Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Archives

Sujit Sakharam Damase

Mr. Sujit Sakharam Damase is a PhD candidate in the Department of Mathematics at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka. He completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in mathematics from Fergusson College, Pune, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, respectively. As a doctoral student, Sujit delves into the intersection of Fourier analysis, sphere packing, representation theory, operator theory, and total positivity.

Sujit’s research in mathematics has been published in well-known peer-reviewed journals such as Linear Algebra and its Applications and the Canadian Mathematical Bulletin. He has also presented his research at various international conferences and workshops across Taiwan, Canada, and Scotland. He received a travel grant from the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences to present his work in Edinburgh as the only graduate student speaker and the International Linear Algebra Society (ILAS) Student Grant. He is a Simons visitor at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, a UNESCO research center in Trieste, Italy.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Sujit will be working at the interface of discrete geometry and number theory. His research addresses the fundamental problem of sphere packing, focusing on designing good spherical codes and proving bounds on them. The study strives to advance the state of the art in constructing and analyzing packings by leveraging linear and semidefinite programming bounds and higher-order applications of harmonic analysis. In his free time, Sujit enjoys exploring the history of mathematics, reading, and taking long walks.

Dorothy Sachdeva

Ms. Dorothy Sachdeva is a PhD candidate at the Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Her doctoral research focuses on the synthesis of two-dimensional nanomaterials with precise control over their composition and morphology. She performs in-depth characterization to understand the chemical and phase transformation mechanism using advanced electron microscopy techniques.

She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemistry from Delhi University and IISc, Bengaluru, respectively. She is a recipient of the Prime Minister Research Fellowship from the Government of India, which funds her research at IISc, Bengaluru. She has publications in peer-reviewed international journals with high reach and has presented papers at national and international conferences.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Dorothy is working with in situ electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. PtCu alloy nanoparticles nucleated on highly reduced SrTiO3 nanocubes deactivate for the preferential oxidation of CO to CO2 at higher temperatures. She is trying to identify the mechanism of deactivation under operando conditions, enabling her to visualize and analyze catalytic processes with high spatial and temporal resolution in real time. When not in the lab, she can be found reading, playing, and cooking. Dorothy loves spending time with her friends and family, and enjoys travelling and meeting people from various cultures.

Chandan Pradhan

Dr. Chandan Pradhan is currently an NBHM postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He earned his BSc in 2016 from Midnapore College, West Bengal, affiliated with Vidyasagar University, and completed his MSc in 2018 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. In July 2023, he was awarded a PhD from IIT Guwahati, Assam, under the supervision of Dr. Arup Chattopadhyay. Dr. Pradhan was an IoE postdoctoral fellow at IISc (October 2023–July 2024).

Dr. Pradhan’s research interests are primarily in the field of operator theory, with a focus on the trace formulas and spectral shift functions. He has published several research articles in reputed international journals. As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, Dr. Pradhan is working on higher-order spectral shift functions (SSF) using the theory of multiple operator integrals. During his fellowship, Dr. Pradhan aims to study higher-order SSFs for pairs of self-adjoint operators, especially in the realm of differential operators, and their connections to noncommutative geometry. He is primarily focusing on the existence of SSFs.

Ria Sen Gupta

Ms. Ria Sen Gupta is a Ph.D. candidate and a Prime Minister’s Research Fellow at the Department of Materials Engineering, IISc Bangalore. She is advised by Prof. Suryasarathi Bose. Her research interests span all aspects of structure-property relationships in polymer nanocomposites. A general theme underlying her current research projects is the engineering of bioinspired membranes for water remediation from interpenetrating polymeric networks (IPNs). She is also broadly interested in water remediation, polymer nanocomposites, and EMI shielding materials. Her research has appeared in several reputed international journals. She has also delivered talks and presentations at various national and international conferences, workshops, and forums.

Before joining IISc, Ms. Sen Gupta completed her M.Tech. and post-B.Sc three-year B.Tech. in polymer science and technology at the University of Calcutta, and her B.Sc. (Hons.) in chemistry at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. In her free time, she loves singing, cooking, reading books, painting, and watching movies.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow, Ms. Sen Gupta is exploring antifouling MXene composite membranes with photocatalytic self-cleaning abilities for synergistically enhanced water treatment. In particular, she is leveraging “photocatalysis” and “membrane separation” technologies to design and fabricate broad-spectrum multifunctional membranes with improved antifouling attributes and superior membrane performance. She is synthesizing composite membranes endowed with self-cleaning and antifouling features using photocatalytic two-dimensional (2D) etched metal carbides (MXene) heterostructures. She aims to ensure that the membranes can liquidate the inhomogeneity and impaired compatibility between photocatalytic nanoparticles and the 2D heterostructures membrane-based separation layer for cost-effective membrane performance and improved shelf-life.