Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee Archives

Shakshi Bhardwaj

Ms Shakshi Bhardwaj is a PhD candidate in the Department of Polymer and Process Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Her research focuses on developing multifunctional hydrophobic cellulose nanofiber aerogels integrated with phase change materials for thermal energy storage and insulation. This work aims to contribute to sustainable solutions in the building and automotive sectors.

Shakshi earned her BSc in Chemistry from the University of Delhi in 2017, followed by an MSc in Organic Chemistry from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 2019. In 2022, she began her doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Pradip Kumar Maji and was awarded the prestigious Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF). She has bagged several awards at national and international conferences for excellence in research presentations.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Shakshi is conducting collaborative research at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work focuses on cellulose-based materials for thermal insulation and thermal management applications. She is engaged in literature review, scientific writing, and hands-on learning of advanced material characterization techniques with full support from the host research group. The collaborative research is expected to contribute to sustainable material innovations relevant to both India and the United States.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Shakshi is passionate about promoting eco-friendly technologies and hopes to bridge fundamental research with real-world applications in sustainable infrastructure.

Aditi Barman Roy

Ms. Aditi Barman Roy is a PhD candidate and a teaching assistant at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Roorkee. She completed her graduation and post-graduate studies in English from the University of Calcutta and Delhi University respectively. In addition, Aditi has completed her MPhil in gender studies from Jadavpur University. Currently, as a Senior Research Fellow in English at IIT Roorkee, Aditi delves into the bioethical complexities of modern biotechnological innovations through the lens of literary fiction.

Aditi’s research on bioethics has been published in well-known journals such as the English Academy Review (Taylor and Francis) and Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures (Taylor and Francis). She has also contributed chapters to academic books related to her field of study and presented her research at various international conferences. Among her accolades is the prestigious Indian Council of Social Sciences Research grant for presenting her work at Brunel University in London and full funding to pursue her research at the University of Oklahoma for six weeks.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at Harvard, Aditi is working in the field of science and technology studies (STS) to address the complex bioethical challenges arising from the recent biomedical advancements in the 21st century. Her research is focused on the narratives of speculative fiction that investigate the bioethics of medical practice from the lens of critical posthumanism. In her free time, Aditi enjoys painting, reading, trekking, and exploring new genres of cinema.

Gagan Kumar Sharma

Mr. Gagan Kumar Sharma is working as a Ph.D. candidate under the DST-INSPIRE Fellowship program at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand. He is conducting research with Professor Davinder Kaur on 2D nanomaterial based composites for lead-free energy storage devices (supercapacitors). Mr. Sharma holds a bachelor’s degree (Honours) in physics from the University of Delhi. He is also a second-rank holder in his master’s in physics from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. During his HSC/Intermediate, he emerged as a third district topper, and the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India has awarded him the INSPIRE Scholarship for UG & PG studies.

Mr. Sharma has published his research work in various peer-reviewed international journals, including Applied Physics Letters. He has presented his research findings at numerous international conferences, including AEM-2022 held at the Imperial College London. He is a recipient of the Best Poster Presentation Award for two conferences. He is also a sportsperson and loves to travel to new places.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow, Mr. Sharma is working on the next generation lead-free and environmentally friendly energy storage technology. One of the primary goals of his research on green energy is to benefit every section of human civilization. He expects that the collaborative work will provide a tactic for commercialization at low manufacturing costs and prevent environmental imbalance. He is further optimizing several nanohybrid materials for better capacitive properties, which may solve the current energy crisis of the world. He also plans to explore various metallic foil/mesh/foam as a flexible current collector for bendable supercapacitors.

Sushmita Gouraha

Sushmita Gouraha is pursuing her Ph.D. from the Department of Hydrology at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, under the guidance of Prof. D. S. Arya and Prof. Piyush Srivastava. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of urbanization on changing rainfall patterns over a complex/ mountainous terrain. She completed her BE from the Government Engineering College Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and M. Tech from the National Institute of Technology Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Growing up in a small town, surrounded by its vibrant tribal culture and natural beauty, Sushmita felt deeply connected to her roots and harboured a desire to serve the community by understanding and addressing environmental challenges. As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Sushmita is researching on critical concerns associated with urban dynamics, especially processes related to the impact of urban precipitation, using a numerical modelling approach. Her research will help in a better understanding of the urban processes responsible for altering precipitation patterns in complex terrains. In her free time, Sushmita enjoys exploring new places, learning about different cultures, and indulging in local games.

Harshit Sosan Lakra

Dr. Harshit Sosan Lakra, a proud Oraon tribe woman from India, serves as assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and Planning and joint faculty at the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems at IIT Roorkee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from MANIT, Bhopal and a master’s degree in environmental planning from CEPT, Ahmedabad. Dr. Lakra was a FORD Foundation International fellow, which enabled her to pursue her second master’s in urban and regional planning from Cornell University in 2009, with a focus on international studies in planning. At Cornell University, she won the Cornell Urban Scholarship award and the Graduate Research Scholarship award. She completed her doctoral research at IIT Roorkee in 2019. In 2023, Dr, Lakra was selected as a Himalayan University Consortium fellow through which she co-leads a workgroup and collaborates with women leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

Dr. Lakra is leading national and international projects focusing on Tribal Human Development Index (HDI), adaptation of indigenous and local knowledge systems, and Fintech Solutions for comprehensive tribal development in Chhattisgarh, along with GoAL (gender-orientated adaptive learning) for climate change and disaster risk resilience in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Japan, indicating her interdisciplinary interest.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow, Dr. Lakra intends to create a platform for discourse, co- and cross-learning on housing, culture, and environment at different scales and connect students, stakeholders, and indigenous communities from India and the U.S. The project will bring diverse understanding and experiences, especially for the domain and community that is less researched.

Naveen Kumar Tailor

Dr. Naveen Kumar Tailor is working as a research associate in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He completed his M.Sc. in physics from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, and Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. His Ph.D. research focused on the comprehensive description of lead-free perovskites and double perovskite single crystals, including growth and investigation of fundamental properties, structure-property relationships with cation and anion transmutation, carrier dynamics, and excited state physics using optical and electrical spectroscopy techniques, as well as applications in photodetection and X-ray detection. His Ph.D. research was recognized with the Excellence in Doctoral Research award. Additionally, he has gained experience in perovskite solar cells and explored carrier dynamics in perovskites using impedance spectroscopy, as well as fundamental photophysics in perovskite nanocrystals. Recently, he has started working on CO2 reduction, focusing on the discovery of novel materials for efficient CO2 photoreduction and studying the fundamental mechanisms behind it.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow, Dr. Tailor’s has meticulously planned a project with the goal of developing cost-effective and stable X-ray detectors using solution-processed 3D/2D perovskite heterocrystals with exceptional sensitivity and low detection limits. This effort aims to increase the commercialization potential of this technology, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of X-ray detector manufacture in India and the U.S.