About Me

Hello!

I’m Priyabrata, currently working as a Provisional Research Associate at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru.

I came from a small village, Tiorkhali, of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal. Yes, I am a bong guy! I spent most of my life there until higher studies sent me far away from my sweet home.

I completed my bachelor's degree in physics from Vidyasagar University, Midnapore. Then, I moved to the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in 2016 for post-graduation. After completing my master’s studies, I joined CeNS Bangalore in 2018 for doctoral research.
My research mainly focuses on solution-processing several layered materials like hexagonal boron nitride, metal oxides, pnictogens, etc., and using them in suitable applications like a supercapacitor, batteries, catalysis, photodetectors, etc.

Outside my research work, I am an avid movie enthusiast, enjoying films in any language. I love to read and write Bengali short stories. Another hobby of mine is cooking, and I am continually learning to prepare various dishes. Besides, I have been learning flute for more than a year now, discovering a new passion for music along the way.

Once again, a warm welcome to the website! Feel free to explore my website and discover more about my work and interests.

Goodbye! Namaskar!🙏

Curriculum Vitae

PhD Thesis

Education

2018 - 2024

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Thesis Title: Solution-Processing of Layered Materials and their Applications
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. H. S. S. Ramakrishna Matte

2016 - 2018

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Master of Science (M.Sc.)

Physics

2013 - 2016

Vidyasagar University, Midnapore

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)

Physics (Gold medalist)

Honors, Awards, Scholarships and Grants

Associate Member (AMRSC) of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London (2024)
Nominated for the LUM Young Scientist Award by LUM GmbH, Berlin, Germany (2024)
Secured CSIR Foreign Travel Grant from the CSIR HRDG, New Delhi (2024)
Secured Researcher Development and Travel Grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2023)
Awarded Graphene 2023 Travel grant by “Graphene 2023” organizers (2023)
Honored with the “Top Writer” badge by Quora Bangla (2022)
Awarded CSIR-UGC Fellowship for doctoral studies (2018-2023)
Secured an All-India-Rank of 156 in JEST (2018)
Secured All-India-Rank of 186 and 217 in CSIR-UGC NET (2017 and 2018)
Honored to witness the Republic Day Parade from the Prime Minister’s Box as a guest of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India (2017)
Awarded the Gold Medal by the Vidyasagar University (2017)
Secured an All-India-Rank of 241 in IITJAM (2016)
Felicitated by the District Magistrate, Purba Medinipur, for academic excellence in 10+2 (2012)

Skills and Expertise

Instrumentation Proficiency

Dispersion analyzer (LUMiSizer)
UV-vis absorption spectrometer
X-ray diffractometer (XRD)
Glovebox for battery fabrication
Particle size analyzer and zeta potential
Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA)
Surface stylus profilometer
Optical microscope
Probe/bath sonicator
Planetary ball milling
Homogenizer

Material Characterization and Analysis Tools

Electron microscopy analysis (FESEM, TEM)
Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
Electrochemical characterization

Thin Film Fabrication Techniques

Electrophoretic deposition
Spray coating
Doctor blade technique
Spin coating
Thermal deposition
Sputtering

Languages

English (Full professional proficiency)
Bengali (Native or bilingual proficiency)
Hindi (Limited working proficiency)

Peer Review

Reviewed articles for “Nature Communications”, “Materials Chemistry and Physics” and “Bulletin of Materials Science.”

Digital Literacy

Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Illustrator, OriginPro, ImageJ, Gwyddion, X’Pert HighScore Plus, HSPiP, Mercury, Vesta, WSxM, Zetasizer, Autolab Nova, XPSPEAK, FullProf Suite, SEPView

Conferences Presentations

Delivered an oral presentation at the “Young Scientist Colloquium (YSC) - 2024” organized by the Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) and Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur Math, on 11 December 2024.
Delivered an oral presentation as a Young Scientist Award nominee at the “International Conference for Dispersion Analysis & Materials Testing 2024” held from 10-11 June 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Presented poster titled “Understanding the Role of Molecular Structure of the Solvents in Liquid Phase Exfoliation of 2D Materials” at the “Graphene 2023” international conference held during 27-30 June 2023 at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
Presented poster titled “Nanomechanical Study of Aqueous-Processed h-BN Reinforced PVA Composites” at the "Advances in Polymer Materials (APM)" national conference held on 25–26 April 2023 at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar.
Participated in and presented a poster titled “Solution Processing of Layered Materials and Their Applications” at the "Manipal Research Colloquium (MRC)" held on 12–14 April 2023 at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal.
Participated in and presented a poster titled “Solution-Processing of Topochemically Converted Layered WO₃ for Multifunctional Applications” at the online conference "Interdisciplinary Topics in Materials Science (ITAM-2021)", held on 27–30 July 2021 and organized by IISc, JNCASR, and CeNS.

Invited Speaker,Talks,
Lectures

Delivered a talk titled “Interfacial Properties Dominate Over Bulk Solvent Properties in Liquid Phase Exfoliation of 2D Materials” at the International Conference for Dispersion Analysis & Materials Testing 2024, held from 10–11 June 2024, in Berlin, Germany. https://conference2024.lum-gmbh.com/
Delivered a talk on the topic “Combatting Cancer With 2D Materials” at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, on 12 May 2023.
Delivered a talk titled “A Tissue-Like Soft All-Hydrogel Battery” at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, on 2 December 2022.
Delivered a talk titled “Anomalous Absorption of Electromagnetic Waves by 2D Transition Metal Carbonitride Ti₃CNTₓ” at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, on 4 December 2020.

Workshops and Seminars

Attended the "International Workshop on X-ray Diffraction Analysis" from 16–20 October 2020, organized by Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Karnataka, India.
Attended the virtual workshop "Mastering the Publishing Process," organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the American Chemical Society (ACS) on July 28, 2020.
Attended a two-day workshop on "3D Micro and Nano Fabrication" by Henrik Akesson on 17–18 July 2019, hosted by the TRC facility at JNCASR, Bengaluru, and organized by Nanoscribe.
Attended a short course on "Surface Area & Porous Material Characterization" by Dr. Martin Thomas (Anton Paar India Pvt. Ltd.) on 14 March 2019, in the MRC department, IISc, Bengaluru.
Attended seminars at CPMU, JNCASR, Bengaluru, on 8 February 2019, by Prof. Nicholas D. Spencer and Prof. S. Schintke on the topics "Hydrogels: The Surface is Crucial" and "Inkjet Printable Electrodes and Applications," respectively.