Office of the Dean - Research Hosts Users Meet on XRD
2025-06-18 08:00 - 2025-06-19 17:00 (Asia/Kolkata) | V-104, Vikram Sarabhai Block
The Office of the Dean-Research is organising a User Meet on X-Ray Diffraction Techniques. The Workshop will offer participants a comprehensive understanding of Power X-ray diffraction (PXRD) Techniques, data collection, and analysis.
These workshops will focus on:

Structural Analysis: Understanding crystal structures and phase
Composition of materials.
Material Characterisation: Learning how PXRD is used in fields like
materials science, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals.
Hands-on Training: Practical sessions on data interpretation using
Specialised software like Highscore Plus
Advanced Techniques: Exploring methods such as Rietveld refinement
for qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The two-day workshop is specifically focused on catering to Faculty members and researchers (Postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, Final year M.Tech. and M.Sc. students) interested in characterisation using NMR spectroscopy.
The workshop will not only gain the opportunity to utilise the characterisation techniques learned during the programme, but selected participants will also get the opportunity to utilise university research facilities with a discounted rate for one year through the I-STEM portal.
For more details about the workshop, _click here.

Two-day User’s Meet on NMR Spectroscopy
2025-06-25 09:00 - 2025-06-26 16:30 | V-104, Vikram Sarabhai Block
The Office of the Dean Research will be organising a two-day User’s Meet focused on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy, scheduled for June 25 and 26 . This programme is designed to offer a thorough introduction to the principles of NMR spectroscopy, covering fundamental concepts such as nuclear spin, magnetic fields, and resonance phenomena.
Participants will also gain insight into the broad applications of NMR spectroscopy across diverse fields, including chemistry, biology, medicine, and materials science, through engaging talks and illustrative case studies.
This programme is tailored for faculty members, researchers (postdoctoral fellows, PhD scholars), and final-year M.Tech and MSc students who are interested in advanced material and molecular characterisation techniques.
Key highlights of the programme include:

Hands-on training sessions on operating NMR instruments
Practical guidance on sample preparation, experiment setup, and data acquisition
Interactive modules on interpreting NMR spectra
Training on software tools and analytical methods for NMR data processing

This user’s meet will help enhance participants’ practical skills and analytical understanding of NMR spectroscopy, enabling more effective application of the technique in their respective research areas.
Access the Complete programme schedule through the link here.

Eminent Guest Lecture by Prof. M Ram Murty
2025-07-11 15:30 - 16:30 | Tiered Classroom, 5th Floor, Admin Block
The Department of Mathematics and the Office of Dean – Research jointly organise an eminent lecture by Prof. M Ram Murty, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada on July 11, 2025. The renowned academician will deliver a session on “The Math Behind Chat (GPT)”.
Abstract
We present an informal outline of how ChatGPT works and describe the underlying mathematical concepts behind it. For instance, graph theory, vector calculus, linear algebra, Markov models, and probabilistic inference are all used in a fundamental way. The talk will not be too technical and is suitable for a general audience.
About the Speaker
M. Ram Murty obtained his PhD from MIT (1980) and then held post-doctoral fellowships at IAS (Princeton) and TIFR (Mumbai). He was a professor at McGill University (1982-1996) and is now Queen’s Research Chair and the A. V. Douglas Distinguished University Professor at Queen’s University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1990), Fields Institute (2003), Indian National Science Academy (2008), American Mathematical Society (2012) and Canadian Mathematical Society (2018). He received the E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship (1991), Killam Research Fellowship (1998) and the Simons Fellowship (2013). In 2024, he was awarded the CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize. He has written more than 300 research papers, 15 books, and supervised more than 25 doctoral students, 50 master’s students and 50 post-doctoral fellows. He is cross-appointed to the Department of Philosophy at Queen’s University, where he gives regular courses on mathematical logic and Indian philosophy. His introductory book on Indian philosophy was published by Broadview Press.
Join for an insightful session!

3rd Research Scholars’ Summit
2025-10-10 08:00 - 2025-10-11 17:00
SRM University-AP, Amaravati, is organising the 3rd Research Scholars’ Summit: Inspire, Ignite, Innovate on October 10-11, 2025. Join this inspiring event, designed to broaden intellectual horizons and shape the careers of young and emerging researchers. This platform will help aspirants explore different avenues of research interest, exchange the latest scientific knowledge, and derive critical insights regarding research progression. This summit is indeed a platform for budding research aspirants, providing interactive sessions where they can come together, network, and collaborate with the best minds.
To participate in the research summit, you can use our Abstract Submission Link and Registration Link. For more information, visit the official link – 3rd Research Scholars’ Summit

University Distinguished Lecture #22
2025-10-10 14:00 - 15:30 | Theatre, SR Block
The 22nd University Distinguished Lecture will host renowned academician, Padma Bhushan Prof. P Balaram, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru on October 10, 2025.
Prof. Balram will deliver an insightful session on the “Evolutionary Inventions and Innovations That Drove the Rise of Chemistry, the Birth of Biology and Determine Human History”.
Abstract
“The word evolution is most closely associated with Darwin and Biology. Yet it is the word that changed physics in my lifetime.” These are the words used by the physicist Jacob Bronowski in his now classic narration of “The Ascent of Man”, in the 1970s on BBC television. Bronowski is at that point trying to explain the formation of the chemical elements in the stars, by nuclear fusion processes, and concludes “matter itself evolves”. Indeed, all the natural elements, present on Earth and accessible by mining, were the Earth’s inheritance when it was born. Geological and chemical evolution must necessarily precede evolution of life on Earth. For almost the first 1.5 billion years of its almost 4.6 billion years of existence, the Earth was devoid of life forms. This was the Hadean age, a period when a molten surface began to settle, a time of asteroid impacts, an unimaginably hostile period for any life form. Yet it was the time that geology and chemistry conspired to create the conditions for the birth of biology.

6th Eminent Guest Lecture by Prof. Somnath Bhattacharyya
2025-10-27 11:00 - 12:30 | Theatre, SR Block
The Office of Dean-Research is organising the 6th Eminent Guest Lecture on October 27, 2025. Prof. Somnath Bhattacharyya, Founder and Head of Nano-Scale Transport Physics Laboratory, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, will deliver a distinguished lecture on “Diamond-Based Hybrid Qubit System for Quantum Computation Technology”.
Abstract
There is a surge in exploring the best qubit platform for building efficient quantum computers suitable for complex operations. A qubit is analogous to the binary bit seen in a conventional computer. We show the potential for a diamond-based hybrid quantum system combining electrical (superconducting) and optical (nitrogen-vacancy centers) techniques. Superconducting qubit technology typically involves the fabrication of various logic elements based on Josephson junctions using standard superconducting materials such as Al or Nb. Boron-doped superconducting diamonds are, however, attractive due to better resistance to external perturbations. Considering a recent discovery of triplet-spin-based superconductivity in nanocrystalline diamond films and that diamond presents well-established quantum states in the form of nitrogen-vacancy centers (NV-centers), diamond demonstrates a potential platform for the realization of all diamond-based quantum circuitry. We advance the understanding of superconducting order parameters in boron-doped nanodiamond films and as a new type of qubit system through the design of the resonator and superconducting quantum interference devices. Quantum information can be exchanged between a superconducting diamond loop (with a phase-slip qubit junction) and an ensemble of spins (NV-centers) attached to a microwave line of the diamond nanowire, which would allow us to initialize, control through microwave circuitry, and perform measurements via an optical interface. Moreover, the diamond NV-centers offer ‘holonomic’ control of qubits for the acquisition of geometric phase, which can be added to the hybrid qubit system. The holonomic control of qubits implemented in a ‘nine-level’ NV center is demonstrated by using IBM QP. This modeling shows a long coherence time of a system of multiple NV centersand also uses the multiple ‘dark’ states present in the NV centers. Such a hybrid quantum system will be useful for studying complex quantum many-body problems and quantum artificial intelligence or vision.
About the Speaker
Prof. Somnath Bhattacharyya, a Professor in Physics at Wits University, Johannesburg, since 2012, founded the Nano-Scale Transport Physics Laboratory, which pioneered quantum-nanotechnology in South Africa. His expertise includes superconducting carbon-based quantum technology, qubit-circuit designing & testing, quantum simulations, and theoretical models. He demonstrated diamond-based quantum tunnel devices, spin-triplet superconductivity, diamond qubits, and NV-center-based quantum technology.He published two books [“Evolution: Classical Philosophy meets Quantum Science” and “Carbon Superstructures: From Quantum Transport to Quantum Computation”], five book chapters, and over 100 journal papers. He supervised 8 PhD, 8MSc students, 8postdocs, established many international collaborations, and founded a start-up company, Quantumquest Technologies Pty. Ltd.

Research Seminar on Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling
2025-10-30 15:00 - 16:00 | S-607, SR Block
The Department of Physics is organising a Research Seminar on “Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling and Nobel Prize in Physics – 2025” by Dr Krishna Prasad Maity, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, SRM University-AP.
Abstract
Quantum tunneling, proposed by Erwin Schrödinger in 1926, is a unique quantum phenomenon with no classical equivalent. It has been observed in microscopic systems like alpha decay and scanning tunneling microscopy but remained unverified at the macroscopic scale for decades.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H Devoret, and John M Martinis from the University of California for observing macroscopic quantum tunneling in a superconducting tunnel junction, known as the Josephson junction. Their experiments measured the voltage across the junction, corresponding to the quantum phase difference between two superconductors, and revealed that the particles occupy discrete, quantized energy levels. This pioneering work laid the foundation for qubits—the basic units of future quantum computers. In this talk, I will discuss their discovery and its significance for the future of quantum technology.
Join for an interactive and insightful session!
