Team

Pranav R. Shirhatti
Principal Investigator (Associate Professor)
Email: pranavrs at tifrh dot res dot in,  Phone: +91 040 2020 3061

My research interests lie in the areas of energy transfer processes in molecule-surface collisions, elementary chemical reactions on metal surfaces, developing atom scattering based surface probing methods and developing tools for high resolution molecular spectroscopy.

In the past I have worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the department of Dynamics at surfaces at Institute for Physical Chemistry and Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany. I did my PhD and MSc (integrated) at the Dept of chemical sciences in TIFR Mumbai, India, where I worked on laser spectroscopic characterization of weak hydrogen bonded molecular complexes. I did my undergraduate studies, B.Sc. Hons in Chemistry, at the University of Delhi, St. Stephen’s college.

Ardra P. S.
(Integrated PhD candidate, Physics subject board)
Email: ardraps at tifrh dot res dot in

I am currently working on developing schemes for preparing state selected preparation of reactants in molecular beams using quantum cascade lasers as the excitation source. Besides this I am also working on developing a frequency stabilized External Cavity Diode Laser to be used as an injection seed for pulsed ns-OPOs. These state selected excitation schemes are being developed for understanding the dynamics of recombination reactions on metal surfaces.

I have completed my BSc in physics from P.S.G. College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore

Minali
(PhD candidate, Chemistry subject board)
Email: minaligorsi at tifrh dot res dot in 

My research aims to explore the ground state dissociation dynamics and activation barriers of CO₂ on Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces, building upon previous studies on Cu(110) in our lab. This study will also be extend to stepped Cu surfaces to gain insights into reaction dynamics. Another part of my work is to build a narrow pulse-width, high peak intensity piezoelectric molecular beam source. As a part of this work, I am also working on design and testing of the high voltage switches needed for operating such sources. A part of my work will also involve exploring the effects of internal excitation, such as vibrational modes, on the CO₂ dissociation.

I obtained my M.Sc. and B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from D.A.V. College, Chandigarh. As a part of my master’s project, I worked on the diverse sensing behavior of a Schiff base receptor toward Zn2+ ions

Balamurugan M.
(Post-Doctoral researcher)
Email: mbalamurugan at tifrh dot res dot in

My current research work focuses on developing tools for a Neutral atom microscopy (NAM). In particular am working towards developing an in-situ sample cleaning system, a detector with capability of measuring angle resolved scattered distributions and exploring the use of 2-dimensional materials as atomic mirrors.

I completed PhD degree in Chemistry from National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan ROC where I worked on developing plasmonic materials for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering based sensors. I obtained my M.Sc. (specialization in Physical Chemistry) degree from University of Madras, Chennai, Bachelor degree in Chemistry from Bishop Heber college, Trichy.

Sumanta Roy
(PhD Candidate, Chemistry subject board)
Email: sumantar at tifrh dot res dot in

I am interested in studying reaction dynamics on metal surfaces, as this field provides valuable insights into reaction mechanisms and the processes of energy transfer between molecules and metal surfaces during collisions. Currently, I am investigating the reactive and non-reactive scattering of nitric oxide (NO) from. Another key aspect of my research involves the development of high resolution laser spectroscopy based techniques for vibrational state-selective preparation of incident NO n a molecular beam. Using these methods, I aim to explore the role of vibrational energy in NO dissociation dynamics (reactive scattering) and to examine the vibrational energy distribution following non-reactive (inelastic) scattering from copper surfaces.

I hold an M.Sc. in Chemistry with a specialization in Physical Chemistry from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. As part of my master’s project, I investigated the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction of carbazole.

Sai Vijay Mocherla
(PhD Candidate, Chemistry subject board)
Email: smocherla at tifrh dot res dot in

My research interests include spectroscopy, dynamics and electronic structure theory applied to understand fundamental interactions between atoms, molecules and solids. I am currently working on building a experimental setup that can measure the state-resolved diffractive scattering of molecules from noble metal surfaces using the velocity-mapped ion-imaging (VMI) technique. These experiments are anticipated to provide very high quality experimental benchmarks that can be used for understanding the molecule-surface interaction potential.

Prior to joining the graduate program at TIFR Hyderabad, I worked as junior research fellow (JRF) at the institute, developing methods to simulate ultrafast electron dynamics in atoms and molecules. I received my B.Sc.(Honors) and M.Sc. in Chemistry from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Puttaparthi. During my masters, I worked on a summer project to study extraordinary optical transmission in plasmonic quasicrystals as a VSRP at TIFR Mumbai, where I had my first experience with lasers and spectroscopy. I also have an M.S. from the University of Rochester, New York, USA.