Welcome to my homepage at IIT Gandhinagar!
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar
since December 2016.
My group is interested in the study of soft-matter systems (proteins, polymers and a number
of biological materials) using the principles of Statistical Mechanics and Polymer Physics. We
use a combination of theory and molecular Simulations (Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics) to
draw insights into the interactions that take place at the nano-scale.
We adopt a multi-scale approach for our simulations. We focus on coarse-grained
lattice/bead-spring models to get a qualitative understanding of the system and use this
information to set up Molecular Dynamics simulations.
Prior to joining here, I obtained my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University
under the supervision of Prof Sanat K Kumar. During my Ph.D., I focussed on
understanding protein-surface interactions and the effect of surface curvature on protein
stability using simple lattice models through Monte Carlo simulations.
Prior to joining IIT Gandhinagar, I worked as a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under Prof Charles Sing. I worked on charged polymer systems and tried to
understand charge correlations and their effect on the phase behavior and morphologies of these
systems using a combination of mean-field theories and Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo
simulations.
While pursuing my PhD at Columbia University, I developed a keen interest in
utilizing stochastic methods for financial modelling. This interest has stayed with me, and I
continue to explore the application of techniques such as Monte Carlo simulations to areas such
as option pricing, portfolio management, and financial modelling. I enjoy dabbling in these
topics and would be delighted to offer my expertise to any student seeking short-term summer or
winter internships