Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?
Selecting Graduate school was straightforward for me as I was determined about which research area I wanted to focus on. I moved in to IUPUI with my advisor, Dr. Babak Anasori, who set-up his new research lab at Indy. I visited the campus before making my final decision and I liked the serene environment of the campus while being situated in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. IUPUI was my first choice.
What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?
The most cherished moment perhaps, will be our lab’s discovery of a new class of nanomaterials in 2021. I was fortunate to be a part of collaborative research spanning 2 continents and 4 independent labs, which coordinated during the height of the pandemic towards a timely completion of the study.
What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?
I like the serenity here. The campus is great, downtown museum, the state park, or the library are great places where you can spend some time with yourself. Indy has an authentic IMAX theatre downtown. An in-house weekend getaway! What more can you ask for?
Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.
Research: My research is focused on a new class of materials called MXenes (pronounced as MAX-enes). Funded by the office of naval research, I am exploring their interaction, and stability with ultra-high temperature ceramics for various. I work at temperatures equivalent to that of a red-dwarf star in our galaxy (2000 degrees centigrade).
Outreach: I am a delegate of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) working on the external partnerships committee in the president’s council. Our objectives are to extend and explore collaborations with organizations outside the ceramic society in the US and the world.
Making science accessible to the people outside the scientific community is important for piquing interest in them and encourage their children to pursue careers in science, more so in lesser-known fields such as materials science, and ceramics. We are working on spreading awareness towards such career options among the diasporas.
Hobbies: I am an avid reader. Earlier it was fiction, now it is more of comparative philosophy and human mind. I like painting and photography when not in the lab. Trekking and backpacking are new things I picked up after coming to Indy.