Yeah, sure.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

I am Doctor Shashi Priya. I belong to Jharkhand. I I have done my schooling and uh intermediate studies. In Jharkhand then I have done my BSA and MSA in physics from Konhanen City Chartre. After that I have. PhD degree from Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology.

Alright,

Guwahati under the guidance of Professor Pamu Doggy. Then I. You have one year experience. Ah, he worked in experimental condensed metaphysics where I focused on dielectric ceramics and thin films for. Capacitor applications.

Dr. Shashi Priya, when you first enter a classroom with undergraduate physics majors, what's one foundational concept you enjoy introducing, and why does it matter for their growth as physicists?

I'll mainly introduce about energy storage materials.

Okay, so when you introduce energy storage materials to undergrads, what’s one example or demonstration you use in the classroom to make that concept tangible for them?

Then I, I will, uh, focus on dielectric capacitors and different type of energy storage devices such as lithium sulfide batteries. I'll go for uh. Lithium circle battery demonstration. And why there is a necessity for energy storage devices in current era?

Right, you’ve done substantial work on BaTiO3 and BiFeO3-based dielectric ceramics for energy storage, as shown in your thesis and several publications. Can you tell me about a time you had to explain the core findings from your thesis—enhanced energy storage performance of these ceramics—to students or a non-specialist audience? What approach did you take to make it accessible?

Basically I will demonstrate some lab experiment on. Dielectric ceramics. And uh. All these capacitor applications. Then what is the how? What are the parameters for evaluating the energy storage performance of these? Dielectric capacitors from ferroelectric hysteresis loop. Hello. Basically, I will be interested in teaching experimental condensed matter physics like. I'll go for a. Rod classification of dielectric materials.

Basically I will demonstrate some lab experiment on. Dielectric ceramics. And uh. All these capacitor applications. Then what is the how? What are the parameters for evaluating the energy storage performance of these? Dielectric capacitors from ferroelectric hysteresis loop. Hello. Basically, I will be interested in teaching experimental condensed matter physics like. I'll go for a. Rod classification of dielectric materials. And their. Applications in day-to-day life. In the form of capacities or in. Play will go for a dielectric measurements using a LCR meter. Then I'll reach them how to. Find dielectric constant and using ferroelectric tester they can air. Perfect for the ferroelectric studies and how to evaluate their. Energy storage performance within this. Monopoly history system Now I have one year 1 1/2 year experience in Nithya sulfur batteries so I am interested in working in. Batteries.

Basically I will demonstrate some lab experiment on. Dielectric ceramics. And uh. All these capacitor applications. Then what is the how? What are the parameters for evaluating the energy storage performance of these? Dielectric capacitors from ferroelectric hysteresis loop. Hello. Basically, I will be interested in teaching experimental condensed matter physics like. I'll go for a. Rod classification of dielectric materials. And their. Applications in day-to-day life. In the form of capacities or in. Play will go for a dielectric measurements using a LCR meter. Then I'll reach them how to. Find dielectric constant and using ferroelectric tester they can air.

You mentioned demonstrating ferroelectric hysteresis loops to show how dielectric capacitors are evaluated and teaching classification of dielectric materials. When you explain how these loops relate to real-world device performance, how do you help students connect the abstract measurement to something they'd see in a practical application, like a commercial capacitor?

Alright, Dr. Shashi Priya, now turning to your research—your work on dielectric ceramics and thin films is quite relevant for both fundamental science and industry. Given the current funding landscape in India and globally, where do you see the most fundable research directions in your area over the next three years? Which specific grants or agencies would you target to sustain your group's work?

Now I have one year 1 1/2 year experience in Nithya sulfur batteries so I am interested in working in. Batteries. And it's a high demand. For the time.

Now I have one year 1 1/2 year experience in Nithya sulfur batteries so I am interested in working in. Batteries. And it's a high demand. For the time. And I'll look into some funding agencies.

You mentioned your recent experience with lithium-sulfur batteries and a growing interest in battery research. Given the intense global competition and rapid funding cycles in this space, what concrete steps would you take to secure external grants for a new research group working on advanced batteries?

You mentioned the demand for battery research and your recent experience with lithium-sulfur batteries. Given the intense global competition and rapid funding cycles in this space, what concrete steps would you take to build a sustainable research group at VIT—especially when it comes to securing external grants or industry collaborations?

You mentioned experience working on lithium-sulfur batteries, but can you walk me through a specific project or experiment you led in that area—what was your exact role, and what technical challenges did you encounter?

As we know, lithium ion batteries and they are they have dominated the. Commercial, uh. Commercial.

Of portable electronics and electric vehicles. So lithium is lithium metal is scare. And. And so we have to look into some alternative.

Alright, you’ve described your interest in batteries and funding,

So you’re highlighting the scarcity of lithium and the need for alternatives in class discussions. When you bring up these real-world constraints, how do you get students to actually engage with the problem—do you run a debate, a group project, or something else to get them thinking beyond just the textbook?

I'll bring some funding for. There's a project so I can. Make them work. In battery. Initial batteries.

I'll bring some funding for. There's a project so I can. Make them work. In battery. Initial batteries. And there we have some fundamental challenges for lithium sulfur batteries.

Suppose you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses—for example, not all faculty were submitting course attainment records or using the same rubric. How would you approach fixing that, while still respecting your colleagues’ autonomy?

You’re aiming to bring students into battery research by involving them in fundamental challenges and potentially funded projects.

And will. Uh, such as?

You asked "such as" — are you looking for examples of fundamental challenges in lithium-sulfur batteries, or did you want to clarify something else?

In research point of view, I'll address some fundamental challenges of. And it's himself for batteries like. Polysulfide, subtle effect or volume expansion?

You mentioned tackling issues like the polysulfide shuttle effect and volume expansion in lithium-sulfur batteries.

And we are using a. Sulphur as a horse material which is apparently available in the earth. I'll look for some collaboration collaborative work outside React also. And if it is not possible, I'll go with the departmental. Uh, like available facilities and. Try to focus on the teaching as well as research.

You talked about collaborating outside your department if possible, and otherwise making use of in-house facilities for both teaching and research. But let's get concrete—if you noticed colleagues weren't consistently submitting course attainment records, what steps would you take to address that and ensure we're meeting accreditation standards?

I'm sorry, I could not get.

I'm sorry, I could not get. Can you repeat this?

You mentioned collaborating both within and outside the department, and making the best use of available resources for teaching and research. But when it comes to accreditation—say you notice not all faculty are turning in the required course attainment records—what exactly would you do to address that, step by step?

Mm-hmm.

Then I will work as an independent researcher and. I'll, uh. Then I will work as an independent researcher. I'll seek. Florida funding and. Try to uh. Focus on teaching. VTech and Mtech students. Then I'll take some PhD students. And then they can work in some projects I will, uh. I'll give online, uh I will, uh. I'll give online, uh. Online that is examination.

Then I will work as an independent researcher and. I'll, uh. Then I will work as an independent researcher. I'll seek. Florida funding and. Try to uh. Focus on teaching. VTech and Mtech students. Then I'll take some PhD students.

Alright, Professor, let’s consider a common ethical tension. Imagine a student files a formal complaint alleging your grading is biased, but at the same time your department head is pressuring you to improve pass rates for accreditation. How would you navigate that situation, balancing fairness to the student, academic integrity, and institutional expectations?

Alright, Professor, shifting gears a bit—given your work in semiconductor device physics and batteries, do you have any industry connections or collaborations that could help our students with internships or placements in emerging technology sectors?

Which I'll maintain the record so. It will be fair. And uh. Fair for every studios.

You mentioned working with batteries and semiconductors, and focusing on fairness and student engagement. Let's go through a few specific areas to get a sense of your hands-on experience. Say you're guiding a PhD student on theoretical modeling of quantum computation—how would you help them connect abstract mathematical concepts to practical algorithms or hardware constraints?

Right now I have no industrial connections, but I have some collaborations like I worked in. As a post doctoral research where they can. Work in rhythm Shalkar batteries at the same time uh. Will uh, have some collaborations for theoretical studies like DfT and these things to correlate the. Experimental models and experimental validations.

So you did some postdoc work involving lithium-sulfur batteries, and you’ve got collaborations for theoretical studies like DFT. When you’re working on correlating those theoretical models with experimental results, what’s your process if the simulation and the lab data don’t match?

I will repeat the experiments again and again, and we'll. Correlate with uh. Suppose uh. If we are our data is inconsistent, then we will correlate with other experimental analysis.

Okay, so you'd repeat the experiment and cross-check with other analyses if your theoretical and experimental results didn't line up. When you say "other experimental analysis," what techniques do you usually rely on to dig deeper into those discrepancies?

And if then also if the data is not consistent then. We will, uh. Do several uh. Reputations. I will do the. Repetitions of that same experiments. And if it is coming like. Similar. Then we will publish that data with a strong uh. Uh, strong, uh, validation and uh. Reason why the data is coming uh. In that similar manner.

Alright, so even if repeated experiments keep giving the same unexpected results, you’d publish with a strong rationale for why the data is the way it is. Switching gears now—when it comes to machine learning, can you give me a concrete example of how you've used it in your research, particularly to analyze or predict physical phenomena?

Will use machine learning in analyzing the complex data. Or uh, uh, we will, uh. Try to uh. Verify some experimental data using some simulations.

So you're using machine learning to analyze complex experimental data and compare it with simulations. Can you give me a specific example—like, what kind of physical system did you apply machine learning to, and what was the outcome?

Suppose for. Structure validations. Uh, we will uh, do using some simulation.

So you're running simulations for structure validation, but I was hoping for something a bit more hands-on—can you walk me through a time you actually used a machine learning model, like a regression or classification algorithm, to make predictions or interpret results from an experiment in your field?

Okay, noted.

Or XRD. And uh. In case of converse there are long chains so. Cruising with a simple XRD and there's refinement won't help, so we will go into some machine learning. Awesome DfT simulation so to get the structure validation.

Alright, so with long-chain compounds, simple XRD and Rietveld refinement might not cut it, so you turn to machine learning and DFT simulations for structure validation. Let’s move to quantum computation for a moment—can you give me an example of how you’d help a student understand the limitations of a quantum algorithm when implemented on real hardware, not just in theory?

Quantum algorithm like limitations we can. Uncheck a similar. As and simultaneously with the experimental validation Then I will ask them to check the hardware Then I will ask them to check the hardware. Simultaneously I will help them to uh. Check on with the simulations as well as hardware pack Then I will ask them to check the hardware. Simultaneously I will help them to uh. Check on with the simulations as well as hardware pack.

Quantum algorithm like limitations we can.

So you're thinking about how quantum algorithms might run into limitations on real hardware. Can you give me an example, say with something like a quantum Fourier transform, where a student's code works in simulation but fails or gives unexpected results on an actual quantum device, and how you'd explain that discrepancy to them?

Alright, so you’d have students cross-check their code with both simulation and hardware to find where things might be going wrong. Let's pivot to your publication record—can you tell me about a paper you published where peer review pushed you to rethink your conclusions or redo a major analysis? What did you change as a result?

All papers which I published and the articles that are peer reviewed. And that gave me the confidence. To publish uh. Articles in the High Impact channel.

All papers which I published and the articles that are peer reviewed. And that gave me the confidence.

Okay, so having all your publications peer reviewed gave you confidence, but can you tell me about a specific instance where reviewer feedback actually led you to rethink part of your analysis or change your interpretation before final publication?

Alright, so publishing in high-impact journals after peer review gave you confidence, but I was looking for a moment when reviewer feedback made you revisit your analysis or rethink a key claim. If you haven't had that experience, that's fine. Switching topics—can you give me a concrete example of industry collaboration or consultancy where your physics expertise directly influenced a project's outcome?

And this also helped. Semiconductor industries, Battery industries, uh. There is a requirement of physicists. Like the semiconductor industries is growing. And now rapidly And And. Suppose if we develop a battery prototype. And if we need the. Required voltage required for some applications like Ola. Like electric, uh. Hey, Riksha and. Uh, we can then. Uh. Battery materials which can be applicable for small portable devices.

And this also helped. Semiconductor industries, Battery industries, uh. There is a requirement of physicists. Like the semiconductor industries is growing.

So you’ve been involved with the semiconductor and battery industries, mentioning the growing need for physicists there.

Okay, so you were involved in developing a battery prototype for applications like e-rickshaws and portable devices, focusing on achieving the required voltage for different use cases. For semiconductor device physics, can you talk about a time you had to troubleshoot or optimize the performance of a semiconductor component—what was the bottleneck, and how did you address it?

In semiconductor devices, we need. We have to enhance the efficiency of. Uh, and so that's it. And right now. It is improved up to 26 to 36% and we are. To improve this efficiency.

In semiconductor devices, we need. We have to enhance the efficiency of. Uh, and so that's it. And right now. It is improved up to 26 to 36% and we are. To improve this efficiency. Play more than 36.

So you mentioned improving device efficiency up to 26 to 36 percent and continuing to push that higher. What was the main technical hurdle you faced in trying to boost efficiency further, and what strategy did you use to try to overcome it?

You mentioned improving device efficiency up to 36 percent and aiming for more—what specific physical mechanism or design tweak did you use to actually boost that efficiency, and how did you know it was working?

And right now I have not fabricated any like soda cell or any devices. But I I can look into this domain. Uh, when? Uh. When I am looking for something. Semiconductor devices are dispatching system using. And some wearable and portable electron.

My aim will be to improve the semiconductor devices.

Alright, Professor, we’re wrapping up. Is there anything you’d like to ask about the role or the team before we finish?

Alright.

Actually I am confused with this role. Whether this is the? For assistant professor physics or it is assistant professor research.

Actually I am confused with this role. Whether this is the? For assistant professor physics or it is assistant professor research. So what is the? Difference in the role of these two positions.

That's a good question—this is indeed an Assistant Professor position in Physics, but with a strong emphasis on both research and teaching. You'll be expected to teach, mentor students, guide research projects, contribute to publications, and participate in academic activities across the department. Is there anything else you'd like to ask about the role or the team?

That's a fair question. This role is for Assistant Professor in Physics, with a strong emphasis on both teaching and research. You'll be expected to lead classes, mentor students, guide research projects, contribute to publications, and participate in departmental activities—so it's a blend, not just pure research or pure teaching. Anything else you'd like to ask before we finish?

Thank you so much for the clarification.