DAMP Physics, IITB

SN Bhatt Fellowship Program Contributed by Rahul Dandwate (SN Bhatt summer research fellow, 2018) The SN Bhatt Fellowship Program is a summer research internship program at International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS - TIFR), Bangalore. It is an 8-week program from mid-May to mid-July. They have variety of research areas in which ranges from condensed matter physics, astrophysics, physical biology, theoretical high energy physics and mathematics.  Eligibility : 2 nd  or 3 rd  year undergraduate or master’s student. Application procedure : There is an online application form which needs to be submitted.  ·        2 letter of recommendation. ·        A statement of purpose stating your research interests. ·        A copy of your resume. ·        A copy of your transcript. Timeline :  ·     ...

In my second year summer, I was selected to work with the String group over a period of 8 weeks at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS-TIFR), Bangalore as one of the 20 students chosen from India as a part of the SN Bhatt Memorial Excellence Fellowship Program 2017. Application Process: I had applied only to the Indian institutes as I did not deem it necessary to go for abroad internships due to limited time and most importantly due to my extremely narrow research interest (theoretical + String oriented). Due to the naivety at the time, I applied to just 4 institutes in India. Fortunately, I got selected for the SN Bhatt program which has a very rigorous selection criteria. The Place: Bangalore has a very cool and pleasant climate, serving as a nice change from the humidity of Mumbai. The institute is located away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I used to take a shuttle from NCBS (my hostel) - about a half an hour drive. The campus is quite ...

I spent my second year summer as a research intern at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in Prof. Sriram Ramaswamy’s group. My work was broadly in the area of theoretical non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Background Prior to this internship, I had been working on a project (under Prof. Amitabha Nandi) on the modelling of collective motion in self-propelled particle systems. So, in a way, I already had some exposure, albeit limited, to this relatively new field of research called ‘active matter’, and had developed quite a bit of interest in the work. This led me to apply to soft condensed matter physics groups around the world. The apping experience is something that only those who have done it can explain. After weeks of writing emails, and applying for scholarship programs, I ended up getting accepted for the Indian Science Academies’ summer research fellowship program, which provided funding for me to take up the position offered by my prof. The Group Th...