Dr. Bhalchandra Pujari, Faculty at CMS, Pune
Mathematical modeling and computer simulation has become an integral part of modern day science. The ability of computers to mimic real-life scenarios offers a great deal of advantage in understanding the underlying physics, especially in the nanotechnology area. The elegance of modeling and simulating experimental scenarios is, to me, the most attractive part of this field.
PhD work
During my PhD at the University of Pune, I was involved in research on nanostructures such as quantum dots, graphene, and carbon nanotubes using advanced techniques of quantum mechanics.
Post doctoral work
My special interest lay in graphene -- Just a one-atom thick sheet of carbon with a strength like no other material. I continued working on graphene and related materials during my tenure as postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta, Canada. Later, I worked in the area of magnetism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. There, using the same laws of quantum mechanics, we developed a new understanding of magnetism in complex iron alloys known as magnetic chameleons.
Faculty at CMS, Pune
I came back to India to join the Centre for Modeling & Simulation, SP Pune University as UGC-Assistant Professor. The Centre for Modeling & Simulation provided me opportunities to broaden my research horizon. I teamed-up with professors at departments of Chemistry, Geology, Microbiology and others to take up various interdisciplinary research problems. On one hand, we now analyze charge transfer in polymer batteries and the interactions of DNA with its surrounding molecules. On the other hand we are also asking the questions like what kind of minerals may exist underneath the crust of Earth.
In short, at the Centre I get to work on problems ranging from nanotechnology to the core of the Earth and from DNA to modern day batteries. It is exciting to be part of the Centre for Modeling & Simulation.
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