Category: Research Spotlight

Dr Lakshmi Narayanan co-authors an article in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

Dr Lakshmi Narayanan, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-authored an article titled ‘Resolving the generation mechanisms and electrodynamical effects of Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs)’ which has been published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. The work is a perspective article resulting from detailed deliberations of an international team of researchers for 2-3 years led by a NASA scientist. The team has gathered twice at Bern to discuss outstanding problems regarding an ionospheric phenomenon called Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs). MSTIDs are perturbations propagating in the ionosphere of earth, and they are caused by different mechanisms that are not well understood/characterized. MSTIDs affect satellite based communication, navigation and radio astronomical observations. In this article, they discuss the most important issues in their characterisation and point to some of the inconsistencies that exist in the literature. They also provide some recommendations to the community to address these issues.

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Dr Chirag Dhara co-authors the paper, ‘A scalability-centric perspective on global human development within environmental limits’.

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight
Dr Chirag Dhara co-authors the paper, ‘A scalability-centric perspective on global human development within environmental limits’.

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS, recently co-authored a paper titled, ‘A scalability-centric perspective on global human development within environmental limits.’

Nordic countries epitomise “sustainable development:” that is the general global perception. Dr Dhara has co-authored a paper demonstrating that this perception is based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of planetary climate and ecological limits – one that most international organisations, including the UNDP, suffer from. Their research shows that certain middle-income, developing countries offer a better vision for sustainable development.

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Research Article by Dr Tanmoy Chakrabarty, published in the “Applied Physics Letters”

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight
Research Article by Dr Tanmoy Chakrabarty, published in the “Applied Physics Letters”

A research article by Dr Tanmoy Chakrabarty, Assistant professor, Physics, SIAS titled, “Spin glass and complex magnetism in a high-entropy spinel oxide with five cations at both tetrahedral and octahedral sites” has been published in the “Applied Physics Letters”. In this publication, Dr Chakrabarty is one of the two corresponding authors.

In this work, the team has reported spin glass behavior and complex magnetic properties of a high-entropy spinel oxide with five cataions at tetrahedral and octahedral sites. They have carried out structural studies by XRD and SEM and studied magnetic properties using AC and DC magnetic measurements. The data from the AC magnetization confirms this material’s cluster spin glass state. Although spin glass behavior is a well reported phenomena among magnetic frustration, the novelty of this work is here it is first time observed in a high entropy oxide with 5 cations in both the tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The work highlights the potential of entropy-driven design in tailoring multifunctional materials for advanced applications.

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Professor Shanti Pappu co-authors an article published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight
Professor Shanti Pappu co-authors an article published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Professor Shanti Pappu, Visiting Professor of Archaeology and History, SIAS has co-authored a paper titled Breaking it Down: Ethnographic Studies on the Manufacture of Basalt Grinding Stones in India, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Her co-authors include Sutonuka Bhattacharya, PhD student and Professor Naama Goren-Inbar from Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Dr Prachi Joshi, Senior Research Scholar and Dr Kumar Akhilesh, Director from Sharma Centre for Heritage Education and Professor Gideon Shelach-Lavi from Department of Asian Studies, The Louis Frieberg Chair of East Asian Studies, Hebrew University.

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Dr Srajana Kaikini’s latest is part of Serendipity Arts Foundation’s annual anthology

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

The latest essay ‘Spiral Epistemologies: New Forms for the Public’ (2024) by Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, SIAS is part of the annual anthology Projects / Processes published by the Serendipity Arts Foundation. The essay explores new curatorial forms for the commons reflecting on the Public Art Grant Commissions for 2023 gathered under the project The Island that Never Gets Flooded.

Professor Shanti Pappu collaborates on a pivotal publication

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight
Professor Shanti Pappu collaborates on a pivotal publication

A recent  publication by Professor Shanti Pappu, Visiting Professor of Archaeology and History, SIAS in collaboration with various other researchers is one of the pilot projects to explore skill acquisition and pedagogy in the context of the forgotten craft of making stone tools. The paper titled  Flakes, Feelings, and Finesse: Experiential Studies of Skill Acquisition in Novice Knappers deals with the stone tool technologies used from around 2.6 Ma to around 300 ka (Lower Palaeolithic). 

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Dr Shikha Rajpurohit awarded the Tagore National Scholarship

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

Dr Shikha Rajpurohit, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, SIAS has been awarded the Tagore National Scholarship, given for a period of two years by the Ministry of Culture, GOI. Dr Rajpurohit will be working under the aegis of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune to critically edit the Nidarśana commentary of Rājānaka Ānanda on Kāvyaprakāśa. The commentary was written in the 17th century of which eight manuscripts are known to exist till date. The edition will be useful for researchers working in the fields of Sanskrit poetics and Indian philosophy.

A project co-led by Dr Suresh Govindapuram sanctioned under ICSSR Collaborative Empirical Research Project on Solar Energy and Sustainability 2024-25

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight
A project co-led by Dr Suresh Govindapuram sanctioned under ICSSR Collaborative Empirical Research Project on Solar Energy and Sustainability 2024-25

Dr Suresh Govindapuram, Assistant Professor of Economics, IFMR GSB is one of the Co-PIs (Co-Project Directors) for the project “Drivers and Barriers of Rooftop Solar Power: An Analysis of Micro and Small Size Hotels in India” sanctioned under Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) Collaborative Empirical Research Project on Solar Energy and Sustainability 2024-25. 
Other collaborators include Dr Salman Haider (VIT Vellore), Dr Shadab Danish (IIM Raipur), Professor Arup Mitra (SAU Dehli) and Professor Prabakar S (VIT Vellore).

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Research article by Dr Randhir Rai published in Elsevier journal

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

A research article by Dr Randhir Rai, Visiting Faculty, Chemistry, SIAS titled, Catalytic application of second cycle copper-based laboratory waste forsynthesis of beta-keto-1,2,3-triazole: A micro circular economy approach has been published in the Elsevier journal.

This study follows the circular economy principle to explore the catalytic potential of second-cycle cuprous oxide laboratory waste. Undergraduate students generated cuprous oxide as a second cycle waste during a practicalsession, where they used an aqueous solution of recycled copper sulfate pentahydrate as a Fehling’s reagent A.

The cuprous oxide waste was isolated by a simple filtration method and characterized using infrared spectros-copy, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopic techniques. The isolated material was used as an active click catalyst to synthesize beta-keto-1,2,3-triazole in an aqueous medium via a one-pot, three-component click reaction. The catalytic activity of the second-cycled cuprous oxide waste was compared with first-cycled cuprous oxide waste and commercial cuprous oxide. They observed that the catalyst was recycled and reused for up to two cycles without significant yield loss. Also, the synthesized beta- keto-1,2,3-triazole was found to show chelating properties towards copper.

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Dr Chirag Dhara co-leads a study published in Frontiers in Climate invited by World Climate Research Program

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-led a study published in Frontiers in Climate which was invited by the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). This collaborative effort involved researchers from leading institutions across Asia and lays out a roadmap for future climate research in the continent. Notably, the findings from this work are expected to inform the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

The study focuses on “compound weather and climate extremes” and identifies three critical types impacting Asia:

    • Compound Flooding: Highlighted by the devastating 2022 Pakistan floods, driven by monsoon rains, glacier melt, and climate variability.

    • Heatwave-Drought Events: Examining their severe impacts on agriculture and water resources in South and East Asia.

    • Marine Extremes: Addressing risks from ocean warming, tropical cyclones, and rising sea levels in the Indian Ocean.

The paper also underscores knowledge gaps and recommends improving early warning systems, forecasting capabilities, and data sharing to mitigate rising risks. 

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