Take research as a long game. It is like a sine curve, you will see ups and downs from time to time.
M.Sc. Physics
Minor in Finance
CGPA: 8.35
EXPERIENCE
Sep 2017 - Present
ICFO, Spain
PhD student in Photonics
I am working on graphene based optical interconnects for telecommunication applications. This includes high speed photodetectors to convert light signal into electrical and modulators to convert electrical signal into light.
Dec 2015 - July 2017
TIFR
Junior Research Fellow
I worked with Prof. Mandar M. Deshmukh and Biswajit Datta (PhD student) on pristine graphene devices. We demonstrated quantum Hall ferromagnetism and strong electron-electron interactions in ABA trilayer graphene
May 2015 - July 2015
TIFR
Summer Research Fellow
I worked under Dr. R. Vijayaraghavan. We designed a homemade network analyzer to characterize electrical components in microwave frequency.
QnA
We all have a common desire for faster internet; it has become an integral part of our day-to-day life. A simple phone for example iPhone 12 have 11.8 billion copper-based transistors stacked next to each other, which results in huge power consumption and compromises signal. One way to circumvent this problem is by moving to optics. It is cheaper, faster and saves power.
Now, to do optical communication, we need a light guiding medium like optical fibre or waveguide and optical interconnects – a photodetector that converts light signal to electrical, and a modulator that converts electrical signal to light. So far the bottleneck has been optical interconnects. This is where my PhD thesis comes in picture. I am trying to make such optical interconnects based on graphene.
I was never fond of physics in my initial BITS years. However, it changed over years. In second year, my school friend Parth co-founded BITS Pilani’s first student satellite team – Anant. He introduced me to his team and they decided to give me a chance, this opportunity piqued my interest for research in general.
Later, I had the opportunities to do a study-oriented project and laboratory oriented project with Manjula ma’am and Raj Kumar sir, which further encouraged me to pursue research. However, my biggest turning point was when I came for my summer internship at TIFR in 2015. My prof was the only experimentalist in India who was working in quantum computing and it was so admirable. Over years of my research experience, I have realized it’s okay to not like everything related to Physics even though it’s your major. I only like a very small part of condensed matter physics overlapping with semiconductor devices. Therefore, the important thing is to find what you love.
Well, I got into BITS through my school quota, as I was among one of the board toppers from my school. I was way underprepared to compete with BITSians coming from all over India. It took me some time to adjust.
Yes, Anant was the first research project I did in my career. The simulating discussions, readings outside of BITS textbooks, and the cumulative enthusiasm of the team to do something impossible was very inspirational.
No, after my summer internship at TIFR, I was sure I want to explore research. I finished my finance minor, because I had already opted for it in my second year. It was not the best decision as I ended up having a GPA of 5 in my minor, which eventually destroyed my overall GPA.
ICFO like many european institutes gives more weightage to research experience/publications. In that sense, my master’s thesis and JRF in Prof. Mandar’s lab at TIFR helped.
Like everyone else, I applied for various summer internship programs like MITACS, Charpak, DAAD but didn’t get in due to a mediocre GPA. However, it was enough for Indian academy of sciences and VSRP. In the case of both summer internship with Prof. Vijay and thesis with Prof. Mandar, they interviewed me before and were happy with my motivation for research and experience with Anant and SOP/LOP.
In general, I have noticed many professors have good past experiences with BITSians and are always looking for more project students.
Publishing in peer-reviewed journals is often a very tiring and tough process. However, if you feel that your work provides any additional insights/novelties over previous work, it is worth a try. It can take days to years, based on how the review process goes.
No, not really.
I was not sure, nobody is. One of my supervisor used to say, PhD is like a marriage, its significant part of your life. You can never know how things will turn out in the end.
I think it is just a gut feeling, and if you have success in your master’s research experience and if you enjoy the process, then it is worth taking the risk.
I applied to many universities, mostly in US. I did not do very well in those applications, mostly due to my mediocre GPA, and low GRE score. However, in ICFO they valued my previous research experience and publications more and I was offered positions from four group leaders. For my final decision between US and Europe, I decided based on the project offered and group leader’s experience.
I knew I wanted to do more applied work, and with my previous experience on 2D materials nanofabrication, this opportunity felt like a great fit.
For doing photonics, ICFO is a great place. We have state of the art facilities, numerous collaborations and a great culture. Write from the interview process, they treats you as a family.
Best thing – I was very happy with my interview process, they flew me all the way from Mumbai to Barcelona. For the first time in my application process, I was appreciated for my research work.
Worst thing – Sometimes I miss the university culture like BITS, teaching experience. ICFO is a research institute, so the focus is only on research.
For material science specifically, you can apply to foundries, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals etc.
Many times, sometimes even twice a week. This is what PhD is all about. I can say with utmost confidence that 95% of people doing PhD feel like quitting during the process. It is like a sine function. It goes up and down from time to time. When I feel low, I talk to my peers and my supervisor and discuss with them my issues. It’s a long game so look out for tiny things that make you happy.
1 – Be open minded about research topics; do not discard opportunities/topics before trying them.
2 – Try to research internships, SOP/LOP during your stay at BITS. It may not be something you pursue your PhD in, but helps you identify your interests.
3 – Talk to your seniors. There are many seniors just an email away, who are happy to share their wisdom and struggles with you.