2025-26 Winter Semester:

MML 253: Computational Materials Science and Engineering (B.Tech)

MML 554: Computational Methods in Materials Science (M.Tech/Ph.D.)

“Education, to me, is not just the dissemination of knowledge but the cultivation of independent, critical, and interdisciplinary thinkers.”

This belief reflects the foundation of my teaching philosophy. I view education as a transformative process—one that moves students from passive recipients of information to intellectually curious individuals capable of connecting abstract theory with real world problems. My goal as a teacher is to nurture a classroom environment that encourages questioning, analytical thinking, and creativity.

During my PhD at IIT Indore, I served as a teaching assistant for core chemistry courses for B.Tech. first year and mentored several Ph.D. and M.Sc. students. These experiences taught me to be attentive to understand how students absorb complex concepts and adapt my teaching style accordingly to prioritize clarity. One of moment that shaped my approach towards teaching was supervising students on projects involving quantum transport simulations and AI/ML driven 2D materials discovery for energy and biomedical/biomaterial applications.

Pedagogically, I value clarity before complexity. I prefer blackboard teaching for derivations and explanations when building fundamental concepts, as they allow students to follow logical derivations step by step. However, I complement this traditional approach with digital visualisation and computational demonstration tools to deepen understanding and connect theory with practical scenarios.

My core teaching philosophy consists of the following components:

1. Learning as Dialogue: The classroom is a two-way intellectual space. I encourage students to ask questions, challenge ideas, and engage in discussion.

2. Structured Conceptual Progression: I prefer to present topics as evolving stories from fundamentals to applications. This helps students internalize abstract theories.

3. Conceptual Clarity with Technological Depth: Foundational understanding is built through board-based teaching, reinforced by simulations and computational tools.

4. Inclusivity and Adaptability: I emphasize on creating an inclusive classroom where diverse learning paces and backgrounds are respected, and feedback is regularly provided.