Congratulations on being awarded the Foreign Fulbright India Doctoral Research Fellowship! Could you share your initial thoughts and emotions upon receiving this prestigious opportunity

The first mail that I received from the USIEF office confirming my selection to the Fulbright Nehru Doctoral Program came as a surprise to me and I remember reading the offer letter multiple times just to make sure that I was reading it right. I was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions. I immediately shared the news with my family and my supervisor Prof. Yogesh M. Joshi and co-supervisor Prof. Sachin Shanbhag, also my supervisor during the Fulbright grant.

Although I was part of the principal panel of students selected for FNDR program, but the fellowship is considered official only after an approval from the funding board. This happened after a lot of paperwork over the course of next seven months. I had my fingers crossed during this time.

What motivated you to apply for the Foreign Fulbright India fellowship, and how do you envision it shaping your academic and research journey?

I first came to know about the Fulbright fellowships through my supervisor Prof. Joshi who also encouraged me to apply for it. At first I envisioned it as an opportunity to work in close proximity to my co-supervisor at Florida State University and get an exposure to research culture in the United States. However, I soon realised that the Fulbright program was much more than just a few months of research in USA. It was a global community of esteemed researchers working in diverse domains. It gives a platform for cultural exchange, for expanding one’s academic network and hence, facilitating professional and personal growth.

This grant would contribute immensely to my current research as a PhD scholar. It would help me diversify my research and gain deeper knowledge about scientific computing and its applications in rheology. I also plan to be on the lookout for potential collaborations and new research ideas which would enhance my capabilities to function as an independent researcher in the future.

Can you provide an overview of your host institute in the USA & research topic and how it aligns with the goals and priorities of the Fulbright program?

I would be visiting the Department of Scientific Computing at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida for a duration of 9 months (September 2023- May 2024). Prof. Sachin Shanbhag would be my supervisor during the grant. His research interests are rheology, polymer dynamics, inverse problems, peridynamics, Monte Carlo simulations and Bayesian inference. I applied for the Fulbright grant in the ‘mathematical sciences’ domain. Prof. Shanbhag’s expertise and the project I propose to undertake at FSU falls well within the scope of mathematical sciences.

In addition, FSU is a vibrant campus with a rich diversity of students from different nationalities. The campus houses departments in science, technology, arts and humanities. These align well with the idea of interdisciplinary research and cultural exchange promoted by the Fulbright commission.

What are some of the key objectives you aim to achieve during your research project, and how do you envision contributing to your field of study?

The project that I propose to undertake at FSU would be focused on understanding the rheological behaviour of thixotropic systems when subjected to a shear deformation of large amplitudes. Thixotropic materials are thermodynamically out of equilibrium systems that undergo spontaneous structural evolution to attain lower free energy states. As a result, they are inherently time dependent and witness enhancement in viscosity and modulus (aging) which gets affected by any applied deformation. The objective of this work would be building the theoretical framework required for analysing experimental data for any such system subjected to different kinds of shear deformations.

Can you share any long-term goals or aspirations you have for yourself beyond the Fulbright fellowship, and how this opportunity will contribute to achieving them?

In the long term I plan to take up a career in academia. I envision myself as a independent researcher and an educator at an esteemed research institute in India. In order to do that, I plan to take a Postdoctoral fellowship after my PhD. The Fulbright fellowship would contribute immensely to this endeavour. The research experience gained during this fellowship would strengthen my application for future job opportunities. It will also give me an opportunity to explore future collaborations. In addition, the international exposure would help me at a personal level by fostering a global mindset.

What advice would you give to your ChE peers & fellow students who are considering applying for the Foreign Fulbright India Doctoral Research Fellowship?

For my ChE peers who plan to apply for the Fulbright fellowship, I have a few suggestions. You should try to very precise and specific in your research proposal. It is important to establish the need for your work and a proper timeline of how you plan to complete it in the grant duration. The problem statement should be a part of your PhD thesis and not the complete thesis itself. Also, one needs to carefully select the subject domain for which you are submitting the proposal.

The selection commission gives more value to your ability to function as an independent researcher rather than the research proposal itself, unlike other fellowships. In addition, the commission is eager to take people from diverse backgrounds who can act as cultural ambassadors. If you have anything that is relevant for this criterion it is always an added advantage.

In the end I would say that these fellowships open gates for bigger opportunities, and one should not hesitate in grabbing it.

What are your plans and aspirations after completing your Fulbright fellowship? Do you see yourself continuing research in India or exploring other international collaborations?

I plan to come back to India and continue research as a faculty in reputed institutions. However, I am always open to the possibility of collaborations with fellow researchers across the globe.

Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with the Fulbright community and our readers about your journey and the opportunities that lie ahead?

I would like to express gratitude to my supervisors, friends and family for their constant support and motivation. As a visually impaired person I faced several challenges while living on campus and carrying out research work. I would like to thank the IITK community who have helped me at several levels in the journey. The experience and exposure that I got at IIT Kanpur motivated me to apply for this fellowship. I also thank the readers for their interest and time. I feel deeply humbled to be a part of this elite global research community. I look forward to my stay in Florida.

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Read Soft Matter Blog Article:
https://blogs.rsc.org/sm/2023/06/01/soft-matter-emerging-investigator-rahul-mangal/?doing_wp_cron=1694231365.6439249515533447265625
More details can be found here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2023/sm/d3sm00228d