About Me

Academic History

• Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, India , 2022 -- Present 

• Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, India , 2017 -- 2022 

• Astronomer,  South African Astronomival Observatory (SAAO), Cape Town, South African, 2009-2017

•  Virtual Observatory Scientist,  South African Astronomival Observatory (SAAO), Cape Town, South Africa, 2008-2009

• Post Doctoral Fellow, Inter University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India, 2006-2008

• PhD (Physics), SoS in Physics, Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India, 2006 

• MSc (Physics), SoS in Physics, Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India, 1998   

• BSc, Govt. Model Science College, Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India, 1996  

Scholarship/Fellowship

• Masters in Science, Ranked 5th in Physics in the University -- 1998

• Pt. Ravishankar Shukla Research Scholarship -- 1999

• Senior research fellowship by CSIR, India -- 2003

Teaching Experience

• Observational Technique course, National Astronomy and Space Science Programme

(NASSP), University of Cape Town, 2008-2017

• Physics 552, Basic Concepts of Astronomy, Pondicherry University

• IIA-PU Course Work Teaching – Astronomical Techniques

• Joint Astronomy Programme (JAP) Course Work Teaching – Astronomical Techniques

Affiliations / Committee Membership

• Chair -- South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) Time Allocation Committee (TAC) to review SAAO small telescopes observing proposals.

• Member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU)

• Organising Committee Member of IAU Commission B2 Data and Documentation

• Life member of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI)

• Member of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP)

• Founding Vice President, Education Interest Group, International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA)7. IAU Inter-Commission B2-C1-C2 WG Data-Driven Astronomy Education and Public Outreach (DAEPO)

• Member of Working Group for CO-DATA National Committee

• India representative of International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) Executive Committee

• Convenor of IIA Time Allocation committee (IIA-TAC)

Funded Research Projects

• Co-I for ”Understanding the distribution of accreting supermassive black holes pairs in our nearby universe and their effect on galaxy environments using optical, UV and radio observations”, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Core Reserch grant (2023-2026)

• PI for ”Galaxy Evolution: Simulations, Observations and Data Analysis”, a joint research project under the South Africa / India agreement of cooperation in Science and Technology (2016-2019). [Grant - ZAR 300,000.00]

• National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa for 2015-2018 under Competitive Support for Unrated Researchers. [Grant - ZAR 585,000.00]

• Co-I for ”The Big Data Challenge in Astronomy”, a Chinese-South African Collaboration in Astronomy program (2016-2019). [Grant - ZAR 300,000.00]

• Co-I for ”The SAAO Cluster: A Platform for Skills Development and Next-Generation Multi-Wavelength Astronomy”, NRF Grant for 2014-2016: Multi-wavelength Astronomy Research Programme (MWGR). [Grant - ZAR 1,234,000.00]

• Co-I for ”Studies of the Milky Way Galaxy”, a South Africa / Japan joint Science and Technology research Collaboration (2015-2017). [Grant - ZAR 251,512.00]

• Co-I for ”Multi-wavelength Astronomy with the Virtual Observatory”, a joint research project under the South Africa / India agreement of cooperation in Science and Technology (2011-2015). [Grant - ZAR 450,000.00]

• Co-I for ”Search and Study of Variability in Ap and Am Stars”, a joint research project under the South Africa / India agreement of cooperation in Science and Technology (2009-2012). [Grant - ZAR 325,950.00]

• Fast Track Young Scientist Project funded by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, 2008 (could not take it up because I moved to SAAO, Cape Town, South Africa)