Umakant is an atomic physicist who is innovating on quantum optical technologies. What motivated him to study this fascinating area ? What has been his journey in atomic physics, quantum optics and the resultant technologies? We discuss this and many other things in this episode.

Umakant Rapol, an accomplished experimental physicist, is known for his innovative research in quantum technologies.

He is currently Professor of physics at IISER. Pune, Physics Department, Pune - India.  http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~umakant.rapol/team/

His research

His work explores the dynamics of quantum systems, focusing

Listen as we humanize science. 

References

1.       Umakant Rapol (@RapolUmakant) / X

2.       Atomic physics and quantum optics

3.       Indian Institute of Science, n.d.

4.       ‪Umakant D. Rapol - ‪Google Scholar

5.       Umakant Rapol’s lab - Home [WWW

Sandhya Koushika is a Neurobiologist

Her research focuses on understanding cargo transport in neurons, a critical process for nervous system development and preventing neurodegenerative diseases.

In this free-wheeling conversation, we discuss her biographical journey and how she got interested in science and became a biologist. We discuss the story of trials and tribulations while exploring this path. There are many interesting strands in this conversation, including thoughts on science in India, science careers, perseverance, curiosity, and many other facets of the philosophy of science.

There is a nice segment in Tamil and Hindi and a discussion on books that have influenced her.

Listen, as we humanize science…. 

REFERENCES:

1.      Sandhya Koushika (@WormlockHolmes) / X [WWW

2.      Home: The Koushika Lab [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/koushika/index.html

3.      Menon, G., Koushika, S., 2010. Takes two to

4.      Koushika, S., Barua, D., 2010. Removing barriers

5.      People:

6.      Research: The Koushika Lab [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/koushika/research.html

7.      Sandhya Koushika, 2024. . Wikipedia.

8.      Sandhya Koushika, Department of Biological Sciences, TIFR, Mumbai [WWW Document], n.d.

9.      ‪Sandhya P. Koushika - ‪Google Scholar [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?hl=en&user=c4zDSQ8AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

10.  Thattai, M., Koushika, S., 2009. Life sciences in India: looking back, looking forward,

Hyperlinks on my blog : https://backscattering.blog/2017/11/13/colourful-sky-in-leonardos-eye/

Deepak Dhar is an Indian theoretical physicist known for his research on statistical physics and stochastic processes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Dhar

In 2022, he became the first Indian to receive the Boltzmann Medal, the highest recognition in statistical physics awarded once every three years by IUPAP. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023.

In this episode, we discuss his biography and explore how and why he became interested in science. When

There is also a small segment in Hindi, and many other strands of conversation, which are engaging, educative

Listen, as we humanize science.

References :

1.      ‪Deepak Dhar - ‪Google Scholar [WWW

2.      Dhar, D., 1990. Self-organized critical state of sandpile automaton models. Phys.

3.      Dhar, D., Ramaswamy, R., 1989. Exactly solved model of self-organized critical

4.      India in Focus: Prof. Deepak Dhar Honoured with the Boltzmann Medal | Principal

5.      The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences, 2024. .

6.      The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences [WWW

Anisa Chorwadwala is faculty member at the

https://sites.google.com/site/anisa23in/

In this episode we discussed how and why she

Anisa is an expert in Shape Optimization

References

1.      Anisa (@Anisa93030121) / X [WWW

2.      ‪Anisa

3.      Anisa

4.      anisa23in

5.      anisa23in

6.      I

7.      Mathematics,

Akhlesh Lakhtakia is a distinguished Evan Pugh University Professor and

As per Penn state website, he (recently) served as an expert consultant for

With over four decades of academic excellence, Lakhtakia is renowned for his

In this episode, we discuss his journey from Lucknow to Pennsylvania,

Listen, as we humanize science.

References :

1.     “Akhlesh Lakhtakia.” 2023. In Wikipedia.

2.     Website: Accessed February 17, 2024. https://sites.esm.psu.edu/~axl4/.

3.     “Akhlesh Lakhtakia - Evan Pugh University

4.     “‪Akhlesh Lakhtakia - ‪Google Scholar.” n.d.

5.     “Biologically Inspired Design: A Primer |

6.     “Craig Bohren.” 2023. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Bohren&oldid=1192250085.

7.     “Jefferson Science Fellow - Lakhtakia Bio.”

8.     Lakhtakia, Akhlesh. 2013. “So Long, Farewell,

9.     Nehru, Jawaharlal, and C. D. Narasimhaiah.

10.  Robbie, K., M. J. Brett, and A. Lakhtakia.

11.  “The Far Side Comic Strip by Gary Larson -

Balasubramanian Ananthanarayan is a Professor at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science: https://chep.iisc.ac.in/Personnel/pages/anant/index.html

His research interests include low energy physics at high precision, beyond the standard model physics at colliders, and

Additionally, he blogs and has contributed articles to Resonance and Current Science. Ananthanarayan is also known for his sense of humor, as evidenced by his light-hearted anecdotes and favourite poems.

References:

1.    “B Ananthanarayan.” n.d. Accessed February 13,

2.    “B. Ananthanarayan.” n.d. Accessed February

3.    “‪B Ananthanarayan - ‪Google Scholar.” n.d.

4.    “B Ananthanarayan (@bananthanarayan) / X.”

5.    Ananthanarayan, B., Sumit Banik, Souvik Bera,

6.    Ananthanarayan, B., and Subhendra Mohanty.

7.    “Anant-Observations.” n.d. Accessed February

8.    “Welcome to The Institute of Mathematical

Suresh joins me from the Zanzibar (Africa) campus of IIT Madras !

Suresh Govindarajan is a theoretical physicist and a professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. https://physics.iitm.ac.in/~suresh/index.html

He specializes in String Theory, and his research interests include conformal field theory, black holes, statistical physics, combinatorics, and mathematical physics. Suresh is also an avid long-distance runner who runs marathons and other long-distance events. In this 'free-running' conversation, we discuss his biographical journey. His trials and tribulations in constructing a career as an academic, his wonderful story of how he overcame barriers during his PhD and postdoc, and how and why he took up a new challenge when he was around 40: marathon running.

Listen, as we humanize science.

References :

Susmita Adhikari is an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at IISER Pune.

She obtained her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and has held postdoctoral positions at The Kavli Institute of Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, and the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Chicago & Fermilab. Her research focuses on cosmology, astrophysics, dark matter halos, and structure formation. She studies the formation and structure of dark matter halos, the co-evolution of galaxies within them, and the connection between cosmic structure formation and the sources of gravitational waves. She uses theory and simulations to interpret observations of gravitationally bound objects, aiming to understand the underlying nature of dark matter and gravity.In this conversation, we discussed how she got interested in physics and how it evolved into a research career in astrophysics. We discussed her experience of studying and researching in India, and the USA; how she got interested in dark-matter haloes and cosmology. Also, we discussed her interest in Odissi and other forms of classical dance. Listen as we humanize science.

References :

Atikur Rahman is an Associate Professor of Physics at IISER Pune, where he leads the Nano Energy & Quantum Transport Lab. https://atikurrahmanl.wixsite.com/scientist-site

His research focuses on understanding fundamental charge transport properties and applications of quasi-1D (nanowires and nanotubes), 2D materials, and mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures. His group studies electronic transport properties under varying temperature, magnetic field, and light conditions to understand the effects of interactions and disorders on the charge transport properties of quantum confined systems. They use various experimental techniques, including electrical, optical, and optoelectrical measurements, to characterize nanodevices. The group has extensive experience in synthesizing 2D and 1D materials, nanodevice fabrication, and tuning materials properties through nanotexturing. They are also involved in building new experimental setups and encouraging students to set up new measurement capabilities.

In this conversation, we discuss his research journey; and how and why he got interested in condensed matter physics and related technologies.

Listen..as we humanize science...

References :

“‪Atikur Rahman‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬.” n.d. Accessed January 13, 2024. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=ue65bNkAAAAJ&hl=en.

“Atikur Rahman - IISER Pune.” n.d. Accessed January 13, 2024. https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/atikur-rahman/321.

“Atikur Rahman (@atikur321) / X.” n.d. X (Formerly Twitter). Accessed January 23, 2024. https://twitter.com/atikur321.

“Home.” n.d. Scientist-Site. Accessed January 13, 2024. https://atikurrahmanl.wixsite.com/scientist-site.