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
- Alipriyo Hoory, 2022-Present
Topic: To be decided - Suvashis Maity, 2018-Present
Topic: Primary and secondary gravitational waves - Sagarika Tripathy, 2017-2023
Title: Genesis of magnetic fields during inflation: Implications of deviations from slow roll - H. V. Ragavendra, 2016-2022
Title: Observational imprints of non-trivial inflationary dynamics over large and small scales
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata - 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, Mangaluru
At HRI
- Dhiraj Kumar Hazra, 2009-12
Title: Primordial features and non-Gaussianities
Current position: Reader, The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai -
Rajeev Kumar Jain, 2005-09
Title: On the origin and evolution of perturbations in the early universe
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Joint thesis supervision
At IIT-M
- 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: Research Associate, School of Physical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata - 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: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Physics, Swansea University, Swansea, U.K. - 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
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali
At HRI
- 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
- Sukannya Bhattacharya, 2021
Current position: Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia 'G. Galilei', Universita degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy - Sampurn Anand, 2019-20
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur - Pankaj Saha, 2019-2021
Current position: Postdoctoral Research Professor, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea - Debottam Nandi, 2017-20 Current position: INSPIRE faculty, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi
- Rahul Kothari, 2017-18 Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
- Krishnamohan Parattu, 2016-18
- Nirmalya Kajuri
Current position: Assistant Professor, School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi
At HRI
- Akhilesh Nautiyal
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur - Shailesh Kulkarni
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune - Sashideep Gutti
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Hyderabad Campus - Sudipta Das
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan - Pravabati Chingangbam
Current position: Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
Supervision of projects
Graduate projects at IMSc
- Sushovan Mondal, 2018-19
Topic: Schwinger effect in de Sitter spacetime - Akhil Antony, 2018-19
Topic: Bouncing scenarios - Rathul Nath Raveendran, 2013-14
Title: A study of the inflationary paradigm
Graduate projects at HRI
- Dhiraj Kumar Hazra, January-May 2009
Topic: Primordial features with tachyons - 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 - Anindya Dey, January-May 2007
Topic: Perturbations in a bouncing universe
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, U.S.A. - Ayan Mukhopadhyay, January-May 2006
Topic: Cosmological perturbation theory
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai - 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 - Rajeev Kumar Jain, January-May 2005
Topic: Generation of density perturbations from inflation
Bachelor's and master's projects at IIT-M
- 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 - Rahul, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2023-24
Title: Evolution of perturbations and the matter power spectrum - Pramit Bhattacharyya, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2023-24
Title: Spectral distortions in the cosmic microwave background - Nirmal Dinesh Padwal, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2022-23
Topic: Gravitational lensing of electromagnetic and gravitational waves - M. S. Dinesh, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2022-23
Topic: Quantum-to-classical transition of primordial perturbations - 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 - Rahul Priyadarshan, B.Tech. Aerospace Engineering, IV year, 2021-22
Title: Comparison of models of the early universe with the cosmological data - Tamal Mukherjee, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2021-22
Title: Generation of primary and secondary gravitational waves in the early universe - Saurav Mishra, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2021-22
Title: Formation of primordial black holes in the early universe - Abhik Bhattacharjee, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2020-21
Title: Generation of primordial magnetic fields and imprints on gravitational waves - 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. - 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. - 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 - 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.
Current position: Graduate student, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics,
University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A.
- Arnab Pradhan, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2017-18
Title: Thermal history of the universe - Mohammad Asif Azad, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2017-18
Title: Decoherence and the quantum-to-classical transition - 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. - 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 - 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 - 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 - Darshan Kakkad, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2013-14
Title: Radiative processes in astrophysics
Current position: Graduate student, European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany - Sayantan Auddy, M.Sc. Physics, II year, 2012-13
Title: Inflation and cosmological perturbation theory
Current position: Graduate student, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada - 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 - 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
- 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 - S. Shikshaa, B.Sc. Physics, III year, Department of Physics, Meenakshi College for Women, Chennai,
January-March 2021
Title: A study of Newtonian cosmology - Parvathy Harikumar, M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Theoretical Physics,
University of Madras, Chennai, January-May 2015
Title: Rotation curves of galaxies - 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
- 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
- R. Sahil, M.Sc. Physics, II year, Department of Physics, Karnatak University,
Dharwad, June-July 2016
Topic: A spacetime view of special relativity - 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 - 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
- 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. - 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. - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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. - 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 - Aswani Kumar Unnam, M.Sc. Physics, I year, Department of Physics, Periyar
University, Salem, May-June 2004
Topic: Trajectories in Schwarzschild spacetime - 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 - 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 - 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.