Biography

Archita Patnaik joined IISER Berhampur as a Visiting Professor in August 2024. She has been a Professor in the Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras since 2006 after joining the institution in 1992.

It was a summer afternoon at Cornell University: Prof. Carl Sagan had just finished his address to the community on ‘Galileo’: NASA’s space mission to planet Jupiter. I, as a research associate working with him was overwhelmed with his wit and wisdom. Following what happened, had further traced my academic career. An accidental meet with an aspiring Masters student of Computer Science at Cornell University, who hailed from IIT Madras, germinated in me a deep desire to be a part of this marvelous institution. Thus began the journey to IIT Madras which was not by design; joined in 1992 after obtaining a Ph. D degree from Banaras Hindu University, an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship, a NASA fellowship and a Max-Planck fellowship. Subsequent fellowships on behalf of TWAS, JSPS and Fulbright – Nehru were endowed during the faculty tenure at IIT Madras, reaching Professor (HAG).

Growing on one’s own soil gave a magical touch. Teaching B.Techs had transformed the persona; meeting and exchanging with the budding aspiring beings was hard work, but a perpetual joy and constant learning; in the process, got hard-wired to seek confirmation. Met excellent teachers and colleagues who inculcated the impression that ‘ice can be broken’ and days could certainly be better than ‘yesterday’s tomorrow’.

It was imperative to Do Good Science and Be a Good Scientist. Initially, the air seemed empty; the concept-maps were many, but the vision-plans needed precision. Then one was reminded of our heritage and its scientific beginnings. A far cry and a leap… manifested two frontier laboratories with cutting edge infrastructure (https://profarchita-sail.com/labs.html) and a prudent student research community. They became a part of me, a connect, much deeper than any academic output. Good Science was to inspire an Einstein in each of them; flawless and informal deliberations with brutal honesty became our forte. Science was contagious and distributed. Our primary research interest was targeted at ‘Molecular Self-assembly and Functional Materials’, a discipline within disciplines, reflecting radical new approaches to synthesis and processing of materials at structured interfaces, enabling higher functionality structures, pattern formation and devices. "Self-assembly is Creation and Creation manifests in Self-assembly". The Fibonacci Spirals on the Sunflower depict the Geometric Blue-Print of Evolution with juxtaposition of holistic Science expressed in Nature. Through ab-initio electronic structure calculations, molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, spectro-microscopy and nanoscale electrochemistry of transport-active donor-acceptor dyads, bifunctional Janus clusters and functional amphiphiles, our group’s research culminated in bringing out a basic understanding of molecular-scale rectifiers and switches, nanoscale capacitors and structure and dynamics of stimuli-responsive, opto-electronically active, curvature controlled molecular aggregates (more at https://profarchita-sail.com/).While it was absolutely necessary to practice these, sometimes it became difficult to achieve the objective oriented goals in an almost subjective-success led science society. Even then, all was well that ended well.

Some events remained etched inside: the graduation days of my research students and a declaration from ‘2013 ACS on Campus’ as one of the 30 Indian Chemists publishing quality research. The organized 2008 International Conference on Functional Materials during IIT Madras’s golden jubilee year welcomed young and old, scientists and engineers, and science and art: a holistic disposition…and the outcome was knowledge accumulation and camaraderie. Joy knew no bounds becoming the advisory board member of the journals ‘J. Chemical Science (IAS/Springer) and J. Chemical Thermodynamics (Elsevier). Am ever indebted to DST/ SERB for having elated me as an expert committee member in very many of its schemes. It has been a revelation knowing the scientific might and spirit of the Country.

Realization is the goal of our efforts starting from conception to implementation. All that comes to us as efforts or struggle are not without the providence of Prayer. Let us keep in touch with the Nature: Flowers, the wordless prayers of Nature that signify a unique aspiration and vibration…The sun-kissed mornings of the ethereal campus with the bright Gulmohars constantly messaged that Life has a purpose and must blossom like a flower. Adulations to IIT Madras for providing that sanctity.

Success is vital, but need not be the ultimate goal. Cultivating an open mind to a greater wideness, humble and all-sharing scientific eloquence are probably the yardsticks for cultivating Science with par excellence. As an enthusiastic member of the human race, I am looking forward with immense excitement and hope for good science to emerge for the betterment of our civilization, necessitating mutual respect … a trajectory in achieving a Career in Totality.

Education

* B.Sc.(Chemistry (Hons.), Physics, Mathematics), B.J.B College, Utkal University, 1978

* M.Sc. (Chemistry), Banaras Hindu University, 1981

* Ph.D. Banaras Hindu University, 1986

Career and Professional Experience

* Research Associate, Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, 1986 -87

* Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Forschungszentrum, Juelich, Germany, 1987 – 89 (Prof.(Dr) Kurt Roessler)

* National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Fellow, Centre for Radio Physics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, 1989 -1990 ( Prof. (Dr.) Carl Sagan)

* Max-Planck Research Fellow, Max-Planck Institute for Cosmochemie, Mainz, Germany, 1991 – April 1992 (Dr. Johannes Bruekner)

* Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, May 1992

* Visiting Professor, Institute for Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China, July – December 1996

* Visiting Scientist, Synchrotron Centre, Elettra, Trieste, Italy, August – October 2000

* Associate Professor , Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2000

* JSPS Invitation Professor, Japanese Society for Promotion of Sciences , Department of Materials Technology, Chiba University, Japan, 2002 – 2003 ( Prof.(Dr.) Nobuo Ueno)

* Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2006

* Senior Fulbright - Nehru Research Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA, 2010 (Prof. Shaowei Chen, Dr. Jeff Neaton)

* Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, 2011 -2012

* Professor (HAG), Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2013

With immense gratitude to my School Teachers on the verge of the Teacher’s Day tomorrow, who have instilled the Ancient Wisdom in me and have eclipsed my expectations…………

Laboratory Infrastructure

Building Laboratory Infrastructure was always fascinating…… (though seemed many a times ‘a journey into the unknown’ !)

Inspired by the ‘Mars Observer’ project involvement at the Cyclotron Centre Saclay, France ( 1991 -1992), the ‘Coincidence Circuits’ for Positron Lifetime Spectroscopy laboratory were developed here at IITM.

MARS OBSERVER, a planetary mission of NASA
[to study the geoscience and climate of Mars ]
Was launched on 1992-09-25
Lost contact on August 21, 1993

A cross-disciplinary event with Chemists, Physicists and Engineers