Dr. Aniruddha Chakraborty

• Ph.D. (Theoretical Chemistry): Department of Inorganic & Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, 1997-2004 (6.5 yrs.) (Research Area: Nano Devices, Thesis Advisor: Prof. K. L. Sebastian).

 

• M.Sc. (Chemistry): Specialization in Physical Chemistry, University of Calcutta, India, 1995-97 (2 yrs.).

 

• B.Sc. (Chemistry Honours): Vivekananda College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 1992-95 (3 yrs.).
  

 

• Higher Secondary (Pure Science): Barisha High School, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 1990-92 (2 yrs.).

 

• Secondary: Barisha High School, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 1984-90 (6 yrs.).

 

• Primary: St. Elizabeth Girl's School, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 1980-84 (4 yrs.).

 

• Kinder Garden: St. Elizabeth Girl's School, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 1979-80 (2 yrs.).

 

 

 

Research Achievements:

 

• The standard model for irreversible chemical reactions in solution would be a particle executing one-dimensional random walk on a harmonic potential, in presence of a point sink, located at an arbitrary position. Very recently an exact analytical time domain solution to this model was proposed by us. This has been an unsolved problem for long time  and is of considerable importance as a model for chemical reaction in solution. We are able to solve problems beyond point sink model as well.
  

• The standard model for reversible chemical reactions in solution would be a particle executing one dimensional random walk on two  potential wells in presence of coupling between them. Exact Laplace domain solution of this model for point-like coupling between two potentials was proposed by us. This is an interesting & very important work in this field. Very recently we have proposed  an exact analytical time domain solution of this same model, which was so far considered to be analytically intractable.



 Teaching Achievements:

 

• More than 1200 lectures are given to ~1500 students of different areas of sciences & engineering with students average (over total number of students) TCF 4.4/5.0. Total 36 courses were offered, these includes theory courses, Laboratory courses as well as project-based courses.
• Established B. Tech. Chemsitry Laboratory in 2010, this was the first fully functional teaching laboratory in IIT Mandi.
• Experience of giving 84 lectures within two months (60 days) for two different courses with a very high TCF (above 4.0).
• Designed & taught one of the most difficult course (Physics behind computers) to B. Tech. students.
  
• Taught English course (17 lectures) to B. Tech. students in the induction progm. with an excellent teaching feedback (2nd best).
  
• More than 150 online lectures are given in four different course (three completely online and one partially online) with a very high TCF.
• Took online open book examinations very efficiently, by making personalized question papers to approx. 100 students in total.
• Mathematics for Chemists course offered in 2019 (core for 40 students) was attended by approx.140 students.
• Adv. Quantum Chemistry course offered  in 2019 (core for 40 students) was attended by approx. 120 students.
  
• Able to attract almost 100% students to attaned all the lectures of any course.
  

 

 

 Awards/Honours:

 

1. 'Teaching Honour Roll' award at the Institute's Teacher's Day Celebration, 2018 (IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India).
2. 'Foundation day' award for excellence in Research at IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India 2016.
3.  Invited by the Chair, Teaching & Learning Committee of IIT Mandi for giving a short speech at the Institute's Teacher's Day Celebration, 2016.
4. 'Foundation day' award for excellence in Teaching at IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India 2013.
5. 'Foundation day' award for excellence in Research & Teaching at IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India 2011.
6.  Selected for IUPAC Young Chemist Award (Progm. B), by the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 2009.
   



 

 Invited Lectures (2015 -):

 

1. 3^rd North West Meeting on Spectroscopy, Structure and Dyamics at IIT Roorkee, Roorkee, India, 2019. 
2. 8^th Asia-Pacific Conference of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India, 2017.
3. 15^th Theoretical Chemistry Symposium, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India, 2016.
4. Recent Advances in Theoretical Chemistry,  IISc., Bangalore, India, 2016.
5. Department of Chemical Sciences, IISER Mohali, Punjab, India, 2016.
6. Centre for Theoretical Studies, IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, 2016.



 

Mentoring of Students:

 

Mentored a large number of students (Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics & Engineering), at various levels and most of them have continued in theoretical research. All students are getting trained to do indepndent research work. Students (Bachelor, Master and Ph.D.) are always the corresponding author of all the papers published, without any exception.

1. Number of students at Doctoral level: 12 (five have graduated and three more are doing thesis writing).
2. Total 33 students at the Masters level (thesis). Almost all have continued to do their Ph.D. in theoretical work in well reputed places in India/abroad.
   
3. Total 58 students at the Bachelor & Master's level for internship or project work. Again most have continued to do research in theoretical work.
4. One Ph.D. student has joined as post-doc under the legendary Professor Raphiel D. Levine in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
   

 

 

 

Science Education:

 

Dr. Chakraborty is very active in promoting science Education. This includes giving talks at various levels to students, and writing articles at a level that can be understood by undergraduate and postgraduate students. Theoretical chemistry is not a very popular subject in this region of the country. For making theoretical chemistry popular in Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Chakraborty has taken a large number of students from Himachal Pradesh for internships. Dr. Chakraborty coordinated* the first RSC-Salters' Chemistry Camp in Himachal Pradesh, gave talks in several DST INSPIRE camps and other forums.



 

 

Recent Publications (2021 -)

 

      1. Reaction-diffusion dynamics in presence of two competing sink terms: Beyond Oster-Nishijima Model in barrierless reaction,  

          C. Samanta* & A. Chakraborty, Physica A, 594, 127061 (2022).



      2. Propagator calculations for time dependent Dirac delta potentials and corresponding two state models, 

          S. Mudra* & A. Chakraborty, Phys. Lett. A, 418, 127725 (2021).



      3. Exact analytical solution of time independent Schrodinger equation for a system consist of two flat potentials coupled by a rectangular potential,

          P. Mondal* & A. Chakraborty, Mol. Phys. 119, e1968055 (2021).



      4. Exact results for the Schrödinger equation with moving localized potential,

          C. Samanta* & A. Chakraborty,  Phys. Lett. A, 408, 127485 (2021).

 

      5. Reaction-diffusion dynamics in an attractive stepwise-linear potential energy curve under the gaussian sink action,

         C. Samanta* & A. Chakraborty, Eur. Phys. J. Plus, 136, 1 (2021).

     

      6. Diffusion-reaction approach to electronic relaxation in solution: Exact solution of Smoluchowski equation for parabolic potential in  presence  of a rectangular sink, 

          P. Mondal* & A. Chakraborty, Chem. Phys., 548, 111206 (2021).

  

      7. Transition time estimation for δ-function coupling in two state problem: An analytically solvable model,

           M. Vashistha, C. Samanta* & A. Chakraborty, Chem. Phys. Lett., 770, 138436 (2021).

 

      8. Diffusion on a flat potential with a  rectangular sink of arbitrary width: Exact analytical solution in Laplace domain,

          P. Mondal* & A. Chakraborty, Physica A, 567, 125707 (2021).

 

      9. Opening of a weak link of a closed looped polymer immersed in solution. Analytical modelling using a Dirac delta function sink,

          M. Ganguly* & A. Chakraborty, Phys. Scr., 95, 015003 (2021).

 

      10. Diffusion dynamics in the presence of two competing sinks: Analytical solution for Oster-Nishijima's model,

            R. Saravanan* & A. Chakraborty, Physica A, 563, 125317 (2021).

.

 

Externally Funded Projects:

 

1. Curve Crossing Problems with Arbitrary Coupling, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, India, INR. 7,54,400 (completed in July, 2022).
2. Electron solvation by a layer of polar adsorbates - realistic model, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, India, INR. 3,96,000 (completed in July, 2022).

 

Teaching Courses:

 

Taught a variety of topics in science, engineering and humanities at the Bachelor's, Master's & Ph.D. level, for 12 years. Given below are the titles of the courses that have been taught:

1. M. Sc. Chemistry Core Courses: Group Theory - Spectroscopy, Advanced Quantum Chemistry, 'Reaction Dynamics, Kinetics & Catalysis', Computational Chemistry & Mathematics for Chemists.
2. B. Tech. Courses: English (core), Design Practicum (core), Fundamental Chemistry (core), Engineering Chemistry (core), Laboratory Chemistry (core), Molecular Thermodynamics (elective), Physics behind computer (elective), Molecular Spectroscopy (elective), Nanoscience (elective), Food Chemistry (elective) & Interdisciplinary Socio-Technical Practicum.
3. Ph.D. courses: Introduction to theoretical chemistry (elective).

 

Other Achievements:

 

• Dr. Chakraborty has joined IIT Mandi as the first permanent faculty member of the Institute.

• First research paper from the Institute was published by Dr. Chakraborty in 2010.

• Dr. Chakraborty, as the chair of IC course interest group, reformulated B. Tech. curriculum by introducing appropriate baskets for different IC courses (2019).

• M.Sc. in Chemistry was the first master's progm. (2014) in the Institute and Dr. Chakraborty, as the first course coordinator of that progm..
  

• B. Tech. projects guided by Dr. Chakraborty* always won awards by the Institute in both the courses, "Design Practicum" & "Interactive Socio-Technical Practicum".
  



 

 

Other Responsibilities (2015 -): 

 

1. Member, Senate Library Committee, IIT Mandi (2022 - 24).
2. Vice-chair (February, 2019 - September, 2020) of JEE Cell of IIT Mandi.
3. Member, School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi website committee (2018 - 2020).
4. Advisor of "Society for Collaborative Research & Innovation", IIT Mandi  (2018 - ).
5. Chair, School Seminar Committee, School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi (2015-20).
6. Member, course interest group of  I-Ph. D. & M.Sc. (Physics) Courses (2016 - 2020) of IIT Mandi.
7. Member, course interest group of B. Tech. core courses (2016-17) of IIT Mandi.
8. Member, course interest group of M. Sc. Chemistry progm. (2018 - 2020) of IIT Mandi.
9. Chair, course interest group of M. Sc. Chemistry Progm. (2015-18) of IIT Mandi.
   
10. Chair of Class Committee Meetings for B. Tech. 2nd year courses (2012-17) of IIT Mandi.
11. Member, Senate of IIT Mandi (2012--2020).
12. Member, 'Board of Academics' (2015 - 2021 ) of IIT Mandi.
13. Faculty Adviser of  M. Sc., Chemistry (2016 - 18) batch of IIT Mandi.
14. Course Coordinator of Institute Core Courses (2017 - 2021) of IIT Mandi.
15. Course Coordinator of M. Sc., Chemistry (2015 - 18) – progm. of IIT Mandi.
16. Active Reviewer of Phys. Rev E, J. Phys. A, Chem. Phys. Lett., Physica Scripta, Chem. Phys., 'Chaos, Solitons & Fractals', J. Mol. Struc., Phys. Lett. A, Euro. Phys. J., Int. J. Quant. Chem., RSC Adv. & ChemistrySelect.