About Me

I am a Postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University and a Member (Postdoctoral Fellow) in Astrophysics in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.

I did my PhD in Astrophysics under the supervision of Prof. Frank C. van den Bosch in the Department of Astronomy at Yale University. My primary research areas include galactic dynamics, dark matter and the kinetic theory of collisionless and weakly collisional systems. I develop perturbative and non-perturbative theories for the response of self-gravitating, collisionless systems like galaxies and cold dark matter halos to external perturbations, e.g., gravitational encounters. I also study the role of secular processes like dynamical friction and relaxation/equilibration processes like phase mixing, Landau damping, resonant relaxation, violent relaxation, chaotic mixing, etc. in galaxy evolution. One of the major goals of my work is to constrain dark matter models (is dark matter cold, warm, self-interacting or fuzzy?) using dynamics in galactic and sub-galactic scales.

I hail from the city of Kolkata (The City of Joy), India. I did my Bachelors of Science in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK).

Besides science, I am interested in travel, philosophy, science fiction and music. I love spending time amidst Nature, going on mountain treks (especially the majestic Himalayas) and forest hikes (tropical rainforests). Ruins of ancient civilizations and sites of historical importance appeal to me. I take great interest in the philosophies of the ancient eastern schools of thought such as the Tibetan School of Mahayana Buddhism and the Taoist School of ancient China. I love reading science fiction novels and watching movies based on philosophical science fiction (latest favorite: Interstellar). I sing Hindustani Classical Music and play the harmonium. In my alone times, I love to get lost in the blissful world of music.

Awards and fellowships

• Awarded the Tinsley Prize for the best graduate student paper in the Department of Astronomy at Yale University for the year 2021.
• Awarded the General Proficiency Medal for the best academic performance and securing Department Rank 1 among all graduating students of 2017 batch in the Department of Physics, IIT Kanpur.
• Awarded the Academic Excellence Awards for outstanding academic performance in BS Physics in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 at IIT Kanpur.
• Awarded the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India over all 4 years of the BS Program in Physics at IIT Kanpur for outstanding performance in 12th standard and JEE Advanced (engineering entrance examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology) examinations.