSc from B S A C ollege, Mathura, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, and his MSc from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He then completed his PhD in October 2020 from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar under the supervision of Prof. Atul Dixit. His research interests are in analytic number theory, special functions, and the theory of partitions. The work of Ramanujan also influences Dr. Kumar’s research. Over the years, he has worked on various topics such as the Lambert series, zeros and special values of certain L-functions, and the theory of zeta and Bessel functions arising from modular relations, etc. He has published several research papers in reputed international journals. He has qualified for IIT-JAM, CSIR-NET, and GATE examinations. Recently, he was selected for the NBHM postdoctoral F ellowship.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow , Dr. Kumar will be joining the Department of Mathematics, Penn State University, University Park, USA. The study of Selberg L-functions has been of great interest to mathematicians since Selberg introduced them. During his stint, Dr. Kumar will also study the theory of these L-functions apart from developing the theory of generalized Hurwitz zeta and polylogarithm functions. The latter two functions have appeared in his (and others) recent works on modular relations and Herglotz functions.