Pratidhvani - Humanizing Science

Sourabh Dube is an experimental particle physicist interested in computation and machine learning. He is an Associate Professor at the physics department, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. His webpage link:  http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~sdub:/ . In this conversation, we discussed his Biography, career trajectory, growing up in Pune. His Fergusson College experience, PhD an...

Kasturi Saha is an Associate Professor of Electric Engineering at IIT Bombay. Her research interests include Hybrid quantum systems – cavities coupled to colour defect Quantum sensing and imaging with NV-centers in diamond and allied research areas Her webpage: ⁠ https://www.ee.iitb.ac.in/~kasturis/index.php/the-team/⁠ In this episode, we discuss an emerging topic in quantum technologies - Nanodia...

Dibyendu Nandi is a Professor at IISER Kolkata. His webpage: https://www.iiserkol.ac.in/~dnandi/ His research includes solar astrophysics, sun spots, magnetohydrodynamics and the recent Aditya L1 mission. In this episode, we discussed his biography, research and teaching astrophysics, his thoughts on science in India, a short segment in Bengali and many other things. Listen as we humanize science....

Sudeshna Sinha is a Professor at IISER Mohali. She works on areas related to nonlinear dynamics, complex systems, and networks. Her webpage : https://web.iisermohali.ac.in/dept/physics/Sudeshna_Sinha.html In this episode, we discussed her biography, career trajectory, her current research interest, thoughts on science in India, a short segment in Bengali, and her future plans. Listen, as we humani...

Vishwesha is a physicist turned ecologist. He is an associate professor in centre for ecological sciences at Indian institute of science BengaluruHis webpage :  https://ces.iisc.ac.in/?q=user/36 . In this episode we discuss his biography education and research experience at IIT Kanpur,  Ohio State University, Princeton and IISc laboratory research interests love for teaching fatherhood and work-li...

Biman Nath is a cosmologist and a Professor at Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru His webpage : https://wwws.rri.res.in/~biman/ He is also bi-lingual author (non-fiction+fiction) We discuss his bio, growing up in Assam, career trajectory in India & US, his research, books, writing process ++ his current research interest in cosmology especially related to diffuse gases and deliberated on some...

Bio from his website : Arindam Ghosh is a Professor at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science. He did his PhD at the Indian Institute of Science on probing metal-insulator transition and Coulomb interaction effect in doped semiconductors in 2000, following which he worked in Cambridge University, UK, as a post doctoral researcher. His current research interests include the transpor...

I am delighted to introduce you to my guest on this episode : M S Santhanam “Website of M. S. Santhanam.” Accessed September 5, 2023. http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~santh/. Santhanam is a physicist and a professor in dept. of physics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune He is a theoretical physicist, and his research interest include a variety of topics including chaos and no...

Kaneenika Sinha is a mathematician and is as associate professor in department of mathematics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune. She is a number theorist, and her research interest is in analytic number theory and arithmetic statistics of modular forms. Kaneenika did her PhD from Queen's University in Canada, and spent a few years as post doc in Univ of Toronto, Univ o...

E Arunan is a physical chemist and Professor at Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru webpage : https://ipc.iisc.ac.in/~ea/arunan_cv_December2020.html twitter : https://twitter.com/earunan?lang=en In this episode (2 hour+) we discussed his biography, learning science in Tamil, his transition from Madurai to Madras to Delhi to Kansas and finally to I...

I discuss the legacy of two important individuals Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar and their students. I highlight their styles of doing research and how they inspired important schools of thought. I emphasize the role of economic privilege and gender. I discuss Bimala Buti and mention about interesting books on women in science : Lilavatis Daughters and Lab Hopping. Re...

I share 15 lessons that I have learnt as an Indian Professor, academic scientist, teacher and a citizen... This is an audio-visual episode. The video is available on youtube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVIRTkGrtbrsYaCGtmHK2MVMRlWg9zFPC References : Kumar, G. V. Pavan. “12 Years as a Faculty Member in India – 12 Lessons.” Scatterings (blog), May 25, 2022. https://backscattering.blog/2022...

Ranjini is an experimental soft condensed matter physicist. She is a Professor at Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru. Ranjini's lab webpage : https://ranjinibandyopadhy.wixsite.com/complexfluids She and her lab have been working on fascinating experiments on soft squishy matter including : Structure-dynamics correlations in colloidal suspensions; Mixed clay dispersions; Active colloids (synth...

Amitabh Joshi is a Professor in EVOLUTIONARY AND ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY UNIT at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Adv Sci Research, Bengaluru. He is also a poet in Urdu and English (and occasionally, Persian). his lab webpage : https://sites.google.com/view/ebl-jncasr/home his twitter link : https://twitter.com/joshiamitabhevo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor In this episode, we discus...

Our youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/@g.v.pavankumarlab2908/playlists Please subscribe and share… Saptarshi Basu is a ‘Pratt and Whitney Chair Professor’ at Mechanical Engineering department of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru . Saptarshi lab webpage : https://www.saptarshibasulab.com/ His research interests include Multiphase transport processes. Atomization and sprays, Micro-nanos...

Nagaraj is a cell biologist and an Associate Professor of Biology at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. He is a scientist who interfaces with society and has a keen sense of aesthetics and love for music. His webpage : https://www.adhesionlab.com/public He is on twitter : https://twitter.com/AdhesionLab . In this conversation, we discussed various things including ·     his...

Seema Sharma is an experimental particle physicist who was also part of the experimental discovery of Higgs Boson at CERN. She is an Associate Professor, in the department of physics at the Indian institute of Science education research, Pune – India. Seema Sharma’s Webpage: ⁠http://sites.iiserpune.ac.in/~seema/⁠ .     In this episode we discuss about her journey from Rajsamand Rajasthan, to TIFR...

Sutirth Dey is an evolutionary biologist. He is a Professor of Biology at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. In this conversation we discussed about his own evolution as a biologist, his career trajectory from Patna, Delhi, Bangalore to Pune, and how his knowledge, research and teaching has been influenced by the interactions he had over the years. There is a nice segment in...

Aditi Sen (De) is a Professor at HRI, Allahabad. We had a freewheeling conversation on her biography, research on quantum information, motherhood, her experience of working in Europe and India. Also, we have a small segment in Bengali -বাংলা (her mother tongue) on quantum research and her motivations. Listen as we humanize science... 1.     “Aditi Sen (De).” Accessed June 27, 2023. https://sites.g...

I tell the story behind laser invention. It is a story of human imagination, tenacity, invention of a device, intense competition, blame and humor. I discuss how cold-war era USA created an environment to innovate and compete, all thanks to Sputnik... References : Hecht, Jeff. Beam: The Race to Make the Laser. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. https://global.oup.com/academic/product...

How does science approach failure and ignorance? What is an experiment? What can we learn from a failed experiment? How ignorance plays a relevant role in science and technology? I discuss these and related issues in this episode. References : 1.       Chalmers, Alan Francis. What Is This Thing Called Science? Hackett Publishing Company, Incorporated, 2013. https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/W...

References : “The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of Americ….” Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11797471-the-idea-factory . Ashkin, Arthur. Optical Trapping And Manipulation Of Neutral Particles Using Lasers: A Reprint Volume With Commentaries. World Scientific, 2006. NobelPrize.org. “The Nobel Prize in Physics 2018.” Accessed June 2, 2023. https://www.nobelpriz...

References : Watson, Peter. “Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud.” Accessed May 26, 2023. https://peterwatsonauthor.com/books/ideas-a-history-from-fire-to-freud/ . Pinker, Steven. “Rationality.” Accessed May 26, 2023. https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Rationality/HT0NEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover . “Tarka Sastra.” In Wikipedia, July 8, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/inde...

References discussed in this episode : ·       “Jugalbandi.” In Wikipedia, March 14, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jugalbandi&oldid=1077148368 . ·       Dyson, Freeman J. “Is Science Mostly Driven by Ideas or by Tools?” Science 338, no. 6113 (December 14, 2012): 1426–27. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1232773 . ·       “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” In Wikipedia...

(G. V. Pavan Kumar, “OMC 2023,” Scatterings, April 21, 2023, https://backscattering.blog/2023/04/21/omc-2023/ ) (G. V. Pavan Kumar, “Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop – History of Optical Manipulation,” Scatterings, April 19, 2023, https://backscattering.blog/2023/04/19/halina-rubinsztein-dunlop-history-of-optical-manipulation/ ) (G. V. Pavan Kumar, “3 Axis Pendulum at Yokohama City : An Introduction,” Sc...