Host City India: Santa Barbara

Shubham Pande

Mr. Shubham Pande is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Electrical Engineering department of Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His doctoral research primarily focuses on the characterization and modeling of Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM). He is also interested in electro-thermal analysis, compact modeling of electronic devices, and BiCMOS process development. He is an awardee of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship in 2020.

The proposed work under Fulbright-Nehru grant aims to develop strategies for reducing operating current in RRAM devices. This proposal will attempt to address this challenge by optimizing device structure using Multiphysics simulations, compact modeling, and experimental validation. Successful completion of this work will help set design guidelines and develop a fundamental understanding of the technology.

Apart from research, Shubham’s hobbies include reading, traveling, and watching movies.

Utpalendu Haldar

Mr. Utpalendu Haldar earned his bachelor’s and master’s in geology from Jadavpur University and subsequently started his career as a doctoral candidate at the Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He is working under the supervision of Prof. Ramananda Chakrabarti and is exploring the chemical evolution of earth’s continental crust. Towards this end, he has been using novel isotopic tracers on unique archives, such as komatiites, loess and glacial diamictites. He has been working in collaborations with both national and foreign universities during his tenure as a doctoral candidate.

Mr. Haldar is enthusiastic towards promoting science in all sections of society and dedicates his leisure time towards this goal. He firmly believes that co-curricular activities help nurture the best in us and has represented IISc in cricket in multiple national events. Thus, he considers the Fulbright-Nehru fellowship an opportunity to learn about and cherish the culture of the American west coast.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow, Mr. Haldar is working to enhance the understanding of crust-mantle interaction and magma chamber processes. He is investigating fluid inclusions in basalts from the Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) to further his doctoral work.

Purbajyoti Phukon

Dr. Purbajyoti Phukon has been working as an assistant professor in the Department of Earth Science, Assam University, Silchar since 2019. He obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Dibrugarh University, Assam. He completed his Ph.D. jointly from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun and the Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

Dr. Phukon’s research focuses on metamorphic petrology, geochronology, and continental tectonics, focusing on understanding the metamorphism, deformation, exhumation of deep-seated rocks in the Himalayan Orogen, and evolution shear zones. His research incorporates multidisciplinary approaches, including microstructural analysis, petrochronology of accessory mineral phases such as zircon and monazite, phase equilibria modeling, and the study of ductile deformation patterns in crystalline rocks. He has published his findings in several high-impact journals such as Lithos, GSA Bulletin, and Earth Science Review. As an assistant professor in Assam University, Silchar, he has secured two research grants – the Start-up research grant (SRG) project sponsored by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), and the Indian Himalayan Central University Consortium project of NITI Aayog, sponsored by the Ministry of Education and UGC. Additionally, he received grants for attending international conferences from SERB Travel Support and won the Best Paper award in 2018 at WIHG, Dehradun.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, Dr. Phukon aims to discern the inherent characteristics, temporal extent, and quantitative estimations of metamorphic CO2 fluxes within the eastern segment of the Himalayan orogen. Furthermore, he seeks to ascertain the potential contribution of CO2 fluxes to the atmosphere during geologically distant epochs.