About Me
Welcome to my academic homepage. I am a Senior Professor of Physics at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, where I also serve as the Dean of the Faculty Affairs Division (institute-wide).
My academic journey began at the School of Physics, D. A. University in Indore, where I earned my M.Sc. in 1997. Driven by a deep curiosity for materials physics, I pursued my Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur under the mentorship of Prof. K. Shahi, graduating in 2003. Following my doctoral studies, I continued at IIT Kanpur as a CSIR Project Scientist, collaborating closely with Prof. S. C. Agarwal on advanced semiconductor physics.
In June 2004, I joined the Department of Physics at BITS Pilani as a lecturer in the physics group. Over the last two decades, I have had the privilege of growing alongside this institution—advancing from Lecturer to Assistant Professor (2006), Associate Professor (2013), Professor (2018), and transitioning to Senior Professor in March 2026.
At BITS Pilani, I lead the Solid State Ionics Laboratory. My research group is dedicated to exploring the fundamental transport properties of fast ionic solids and developing advanced materials for clean energy solutions, including solid-state batteries and supercapacitors. Alongside research, I am deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of physicists and shaping institutional excellence through academic administration.
My research focuses on experimental solid-state ionics, where my group studies fast-ionic solids and their impactful applications in energy devices. At Pilani, my research group excels in exploring the ionic and electronic properties of glasses, glass-ceramics, polymers, and polymer-ceramic hybrids for electrolytic applications. We also work on developing novel cathodes and anodes for energy storage devices. We are committed to advancing the development of high-energy-density batteries and supercapacitors as solid-state ionic devices. The Materials Physics Laboratory is fully equipped for materials development, as well as the fabrication and rigorous characterization of batteries and supercapacitors, enabling us to push the boundaries of innovation in this field. We are collaborating with colleagues in the chemistry departments of BITS Pilani, Pilani and Goa campuses, researchers at CSIR-CEERI, Pilani, RRCAT, Indore, UGC-DAE-CSR, Indore, and IIT Kanpur to achieve our goals.
I have executed several extramural grants. I was a visiting fellow in the INSA-Polish Academy of Sciences international exchange programme in 2014. I have successfully supervised 8 PhD students and am currently supervising 7 more. My students have gone on to excel in prestigious institutions as researchers/scientists/faculty members, including IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, Ola Electric, NTPC Delhi, Applied Materials in Mumbai, and postdoctoral positions abroad.
I also serve as an Editorial Board member of the Scientific Reports (Springer Nature) and Discover Condensed Matter (Springer Nature) Journals.
Administrative responsibilities in BITS:
Dean of Faculty Affairs: 3rd February, 2026- continuing
Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs:
16th January 2014-3rd February 2026 (no break)
HOD Physics: September 2016-August 2018
https://scholar.google.com.tw/citations?user=Qnd41esAAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7006341925
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9353-9950
