Thank you. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I. Doctor Kupan. Completed Physics. And uh. Completed physics in Vit University, Vellore.

Thank you. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I. Doctor Kupan. Completed Physics. And uh. Completed physics in Vit University, Vellore. Uh mainly focuses on. And material science of the engineering. Related to this semiconductor. Electronic materials and after that I finished my PhD, I did my post doctor. In Japan in Akita University, where I widely focused with. Multiferrite Infills. Device applications and the memory device applications and then I move to. TDP corporations where I have worked as a lettuce engineer.

Thank you. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I. Doctor Kupan. Completed Physics. And uh. Completed physics in Vit University, Vellore. Uh mainly focuses on. And material science of the engineering. Related to this semiconductor. Electronic materials and after that I finished my PhD, I did my post doctor. In Japan in Akita University, where I widely focused with. Multiferrite Infills. Device applications and the memory device applications and then I move to. TDP corporations where I have worked as a lettuce engineer. My patients to be as an assistant professor to teach.

Thank you. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I. Doctor Kupan. Completed Physics. And uh. Completed physics in Vit University, Vellore. Uh mainly focuses on. And material science of the engineering. Related to this semiconductor. Electronic materials and after that I finished my PhD, I did my post doctor. In Japan in Akita University, where I widely focused with. Multiferrite Infills. Device applications and the memory device applications and then I move to. TDP corporations where I have worked as a lettuce engineer. My patients to be as an assistant professor to teach. For the student and also to maintain the resource collaborations within the abroad.

Okay, so you completed your physics studies at VIT University in Vellore — could you share a bit more about your journey after that?

Alright, so after your PhD you did postdoctoral research in Japan focused on multiferrite infills and device applications, and then transitioned into industry as a lattice engineer at TDP Corporations. Anything else from your journey you'd like to add before we move forward?

You mentioned your passion for teaching—what's one foundational concept in physics you especially enjoy introducing to new undergraduates, and why does it resonate with you?

Alright, so you're passionate about teaching and also about building research collaborations internationally. When you first introduce semiconductor materials to your students, what's a common misconception they come in with, and how do you help them overcome it?

Whereas the semiconductor device. The physics focuses mainly for the controlling electron and hole. Uh, flow in the materials like silicone and. And a gallium. Nelson, Ivage have uh. Uh. Which have which have conductivity between.

Whereas the semiconductor device. The physics focuses mainly for the controlling electron and hole. Uh, flow in the materials like silicone and. And a gallium. Nelson, Ivage have uh. Uh. Which have which have conductivity between. Connectors and insulators. The key concept include. And band graph engineering, doping the modify electrical properties and the carrier transport mechanism. How to and the futures enabling? Devices such As for deode transistor and also the MOSFET.

Okay, so you're describing how electron and hole flow is controlled in materials like silicon and gallium, and you mentioned conductivity being in between. You were mid-thought—do you want to finish your explanation?

Dr., I noticed your Science Reports paper on multiferroic thin films—specifically, using pulsed DC sputtering and demonstrating magnetization reversal by electric field. How has that research experience shaped your approach to teaching advanced materials topics to undergraduates or early graduate students?

Yeah, and. Really was. More passionate about to. Will learn such a very reputed institutions in abroad and especially. That teaching experience like the research research experience in the multifurrent because. Today's and the industrial. Uh, industrial, uh. Graph and. These knowledge is very essential. So that and how to be teaching. This engineering knowledge to our particular to the student definitely the student get benefited for their future. Career and development in research and development, and not only for that and maybe. They can join in the industrials for their own.

You mentioned that your research in multiferroics helps students connect classroom theory to real-world industry needs, especially for careers in R&D or moving into industry. Can you give a concrete example of a topic from your thin-film research that you’ve successfully simplified for undergraduates, so they really got it?

Yeah. Yeah, and. Yeah, of course. I, I really. Happy to answer these questions because for the every final year, students have to be like industrial oriented, projected especially for the final thesis, they have to be and sunshine with an industry, especially for suppose I I just wanted to. Use some example about for. Fabrications technology and the student or the Btech students wants to join in this semiconductor industry so they have the prior experiences of how the fabrication is going on and how what are the. You know pre essential process and how to be. Like what is the safety conditions like this kind of these are all the criteria the student must know. Before entering into the company so. As, as, uh, I have the phone, uh, fountain knowledge about all these things, maybe I can teach the students. Definitely the student also get benefited from this. Such a. Knowledge in the industry based.

Yeah.

Alright, so you see value in making that knowledge accessible for students' future careers, especially with industry applications. But can you walk me through a specific moment—maybe in a lecture or lab—where you took a complex idea from your multiferroic thin-film research and broke it down in a way that really clicked for your students?

So you emphasized the importance of students understanding semiconductor fabrication steps and safety before entering industry. Can you walk me through, in concrete terms, how you’d explain the process flow for making a MOSFET to a student who’s never seen a cleanroom?

Uh, uh. For the MOSFET. OK.

Uh, uh. For the MOSFET. OK. Yeah, and. For the MOS, but like mosquito, generally it is defined as a metal oxide semiconductor field. Effect transistor is like voltage controlled semiconductor. Device used for switching or amplified signals. So. Also widely used in the modern electronics, it operates by applying voltages to an insulator. And get terminals while create. An electrical insulated. Field form conductive channels between the source and the triangles. Things so these are the basic support for the MOSFET but. If the student does not have the knowledge about all this thing and. These days and we will have some demonstrated classes in the classroom.

Uh, uh. For the MOSFET. OK. Yeah, and. For the MOS, but like mosquito, generally it is defined as a metal oxide semiconductor field. Effect transistor is like voltage controlled semiconductor. Device used for switching or amplified signals. So. Also widely used in the modern electronics, it operates by applying voltages to an insulator. And get terminals while create. An electrical insulated. Field form conductive channels between the source and the triangles. Things so these are the basic support for the MOSFET but. If the student does not have the knowledge about all this thing and. These days and we will have some demonstrated classes in the classroom. And maybe it might help to the students get more knowledge about. The MOSFET fabrications.

Uh, uh. For the MOSFET. OK. Yeah, and. For the MOS, but like mosquito, generally it is defined as a metal oxide semiconductor field. Effect transistor is like voltage controlled semiconductor. Device used for switching or amplified signals. So. Also widely used in the modern electronics, it operates by applying voltages to an insulator. And get terminals while create. An electrical insulated.

Alright, you were about to walk me through the MOSFET process flow for students who've never been in a cleanroom. Go ahead—how do you explain the main steps to them in a way they can actually visualize?

Right, so let's focus now on your research agenda. Given your extensive background in multiferroic thin films and semiconductor materials, where do you see the most fundable research directions over the next three years? Which specific grants or funding agencies would you target to support that work at an institution like VIT?

Okay, so you’d lean on demonstrations in class to help students understand what’s happening in a MOSFET at a physical level. Now, considering VIT’s emphasis on both research and external funding, how would you identify which areas of your multiferroic thin-film work are most promising for external grants or industry partnerships over the next few years?

You focused on demonstration and basic device operation, but what would you do if a student still struggled to grasp the physical intuition behind channel formation in a MOSFET, even after your explanation and classroom demo?

In in. In these cases I have been. Uh, making the students to join, uh, the workshop, uh, in our collaborated with and the premier institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science and even in some uh, Indian Institute of Technology, those providing such a training to the. Finally, a student especially for the final project thesis. Maybe I encourage uh. Encourage the students to join that this particular training. To gain the knowledge about for the. Their own interested.

So you encourage students to join workshops at top institutes like IISc and IITs to get hands-on experience when classroom explanations aren't enough. For your own research group, how do you plan to secure external funding for projects in multiferroic materials or semiconductor devices over the next three years? Which grant agencies or industry partners would you target?

Yeah.

Okay, so I need a bit more detail there. For your multiferroic or semiconductor research, which specific funding agencies or industry partners do you plan to target, and what makes your work attractive to them?

Yeah. Yeah. So these. And now nowadays in the Indian government as providing wide like funding opportunity for. The institutions and especially for the they are focusing with the. Research and development in Indian premier institutions. So they are supporting us like DSD. And other like ANRF. All all these have the missions to. To move forward our resource and development sector. In in the. Number one in our nations so. We will try to get. Funding from the DST and CSAR and even in our state government. And also for the international collaborations too, you'll get. But particularly for the magnetic material. Uh, related research works.

Okay, so you’re targeting funding from DST, CSIR, and state agencies, with a focus on magnetic materials and international collaborations. What would you say makes your group’s work compelling enough to stand out to these funding bodies, and how would you articulate that in a grant proposal?

So every proposals, every proposals to the government or the Funding Agency. Should be the. Uh, widely used. Useful to the public society. So as an as and when like the science is concerns like. Whatever we're finding in the laboratory, that should be. Market Market sizes. Marketplaces so. In focus and that way of research and we mainly focused through every single innovations from the laboratory should be. Uh, like monetize? Through the companies or through the corporate companies and our. Our findings should be kept in. Kept in the government agency over the Funding Agency might be helpful to. Give the idea to the companies to make it the product or any other related device. Our innovation work. Hello. Hello is this sounds good for you?

Alright, shifting gears a bit—let's talk about your approach in the classroom. Suppose you have to teach a large group of undergraduates about quantum computation, but you can't use slides or a blackboard. How would you design an engaging session that gets everyone actively involved with the material?

Yeah, and. Sometimes I'll I'll do with the the present in the presentations like PowerPoint presentations. And I, I'll make it to keep, keep it ready. For the PowerPoint presentations in such a very crowd, and maybe I'll send it to send it to the students. Uh, personal. Uh, log in our personal subject notes.

Yeah, and. Sometimes I'll I'll do with the the present in the presentations like PowerPoint presentations. And I, I'll make it to keep, keep it ready.

Yeah, and. Sometimes I'll I'll do with the the present in the presentations like PowerPoint presentations. And I, I'll make it to keep, keep it ready. For the PowerPoint presentations in such a very crowd, and maybe I'll send it to send it to the students. Uh, personal. Uh, log in our personal subject notes. As a classroom teaching. It's not external properly.

So you rely on presentations when you can, but in this scenario, you can't use slides or a blackboard. What's one hands-on or discussion-based activity you'd use so students actually grapple with quantum computing concepts in that setting?

So, you’d make sure students have the materials to review, but in a situation where you can’t use any technology or typical visuals, I’m curious—how would you get students talking or thinking together about an abstract idea in quantum computation, like superposition or entanglement? What’s one activity or analogy you’d use to spark that kind of discussion?

Okay, Dr., let’s switch gears to something a bit different. Accreditation cycles can be demanding—if you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, how would you approach fixing that?

For the inconsistent inconsistency in the. The department or the accreditations maybe? We'll working towards with the the senior. Uh, seniors from our department and also from our. Head of the department. Maybe we'll seek help from them and to. Solve this issue.

Alright, Dr., let's move to something a bit more delicate. Imagine a student files a formal complaint, claiming your grading was biased, and at the same time your department head is pressuring you to raise pass rates. How would you navigate that situation?

OK, uh. Maybe. Maybe I can get it. One more time, the question.

Of course, Dr. Here’s the scenario again: Imagine a student files a formal complaint, alleging your grading is biased, while at the same time your department head is pressuring you to improve pass rates. How do you navigate that situation?

Yeah, this is really. Uh, is another tough questions to answer there and maybe I can, I can help the students to. Uh, past the. Course in, in in the main. That and I will teach them properly and I will help like, uh, to. Uh, to talk with the students and what are the difficulties and how to tackle over it and how to focus and concentrate on your subject matters to pass it.

Right now you’re saying you’d support the student and focus on helping them overcome their difficulties—which makes sense, but I want to push a bit.

Exactly.

Earlier you mentioned preparing students for semiconductor industry roles by exposing them to fabrication processes and safety requirements. Do you currently have any industry contacts or collaborations that could help students at VIT land internships or get real-world project experience?

Yeah, I do have the industrial collaborative experiences.

Yeah, I do have the industrial collaborative experiences. Uh, while my previous experiences with. TDK. With academic or any other like international collaborations with the. Maharana sled laser and this kind of. Companies we have keep in touch, keep in contact with them. And that. Collaborative research might help our students to. Getting the new experiences. For their studies.

Alright, saying you have industrial collaborative experience is a start, but I need specifics—can you name one company or organization you've worked with, and describe exactly how that connection benefited your students, either through internships, projects, or exposure to industry practices?

Okay, so you’ve worked with TDK and some laser companies, and you’ve kept those relationships active for collaborative research. Can you give me a concrete example where a student directly benefited—maybe through an internship, a joint project, or exposure to real-world industry problems thanks to one of those collaborations?

Yeah, yeah, it's fine. And and I I like every premier institutions have this in semester program and they have been. Partially helping to the students to. Go to the pro and to. Uh, having. Study for the final thesis with any like collaborative universities. So this is in the university site in in the another side and even the Funding Agency from the government. That also support our students for. Final semester. They can carry their own research in any any institutions, any preliminary institutions in abroad and they will support.

Yeah, yeah, it's fine. And and I I like every premier institutions have this in semester program and they have been. Partially helping to the students to. Go to the pro and to. Uh, having. Study for the final thesis with any like collaborative universities. So this is in the university site in in the another side and even the Funding Agency from the government. That also support our students for. Final semester. They can carry their own research in any any institutions, any preliminary institutions in abroad and they will support. For their internship and also for their flight charges and everything.

Yeah, yeah, it's fine. And and I I like every premier institutions have this in semester program and they have been. Partially helping to the students to. Go to the pro and to. Uh, having. Study for the final thesis with any like collaborative universities. So this is in the university site in in the another side and even the Funding Agency from the government. That also support our students for. Final semester. They can carry their own research in any any institutions, any preliminary institutions in abroad and they will support. For their internship and also for their flight charges and everything. So. All this way, maybe I can introduce to our students to get benefited from their future. Research Careers.

So you're saying the university and some funding agencies support students to do their final thesis at premier institutions or abroad, and those collaborations create opportunities. Can you walk me through one specific project or student experience where your industry partnership directly influenced the outcome or shaped the direction of their research?

Alright, so you’re saying students get support for their final thesis work at partnered institutions, and those collaborations include funding for travel and research. Shifting to research publications—can you describe a time when you submitted to a high-impact journal and had to respond to a challenging reviewer comment? What was the critique, and how did you address it?

Alright, so you’ve seen how funding agencies and universities support students for research abroad and internships. Shifting gears—when you’re explaining a tricky concept in theoretical physics, like spontaneous symmetry breaking, to a group that’s struggling, what’s your go-to way to make it click?

Yeah, so. For for understanding purpose, maybe I can repeatedly they can I can flexible to. Their understanding level, maybe I can explain.

So you’d adjust your explanation based on their understanding—can you walk me through a specific analogy or hands-on activity you’ve actually used to help students grasp spontaneous symmetry breaking?

Yeah, so. For for understanding purpose, maybe I can repeatedly they can I can flexible to. Their understanding level, maybe I can explain. One more time to. Hello.

Alright, so you’d adjust your explanation style and repeat as needed if students aren’t getting it. Can you give me a specific analogy or hands-on activity you’ve actually used to help students grasp something like spontaneous symmetry breaking, rather than just re-explaining it the same way?

We will try to. Uh, many time for the student understanding and uh, while the classroom teachings.

Alright, since you’ve talked about industry collaborations and research guidance, let’s dig into your publication record. Can you tell me about a research paper you published that you think had the biggest impact, and what made it stand out in the field?

Yeah, it it was. One of the dream is like, enough. Maybe I have dream to be published in the uh. Natural science, maybe that's my dream. Subject to to publishing this article, maybe my post-doctor research. Research. Part of the work have been uh. Published in that journal is really exciting me to understand that Yeah, for that. And we have been used with the new technique like. Uh, Pastor.

Yeah, for that. And we have been used with the new technique like. Uh, Pastor. Depositions. And uh. The key concept of. The research finding is. I've been using with the. Multipherites with the Lanphanite seriasis. The magnetic property has been. Getting like a very wide. Magnetic property so this attract many of most of the research magnetic material researchers have gained the knowledge from our. Research articles and most of the people who are finding or reciting our research to those. Their future research?

Okay, so you started to mention a new technique—Pastor—for your research. Can you walk me through what that technique is and how it contributed to your findings in that paper?

Yeah, for that. And we have been used with the new technique like. Uh, Pastor. Depositions. And uh. The key concept of. The research finding is. I've been using with the. Multipherites with the Lanphanite seriasis. The magnetic property has been. Getting like a very wide. Magnetic property so this attract many of most of the research magnetic material researchers have gained the knowledge from our. Research articles and most of the people who are finding or reciting our research to those. Their future research? Internationally.

Alright, so your work with lanthanide-based multiferroics and their magnetic properties brought in a lot of attention from others in the field. Switching gears, when you’ve supervised student projects or theses, how do you help them connect abstract theory—like quantum computation—to something practical or publishable?

Okay, so your work on lanthanide-based multiferroics and their wide-ranging magnetic properties sparked a lot of interest in the research community. Let’s shift—can you describe a scenario where you applied machine learning techniques in your research, and what specific problem you were trying to solve?

Yeah, my interest in like finding this machine learning is like suppose in the material science is concerned, there has a lot of data to be like. Like coincide with the data. Fabrication or the data manipulation is needed for every analytical. Processes so that for the, for the, for. In that task, the machine learning would be highly helpful for the future like artificial intelligence. Sector Maybe the machine learning is very important to be. Uh, in this field, maybe I can merge it? To this machine learning knowledge, to the material science research and think.

Yeah, my interest in like finding this machine learning is like suppose in the material science is concerned, there has a lot of data to be like. Like coincide with the data. Fabrication or the data manipulation is needed for every analytical. Processes so that for the, for the, for. In that task, the machine learning would be highly helpful for the future like artificial intelligence.

Okay, so you see machine learning as a way to handle large datasets in material science, especially for fabrication and analytics. Can you walk me through a specific project where you actually applied a machine learning method—like a regression or classification model—to analyze material properties or predict outcomes?

Alright, so you see machine learning as valuable for handling and analyzing large datasets in material science, especially for fabrication data. Can you walk me through a specific project where you actually applied a machine learning algorithm—what kind of data did you use, what was the goal, and what results did you get?

Yeah, while, while we are doing with our practical like our experimental, experimental work and we need to be. Explore for a lot of. Data so that's that's sometimes not be possible. And what would be the answer? In the theoretical, theoretical and I need to be compared with an. Experimentally, but whereas. The output comes out from this experimental is not that much of exact exactly so. In this case, as we. Hydrated with the. Our our own data in using this machine learning and finding. How the results would be? Come and what would be? The corrections may need to be get that particular answer for the good. Research.

So you said you used machine learning to compare experimental and theoretical results, and to correct your dataset for better research outcomes. Shifting gears—can you share an example where you taught a complex quantum computation concept to students? What approach did you use to help them really understand it?

Uh, so. I I think is this topic is more. Like more new to me, maybe I can learn it. Quickly. And and teach the students and how they sit. A Quantum competitions for the machine learning. This is a helpful and in what way? Maybe I can transfer the knowledge to the students, maybe I will. Learn it quickly and transfer the knowledge to the student.

Alright, you said quantum computation is a newer area for you and you'd be willing to pick it up quickly to teach students, especially as it relates to machine learning. Since this is a growing field, how

Yes, yes, yes.

Yes, yes, yes. Please, please, ma'am. Sorry, sorry for the interruptions. Maybe you can continue your questions. I'm not.

Since you’ve shown openness to learning new topics for your students, let’s talk about your teaching style. When you’re working with undergraduates who are struggling with foundational concepts in physics, what’s one practical method you use to help them bridge the gap?

So in in this particular questions. Uh, already the students get some knowledge about. For the foundational physics or especially with the foundation subject. In their higher secondary school level. Whereas they they have to be. Entering into the primary institutions like this, VIT and other IIT. Like the ants on experiences. In the laboratory, all the experimental, the teaching. Concept to the experimentalist very essential. In focused and keep an eye with that particular thing. Uh, I will teach the students for uh, this. Like. Experienced. Weather It just sounds good, like maybe. Uh, the experiment with a basic. Physics explains about. Like, uh. Sound the topic in the sound and also in the topic in the light like. Newton Singh experiment they have like. What's the focal lengths or focal uh. Focal lens we have been used or to finding the wavelength of. The incident light experiment. Kind of thing. The student may understand. Direct or the directly in the laboratory. The concept behind every experiment.

No problem. Since you mentioned you’re open to picking up new topics—let’s talk about your broader teaching approach. When you’re working with undergraduates who are struggling with foundational physics concepts, what’s your strategy for helping them build up confidence and actually master the basics?

It just sounds good, like maybe. Uh, the experiment with a basic. Physics explains about. Like, uh. Sound the topic in the sound and also in the topic in the light like. Newton Singh experiment they have like. What's the focal lengths or focal uh. Focal lens we have been used or to finding the wavelength of. The incident light experiment. Kind of thing. The student may understand. Direct or the directly in the laboratory. The concept behind every experiment. I believe and hope that the student can understand. More quickly and rather than classroom teaching, so laboratory teachings would be highly beneficial to the students. Understanding purposes.

Alright, so you like using classic optics experiments, like measuring the focal length to help students really see the connection between theory and hands-on results. Switching gears—can you give me an example of a time you designed or improved a physics course or curriculum? What changes did you make, and how did you measure if they were effective?

Yeah, it's too. Uh, little tough to answer the questions because and it's it's. Completely. Based on the some students. Mindset maybe? Uh uh, I can help. The students not getting bored and the theoretical classes maybe I can engage like. Contacting the students for every moment. For interactive, the students for. All the 45 minutes or the classroom time? Maybe in while interacting with the students. I believe that and the student can. Node diverted from the And could you help me about like? Maybe we have an 8 + 6 years experience in. After Pierce Tibetan abroad and also for India's premier institutions like Indian Institute of Technology. And and as an I, I like interview with this positions and what would be my like? Maybe there is a different role like senior and associate professor kind of thing. So how would you? Uh, like provide this. Provide me for this opportunity. So what role would.

Okay, so you like using classic optics experiments, like measuring focal length or finding the wavelength of light, to help students connect theory to hands-on experience. Switching gears—can you give me an example of a strategy or technique you use to keep students engaged during a long lecture or when covering a dense theoretical topic?

Yeah, it's too. Uh, little tough to answer the questions because and it's it's. Completely. Based on the some students. Mindset maybe?

Yeah, it's too. Uh, little tough to answer the questions because and it's it's. Completely. Based on the some students. Mindset maybe? Uh uh, I can help. The students not getting bored and the theoretical classes maybe I can engage like. Contacting the students for every moment.

So you’re saying it really depends on the students’ mindset. Can you give me a concrete example—maybe a technique like group discussions, quick quizzes, or something else you’ve actually tried to keep a tough class interested during a complicated lecture?

So you try to keep students engaged by staying in contact with them throughout the lecture, adapting to their mindset. Can you give me a concrete example—like, have you ever used group discussions, demonstrations, or quick quizzes during a tough topic to bring energy back into the room?

And could you help me about like? Maybe we have an 8 + 6 years experience in. After Pierce Tibetan abroad and also for India's premier institutions like Indian Institute of Technology. And and as an I, I like interview with this positions and what would be my like? Maybe there is a different role like senior and associate professor kind of thing. So how would you? Uh, like provide this. Provide me for this opportunity. So what role would. Since I have an 8 + 8 experiences after PhD.

You mentioned having over eight years of post-PhD experience, both abroad and at premier Indian institutions like IITs, and you're wondering whether you'd be considered for an Associate or Senior Professor role. The specific title and level typically depend on institutional policies, your publication record, and demonstrated leadership in research and teaching. That said, with your background, you'd be strongly considered for roles at the higher end of the ladder, but final designation would be determined after a full review of your credentials and alignment with departmental needs. Anything else you'd like to ask about the position or the team?

It's fine. Like maybe I understood, uh. About for the scenario. Especially with the job description is. Thank you. Thank you so much for. Wonderful. Answer.