Professor Kai Easton, Professor of Literature & Visual Cultures, SIAS has published a visual essay titled Scenes from Dusklands: Archives & Afterlives in a special issue of the journal English in Africa, for the 50th anniversary of Nobel Prizewinning writer J M Coetzee’s first novel, following a transnational conference series in Cape Town and Adelaide in April & May 2024.
A research paper by Dr Vijaya C, Assistant Professor, Finance, Accounting and Quantitative Finance, IFMR GSB titled Can Smart Beta Funds outperform Human-managed Funds Across Market Phases? Evidence from India has been published in Springer’s Asia-Pacific Financial Markets journal.
A research paper by Dr Rakesh Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Psychology, SIAS titled Synchronization in Hybrid Feedforward-Recurrent Neural Networks with Stochastic Temporal Modulation, has been published in the proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Intelligent Communication Networks and Computational Techniques (ICICNCT). In this work, the researchers aim to bridge the gap between theoretical mathematics and practical neural network implementation. The study presents a comprehensive investigation into how hybrid feedforward-recurrent networks maintain stability and synchronization, even under stochastic modulation.
This research offers a deeper look into the temporal processing mechanisms that drive both artificial and biological neural systems.
Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-authored a research paper titled *A post-AR6 update on observed and projected climate change in India* published in *PLOS Climate*.
Dr Dhara was also part of a fireside chat session for the WCRP IITM Hub Workshop on “Leveraging Climate Research and Modeling for Action and Policy in the Indo-Pacific”, organised as a side event of the INTROMET 2025, on 21 November 2025 at IITM, Pune, India. The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of Early and Mid-Career Researchers (EMCRs) to engage effectively at the science–policy–community interface. The one-day event will feature interactive discussions, EMCR-led brainstorming sessions, and mentorship by domain experts, fostering actionable insights and collaborative learning.
Dr Brijesh Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor, Chemistry, SIAS, co-authored a paper titled Consequences of Heterogeneity of Organic Molecules in Water: Enhanced Photodimerization of Olefins published recently in the scientific journal Langmuir by the American Chemical Society.
Abstract: Photodimerization of organic molecules such as indene and coumarin is dramatically enhanced in water compared to that in an organic solvent. In this study, we have probed the origin of this phenomenon through NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments, quantum chemical calculations, and molecular dynamic simulations. Indene molecules are inferred to exist as an equilibrium mixture of monomers, noncovalent dimers, and small (NMR-detectable) and large (DLS-detectable) aggregates in water. This behavior is distinctly different from that observed in an organic solvent, where indene molecules remain homogeneously distributed as monomers. The enhancement of thermal bimolecular reactions such as the Diels–Alder reaction is analyzed in terms of “in-water”, “on-water”, and “on the surface of microdroplets”. The inhomogeneous distribution of small organic molecules identified in this study could be a reason for their enhanced photodimerization in water. The presence of small aggregates, detectable by their unusually sharp 1H NMR signals, rules out the need for diffusion, which is often slower than the decay rates of excited molecules. The results presented here demonstrate that the knowledge of reactions in organic solvents cannot be directly extended to those occurring in water.
A research article co-authored by Dr Debajit Maiti, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, SIAS titled Electrooxidative Divergent Halocyclizations of Ambident Amides has been published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Dr Shimna Kannoth, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-authored a paper published in Space Weather titled Impact of the Gannon Superstorm on the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly Dynamics During Its Recovery Phase on 11 May 2024. The present study, for the first time, reveals the combined influence of geomagnetic storm-induced modifications in equatorial electrodynamics, meridional wind circulation, and substantial compositional changes during the recovery phase of a superstorm on the ionospheric plasma distribution. The integration of observational evidence with model simulations provides strong corroborative support, thereby offering new insights into the complex coupling processes governing ionospheric responses during extreme geomagnetic disturbances.
Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-authored a paper titled Interpreting Climate Performance Indices: Implications for Equitable and Effective Policy published in Climate Policy Journal. Among the co-authors are Ishita Bagri, an SIAS Alum. They propose a novel framework to classify indices based on methodological framework and embedded normative choices, contextualising their outcomes and enhancing transparency of what the index truly measures.
Chirag Dhara, Anshuman Gupta, Ishita Bagri, Sebastián Block, and Kamal Kumar Murari (2025). “Interpreting Climate Performance Indices: Implications for Equitable and Effective Policy.” Climate Policy, 1–14.
Dr Arindam Chatterjee, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Biological Sciences, SIAS is now also a Review Editor/ Community Reviewer in the section of Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics section, in the journal of Frontiers of Molecular Bioscience, Q1 impact factor of 4, indexed in major international digital archives and repositories, such as PubMed Central, DOAJ, Google Scholar, Chemical Abstracts Service, Scopus.
Dr Proma Raychaudhury, Assistant Professor of Politics, SIAS has published a chapter on Women’s Institutional Belonging and Self-making in Indian Party Politics in an edited volume titled Gendering Party Politics: Feminist Institutionalist Perspectives (Oxford University Press, UK; editors: Meryl Kenny and Elin Bjarnegård). The book was published in October, 2025. The volume brings together insights from different contexts on gendered political party cultures.
