Molecular Excited-States &
Strong Light-Matter Couplings

I was born in Alampur, a village in the Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana, to Sri Veeranna and Smt Giddamma. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad (IIT Dh). My current research interests include the exploration of excited-state chemistry and polaritonic phenomenon in molecular systems. For this purpose, advanced electronic structure methods, such as CASSCF, CASPT2 and MRCI, along with wave-packet dynamics simulations will be employed. During my doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr. Anirban Hazra at IISER Pune, I gained expertise in employing the multi-reference electronic structure methods to understand the photo-chemical and chemiluminescence processes. Here, I also had a great opportunity to work on the research problems of my own interest. Prior joining to IIT Dh, I worked with Dr. Markus Kowalewski (Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Sweden) and Dr. Igor Schapiro (Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel) as a postdoctoral researcher. During my stay (Jun., 2019 - Jun., 2023) at the Stockholm University, polaritionic influences on the chemical reactivity were studied by using non-adiabatic wave-packet dynamics simulations. In the Schapiro's research group from Aug., 2023 to Mar., 2024, my expertise with multi-reference methods got further amplified through the investigation of spin crossover mechanism in transition metal complexes. For a brief period after my Ph.D., I also worked with Prof. Mahesh Hariharan at IISER Thiruvananthapuram. I earned my M.Sc. (Chemistry) from the University of Hyderabad, India, where my research interest in theoretical chemistry was triggered while working with Prof. M. Durga Prasad for the final semester project. All my early education till intermediate was done at my hometown, and I got my graduate degree from Andhra Pradesh Residential Degree College, Nagrajuna Sagar.