Fulbright-Nehru Grant Category India: Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

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.

Indranil Chakraborty

Dr. Indranil Chakraborty is currently an institute postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where he has been working since May 2023. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata, affiliated with University of Calcutta, in 2015. He then completed both his master’s degree in physics (2017) and PhD (2023) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal.

Dr. Chakraborty’s research interests lie in gravitational physics, particularly in the study of gravitational wave memory effects — a subtle and yet-to-be-detected phenomenon predicted by general relativity. Over the years, he has authored several research articles, including a single-author publication in reputed international journals.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Dr. Chakraborty is investigating how gravitational wave memory effects manifest in cosmological settings. His project also aims to develop a formalism for calculating memory effects in modified theories of gravity. This research is crucial for next-generation gravitational wave detectors, as they are expected to probe potential deviations from general relativity — currently the best-verified theory of gravity.

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.

Atanu Betal

Dr. Atanu Betal is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. He earned his BSc in 2014 from Garhbeta College, affiliated with Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, and completed his MSc in 2017 at Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. In September 2023, he was awarded a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur. He was a Senior Research Fellow from January 2024 to March 2024 at IITJ.

Dr. Betal’s research interests are in the field of experimental condensed matter physics, primarily focused on the fabrication of resistive memory, neuromorphic synaptic devices using organic materials, and scanning tunneling microscopy of low-dimensional materials. He has published 34 research articles (eight as the first author and 26 as a co-author) in reputable international journals.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at GIT, Georgia, Dr. Betal is focusing on the fabrication of vertical FETs and their application in neuromorphic synaptic devices — an area of growing interest among scientists for advancing artificial intelligence hardware. During his fellowship, Dr. Betal aims to explore different organic semiconducting materials for the FET with sub-nanometer channel length.

Arjun Bindu Sunil

Dr. Arjun Bindu Sunil is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Sahas Labs, a product development company developing deep-tech robotics and instrumentation solutions based in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. He also leads Embedite, another startup working on healthcare and sustainability, as the Chief Executive Officer. He completed his BTech in mechanical engineering at Government Engineering College Barton Hill in Trivandrum. He gained his master’s in research and PhD from the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in June 2024 with the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship. His research was focused on developing an intraoperative probe that integrates multimodal tissue characterization and soft robotics to enhance brain tumor margin delineation.

Dr. Sunil has made several significant contributions to neural engineering and biomedical engineering with skillsets in microfabrication, robotics and product design. He has 12 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, four granted patents and eight patent applications. He received the BIRAC SITARE-GYTI Award 2021 and Sun Pharma Science Foundation Science Scholar Award 2022, among others, and is the national winner of James Dyson Award 2022. He represented India at the BRICS Young Scientist Forum 2024 as a young innovator.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow under the guidance of Prof. Shriya Srinivasan, Dr. Sunil is aiming to develop a myoelectric prosthesis that can be implanted in the upper limbs through modular surgical techniques. The technology used in the proposed prosthesis seeks to improve upper limb control in patients, providing a more accessible and less invasive alternative to existing solutions.

Arin Bhakat

Dr. Arin Bhakat is currently a project staff member (SRF-Direct) at the Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam. He earned his BSc in 2016 from Haldia Government College under Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, and completed his MSc in 2018 at Presidency University, Kolkata. In July 2024, he was awarded a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Assam.

Dr. Bhakat’s research interests are primarily in the field of crystal engineering, especially 2D crystals and moiré superlattice, design, synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly of nanomaterials (QDs, metal NPs, NCs & Janus structure) and organic-inorganic molecular microcrystals for optoelectronic devices and sensors, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. He has published many research papers in various internationally reputed journals and has an Indian technology transfer patent. As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Stanford University, Dr. Bhakat is working with Prof. Zare and focusing on water micro-droplet assisted catalytic synthesis of nitric acid directly from nitrogen/air in the ambient conditions. He aims to explore sustainable water micro-droplet catalysis, scaling up the synthesis, and investigating reaction pathways.

Abhishek Dixit

Dr. Abhishek Dixit is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He earned his BTech in 2015 from JSS Noida, affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, and completed his MTech in 2018 at IIT Guwahati. In March 2024, he was awarded a PhD from IIT Guwahati. As part of his doctoral research, he worked as a guest PhD student at the University of Goettingen, Germany, under the NAMASTE+ program funded by DAAD and the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Dr. Dixit’s research spans fluvial sedimentology, groundwater, glaciers, and oceans, with publications in leading international journals. He has also visited the University of Leeds under the BRAINSTORM project, funded by the university’s International Strategy Fund, to advance collaborations on Himalayan research.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Dixit is studying the impacts of large mass-wasting events, such as landslides and ice-rock avalanches, on river dynamics and flooding risks in the Brahmaputra River basin. His work combines geochronology, remote sensing, and numerical simulations to evaluate the consequences of these events in a warming Himalayan environment.

Aarthi Kannan

Dr. Aarthi Kannan is currently an Ingenieur de recherche (research engineer) at the Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, Sorbonne Université, France, since December 2024. She got her PhD degree from SASTRA Deemed University, Tamil Nadu, in August 2024. Aarthi earned her MTech in medical nanotechnology (integrated) from the same institution in May 2019.

Dr. Kannan’s research primarily focuses on nanotechnology, particularly in materials science (hybrid and 2D nanomaterials) and electrochemical nanosensors for environment and health applications. She has published 10 research articles in reputed scientific Q1 journals and holds two Indian patents. She is also the co-founder and innovator of SENSOIL, a start-up incubated at ABLEST-TBI, SASTRA.

Dr. Kannan was awarded the UGC-Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child to pursue her PhD. Also, she was awarded the prestigious Mitacs-SICI Globalink research (Indo-Canadian) grant to pursue her research internship at McMaster’s University, Ontario, Canada. She has actively participated in national and international conferences, delivering both oral and poster presentations.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Kansas State University, Dr. Kannan is working with Dr. Suprem R. Das in the Micro/Nano Materials and Device Manufacturing Group. During this fellowship, her research will focus on developing two-dimensional, atomically thin nanoscale materials to fabricate innovative dual-selective phosphate electrochemical sensors for soil and water analysis in neutral pH conditions.

Mohammed Roshan Cheerakolil Konath

Dr. Mohammed Roshan C.K. completed his Ph.D. from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai in 2021. He completed his master’s and bachelor’s in sociology from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and the University of Calicut, Malappuram, Kerala respectively. In his Ph.D. dissertation, he explored the techniques of cultivating affective bonding with the Prophet Muhammed and the devotional world these bonds create among the Mappila Muslims of Kerala, South India.

Dr. Roshan has published in renowned academic and non-academic journals. He has presented at numerous national and international conferences. His area of interest revolves around the sociology of religion, technology, globalization and local cultures, affect studies, intellectual history of Islam, anthropology of Islam, and Islam and Muslims in South Asia.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Dr. Roshan is looking at a recent phenomenon among Mappila Muslims of South India whereby they look toward North American Muslim scholars to form an opinion on Islamic matters and shape their everyday life. The foundational assumption in this study is that this new tendency needs to be located in the ongoing surge of neo-traditional Islam in different parts of the world. The study compares neo-traditional Islam’s characters, structures, mode of knowledge production, global networking, and authorities in North America and South India, and analyzes the shared characteristics and ruptures between traditional Islam in both contexts. Dr. Roshan’s study enquires how these complex trans-local realities, mediated through the means and structure of globalization, call to reimagine the conventional boundaries between Islam and the West.

Ruokuonuo Rose Yhome

Dr. Ruokuonuo Rose Yhome obtained her B.A. degree from St. Joseph’s College, University of Nagaland in 2012, and her master’s degree from the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune in 2014. She then received her Ph.D. in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Veena Mushrif Tripathy at Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune. Her doctoral research focused on microwear analysis of human dentition recovered from the Jotsoma, Leshemi, Ranyak Khen, and Rikhelüwong sites in Nagaland.

At Highland Institute, an independent research center located in Nagaland, Dr. Yhome worked as Programme Manager and supervised field teams. During such efforts, she collaborated with international research teams from the U.K., including the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development and the University of Leeds, as well as with national teams from India, including Oxford Policy Management and the World Bank.

Although diet is broadly accepted as a critical parameter for understanding human behavior and ecological adaptation, and dental microwear analysis (DMA) is emerging as a preferred method by which bioarcheologists and paleontologists can reconstruct the diets of past peoples, the latter remains largely unused at India’s most important archaeological sites. During her Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Dr. Yhome aims to address this significant lacuna by exploring the dietary behaviors of Chalcolithic, including Harappan and Iron Age populations, through an analysis of dental remains recovered from Harrapan, Chalcolithic, and Megalithic sites in India.