Dr. Aravind Puthirath Balan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering at Rice University. He embarked on this role in August 2025, following a distinguished postdoctoral tenure at the Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.

Dr. Balan’s research expertise lies at the intersection of experimental condensed matter physics and functional 2D materials, with a particular emphasis on van der Waals magnetic systems and non-layered two-dimensional magnetism. His innovative contributions to the field have been recognized with a series of prestigious fellowships, including the Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020) and the EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021), as well as honors such as the Raman Postdoctoral Fellowship, the UGC INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, and the SERB National Postdoctoral Fellowship .

At Rice, Dr. Balan continues to push the boundaries of magnetic two-dimensional materials, pursuing fundamental insights and their applications in advanced technologies.

2021-2025
Prof. Mathias Kläui
(Postdoc. Supervisor)
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

2019-2021
Prof. Rahul R. Nair
(Postdoc. Supervisor)
The University of Manchester, United Kingdom

2017 (2 months)
Prof. Manfred Albrecht  
(Exch. visit Supervisor)
University of Augsburg, Germany

2016-2017   
Prof. Pulickel M. Ajayan
(Exch. visit Supervisor)
Rice University, Houston, United States

2013-2019
Prof. M. R. Anantharaman
(Ph.D. Supervisor)
Cochin University of Science and Technology, India 

Education

Ph.D. (March  2014 - July 2019)

Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, India