Mentoring

I have listed below the students who have worked (or are working) with me here at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). I have also listed the students from other institutions in Chennai -- viz. Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI), The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) and University of Madras (UM) -- whom I have mentored (or am mentoring) as well as the students who had worked with me earlier while I was at the Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad. Note that the thesis and project titles provide links to the theses and reports, when available.

Thesis supervision

At IIT-M

  1. Pathaneni Sai Rama Krishna Sri Vathsav, 2025-Present
    Topic: Primordial non-Gaussianities and observational imprints
  2. Harihara Biswanath, 2024-Present
    Topic: Gravitational waves and magnetic fields in the early universe
  3. Alipriyo Hoory, 2022-Present
    Topic: Gravitational waves from inflation and reheating
  4. Suvashis Maity, 2018-2024
    Title: Ultra slow roll inflation and reheating: Observational imprints and higher-order correlations
  5. Sagarika Tripathy, 2017-2023
    Title: Genesis of magnetic fields during inflation: Implications of deviations from slow roll
    Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
  6. H. V. Ragavendra, 2016-2022
    Title: Observational imprints of non-trivial inflationary dynamics over large and small scales
    Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Universita degli Studi di Padova, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Padova, Padova, Italy
  7. V. Sreenath, 2011-15
    Title: Computation and characteristics of inflationary three-point functions
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangaluru

At HRI

  1. Dhiraj Kumar Hazra, 2009-12
    Title: Primordial features and non-Gaussianities
    Current position: Reader, The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
  2. Rajeev Kumar Jain, 2005-09
    Title: On the origin and evolution of perturbations in the early universe
    Current position: Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Joint thesis supervision

At IIT-M

  1. Rathul Nath Raveendran, 2013-18, Joint supervision with Ghanashyam Date and Balachandran Sathiapalan, The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
    Title: Two field models of inflationary and bouncing scenarios
    Current position: National Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
  2. Debika Chowdhury, 2013-18, Joint supervision with Dawood Kothawala, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
    Title: Inflation, bounces and primordial correlations
    Current position: DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
  3. D. Jaffino Stargen, 2011-17, Joint supervision with Dawood Kothawala, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
    Title: Investigations in semi-classical gravity and cosmology

At HRI

  1. Kumar Atmjeet, 2009-15, Joint supervision with T. R. Seshadri, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi
    Title: Cosmological magnetogenesis
    Current position: Associate, Morgan Stanley, Mumbai

Postdoctoral fellows

The following postdoctoral fellows have collaborated or closely interacted with me.

At IIT-M

  1. Dibya Chakraborty, 2024-Present
  2. Arnab Paul, 2024-Present
  3. Nilanjandev Bhaumik, 2023-2024
    Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, International Centre for Theoretical Physics Asia-Pacific, Beijing, China
  4. Mohammed Riajul Haque, 2021-2023
    Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
  5. Sukannya Bhattacharya, 2021
    Current position: Instituto de Fisica Teorica UAM/CSIC, Madrid, Spain
  6. Sampurn Anand, 2019-20
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur
  7. Pankaj Saha, 2019-2021
    Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Japan
  8. Debottam Nandi, 2017-20
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Center for Cosmology and Science Popularization, SGT University, Gurugram
  9. Rahul Kothari, 2017-18
    10. Current position: Assistant Professor, School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi
  10. Krishnamohan Parattu, 2016-18
    11. Current position: Assistant Professor, School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi
  11. Nirmalya Kajuri
    Current position: Assistant Professor, School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi

At HRI

  1. Akhilesh Nautiyal
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur
  2. Shailesh Kulkarni
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
  3. Sashideep Gutti
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
  4. Sudipta Das
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
  5. Pravabati Chingangbam
    Current position: Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru

Supervision of projects

Graduate projects at IMSc

  1. Sushovan Mondal, 2018-19
    Topic: Schwinger effect in de Sitter spacetime
  2. Akhil Antony, 2018-19
    Topic: Bouncing scenarios
  3. Rathul Nath Raveendran, 2013-14
    Title: A study of the inflationary paradigm

Graduate projects at HRI

  1. Dhiraj Kumar Hazra, January-May 2009
    Topic: Primordial features with tachyons
  2. Girish Kulkarni, January-May 2007
    Topic: Origin of perturbations in the inflationary scenario
    Current position: Reader, Department of Theoretical Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
  3. Anindya Dey, January-May 2007
    Topic: Perturbations in a bouncing universe
    Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, U.S.A.
  4. Ayan Mukhopadhyay, January-May 2006
    Topic: Cosmological perturbation theory
    Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
  5. Nishikanta Khandai, January-May 2005
    Topic: The physics of CMB anisotropies
    Current position: Reader, School of Physical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research Bhubaneswar, Khurda
  6. Rajeev Kumar Jain, January-May 2005
    Topic: Generation of density perturbations from inflation

Bachelor's and master's projects at IIT Madras

  1. Subhrajyoti Saha, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2025-26
    Topic: Quantum nature of gravitational waves
  2. Anoushka Sanghi, B.Tech. Engineering Physics, IV year, 2025-26
    Topic: Primordial gravitational waves and observations by the pulsar timing arrays
  3. Hrishabh Srivastava, B.Tech.-M.Tech. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Data Science, V year, 2023-24
    Title: A Bayesian approach to understanding the nature of dark energy
  4. Rahul, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2023-24
    Title: Evolution of perturbations and the matter power spectrum
  5. Pramit Bhattacharyya, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2023-24
    Title: Spectral distortions in the cosmic microwave background
  6. Nirmal Dinesh Padwal, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2022-23
    Topic: Gravitational lensing of electromagnetic and gravitational waves
  7. M. S. Dinesh, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2022-23
    Topic: Quantum-to-classical transition of primordial perturbations
  8. Pulkit Bansal, B.Tech.-M.Tech. Engineering Physics and Quantum Quantum Science and Technology, V year, 2022–23
    Title: Inflation and primordial perturbations in modified theories of gravitation
  9. Rahul Priyadarshan, B.Tech. Aerospace Engineering, IV year, 2021-22
    Title: Comparison of models of the early universe with the cosmological data
  10. Tamal Mukherjee, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2021-22
    Title: Generation of primary and secondary gravitational waves in the early universe
  11. Saurav Mishra, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2021-22
    Title: Formation of primordial black holes in the early universe
  12. Abhik Bhattacharjee, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2020-21
    Title: Generation of primordial magnetic fields and imprints on gravitational waves
  13. S. Karthik, B.Tech. Engineering Physics, IV year, 2019-20
    Topic: Schwinger effect in cosmology
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, University of Flordia, Gainesville, Flordia, U.S.A.
  14. Amit Vikram, B.Tech. Engineering Physics, IV year, 2017-18
    Topic: The Schwinger effect in inflationary cosmology
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, U.S.A.
  15. S. Sindhu Sri Sravya, B.Tech. Engineering Physics, IV year, 2017-18
    Topic: The matter power spectrum
    Current position: Master’s student, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
  16. H. S. Sunil Simha, B.S.-M.S. Physics, V year, 2017-18
    Title: Mg II absorber clustering along QSO sightlines
    This project was jointly supervised with Prof. R. Srianand of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.
    17. Current position: Graduate student, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A.
  17. Arnab Pradhan, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2017-18
    Title: Thermal history of the universe
  18. Mohammad Asif Azad, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2017-18
    Title: Decoherence and the quantum-to-classical transition
  19. Somdutta Ghosh, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2015-16
    Title: Non-perturbative effects in quantum field theory
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, U.S.A.
  20. Rahul Sai Poruri, B.S.+M.S. Physics, V year, 2015
    Title: Numerical evaluation of the inflationary tensor bi-spectrum using Python
    Current position: Software developer, Enthought, Pune
  21. Simran Singh, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2014-15
    Title: Big bang nucleosynthesis
    Current position: Graduate student, Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
  22. Sake Sunil Kumar, B.Tech. Electrical Engineering, IV year, 2014-15
    Title: Quantum field theory in de Sitter spacetime
    Current position: Graduate student, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
  23. Darshan Kakkad, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2013-14
    Title: Radiative processes in astrophysics
    Current position: Graduate student, European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany
  24. Sayantan Auddy, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2012-13
    Title: Inflation and cosmological perturbation theory
    Current position: Graduate student, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
  25. Ramit Dey, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2012-13
    Title: Classical and semi-classical aspects of black holes
    Current position: Graduate student, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
  26. Tirthankar Banerjee, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2011-12
    Title: Accelerating universe and the nature of dark energy
    Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K.

Bachelor's and master's projects at other institutions

At IIT-M

  1. Neel Shah, B.S.-M.S. Physics, V year, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, 2022-23
    Topic: Constraining inflation and reheating through novel observational signatures and data
  2. S. Shikshaa, B.Sc. Physics, III year, Department of Physics, Meenakshi College for Women, Chennai, January-March 2021
    Title: A study of Newtonian cosmology
  3. Parvathy Harikumar, M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Madras, Chennai, January-May 2015
    Title: Rotation curves of galaxies
  4. S. Prasanth, B.Sc. Physics, III year, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai, 2011-12
    Title: Early and late time acceleration
    Current position: Graduate student, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai

At HRI

  1. Atul Chhotray, Integrated M.Sc. in Physics and B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, V year, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, January-May 2010
    Title: Classical and semi-classical aspects of black holes
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.A.

Supervision of visiting students

At IIT-M

  1. R. Sahil, M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Physics, Karnatak University, Dharwad, June-July 2016
    Topic: A spacetime view of special relativity
  2. Lokahith Agasthya, Integrated B.S.-M.S. Physics, III year, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, June-July 2016
    Topic: Formation of structures in the universe
  3. Vaishak Prasad, Integrated M.Sc. in Physics, IV year, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani - Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, June-July 2015. Joint supervision with: Dawood Kothawala, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
    Topic: Estimation of cosmological parameters from supernovae data

At HRI

  1. Nilanjan Banik, B.Tech. Mechanical Engineering, III year, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mining Machinery Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, May-June 2009
    Topic: Dark energy and the accelerating universe
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.
  2. Harikrishnan Ramani, B.Sc. Physics, II year, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai, July 2009
    Topic: Inflation and late time acceleration
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, U.S.A.
  3. Ishan Srivastava, B.Tech. Engineering Physics, III year, Departments of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, June-July 2007
    Topic: Gravitational lensing and microlensing
  4. Sk. Maidul Haque, M.Sc. Physics, I year, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, May-June 2007
    Topic: Galactic dynamics
    Current position: Scientific officer, Atomic and Molecular Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Visakhapatnam
  5. Arindam Chatterjee, B.Sc. Physics, III year, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai, May-June 2006
    Topic: Dark energy with non-canonical scalar fields
    Current position: INSPIRE faculty, Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
  6. Deepak Khurana, Integrated M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Physics and Meteorology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, May-June 2005
    Topic: Gravitational lensing
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, U.S.A.
  7. Himanshu Sharma, Integrated M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Physics and Meteorology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, May-June 2005
    Topic: Decoherence and quantum Brownian motion
  8. Aswani Kumar Unnam, M.Sc. Physics, I year, Department of Physics, Periyar University, Salem, May-June 2004
    Topic: Trajectories in Schwarzschild spacetime
  9. P. C. Bharadwaj, M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, September-October 2003
    Topic: Empirical tests of the Bekenstein bound on specific entropy
  10. Anwesha Tapadar, M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, May-June 2003
    Topic: Violation of Lorentz invariance and synchrotron radiation
  11. Prabhanshu Shekhar, Integrated M.Sc. Physics, III year, Department of Physics and Meteorology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, May-June 2003
    Topic: Late time acceleration of the universe
    Current position: Graduate student, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.